Hydro-Québec to cut back problem trees in St-Lazare

Starting in April, Hydro-Québec workers will begin checking all the power-lines in St-Lazare for overgrown brush and problem trees in a bid to reduce the frequency of power failures in the area. The tree-pruning campaign is planned to take around two years, according to a letter co-signed by Hydro-Québec and the town, which was sent to residents last week. Hydro- Québec spokesman Jonathan Petit said St-Lazare’s rate of power outages is almost twice the average in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges region, and in most cases, overgrown vegetation or fallen tree branches are the cause. He said dense greenery near power lines also makes it harder for Hydro crews to gain access when working to restore power. “We know that we need to do this project to improve the quality of electrical service and we need our customers to collaborate with us,” Petit said. A public information session about the tree-trimming program will be held on April 6 at 7 p.m. at Parc Nature les Forestiers-de-StLazare to present details of the work involved and answer any questions. Petit said the information session will be presented in French, but handouts will be available in English and officials will respond to questions in both languages. The success of Hydro-Québec’s plan depends on the co-operation of homeowners. In many areas, the power lines cut through backyard woodlots and other private property. While servitudes allow Hydro- Québec to prune greenery as needed, permission from both the homeowner and the town is required to cut dead or weakened trees that pose a risk to the lines. “We know that people could say no,” Petit said. “It’s their right, but we want them to understand that we don’t cut trees only to cut trees. it’s because we think that it could cause power outages. Our job is not to cut trees. Our job is to ensure that the electrical service is good.” Petit said there will be no cost to homeowners if Hydro-Québec removes trees from their property. Hydro will also take care of acquiring tree removal permits from the town. While small branches will be removed, larger pieces of wood will be left for the landowner to chop for firewood, sell, or remove themselves. The Hydro-Québec initiative was first made public at the March 7 council meeting in St-Lazare, after Danielle Hébert presented a petition signed by 80 residents pleading for the town to be more proactive about trimming trees near power lines. Hébert lives in the Saddlebrook neighbourhood, where she said there have been five outages lasting longer than eight hours within the past year alone. Hebert said she has lived in the area for nine years, and although she loves her neighbourhood, last year she told her husband they had to buy a generator or move. “We love the nature, we love the trees and everything, but I get irritated by the power failures,” she said. “Hopefully by trimming some trees, it will improve the situation.” St-Lazare spokeswoman Geneviève Hamel said plans for this tree-pruning has been in the works since last year. “Every time it’s windy we have electrical problems,” Hamel said. “As soon as we have ice storms and wind in St-Lazare, because the bylaws are very strict with trees, they fall on the wires and we have numerous power outages.” In St-Lazare, a bylaw requires a permit before cutting trees larger than 3 centimetres in diameter, even if the tree is dead or badly damaged. While special permission is not required for trimming and pruning of trees, it is forbidden to excessively cut trees back in a way that could be damaging.