Hydro-Québec – Vegetation and Power Lines

Image: Vegetation and Power Lines – Distribution

You want to plant a tree or shrub.
Make sure to maintain the required minimum clearance from medium-voltage lines.

Choose a tree or shrub that maintains the required minimum clearance.
It's a matter of providing reliable electrical service and, above all, ensuring your personal safety.

What is meant by “required minimum clearance”?

The required minimum clearance takes into account:

- the span and height of the fully mature tree or shrub
- a safety margin around medium-voltage lines
- risk factors such as vulnerability to wind or ice damage

How to measure the
required minimum clearance

Remember:

Before planting any tree or shrub, choose a species that maintains the required minimum clearance from medium-voltage lines.

How to measure the required minimum clearance
Use this easy way to choose a suitable tree or shrub – Online tool: “Clearance-Tree-Electricity”
Hazards and nuisances if the required minimum clearance is not maintained
Watch this video to see what happens when a branch comes too close to a medium-voltage line


	For quite a few species of trees, the required minimum clearance is more than 10 metres (30 feet)! Use our online tool to quickly identify the species that suit your property.