If the insulating sheath is obviously damaged, or if the three stacked wires are bare, stay away from the lines and don’t let anybody or anything (tool, ladder, tape measure or anything else) get within 3 m of them.
For safety reasons, the law requires trees in such situations to be pruned or felled by arborists authorized by Hydro-Québec.
To help your arborist estimate the job, send photos. And be sure to obtain any permits required: they are mandatory in many municipalities.
List of arborists in your region authorized by Hydro-Québec to work near power lines (in French).
(All are members of the Société internationale d’arboriculture Québec inc., the Québec chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture)
If you are concerned by one of these situations, let us know.
- A tree or big branch is leaning on a wire.
- A tree or big branch looks like it may fall onto a wire.
- A climbing plant is twining around a wire.
- There are sparks or arcing between branches and wire.
Report a hazard involving vegetation near power lines
Low-voltage wires (120–600 V) are a serious shock hazard, even though they have a insulating sheath, because they can carry thousands of amps. As a precaution, never touch them directly or indirectly, because the sheathing may be damaged, even if it doesn’t look like it.
We advise you not to try to prune or fell trees yourself. We recommend that you contact an arborist who is a member of the Société internationale d’arboriculture Québec (Québec chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture).
To help your arborist estimate the job, send photos. And be sure to obtain any permits required: they are mandatory in many municipalities.
Display the list of arborists who are SIAQ members in this region (in French).