We all know trees and power lines
don't mix. A tree contactin a power line
can cause damage to houseehold appliances,
blackouts, fires or worse - electric
shock. More than one thousand one hundred power line
outages are caused by vegetation affecting
400,000 homes and businesses each year.
Trees and power lines need to coexist, and
that means sometimes trees need to be pruned,
and community safety must be a priority.
Energy Safe Victoria understands the
social and environmental importance trees
bring to the community, however amenity
and community safety do not need to be
mutually exclusive - there is a middle
ground between the two.
Where the wonderful aspects of your
Council's urban forest can be maintained
without impacting electrical safety.
ESV is working with you and your council
to meet a happy medium.
There is no reason your local streetscape
should have to suffer. The best outcome
for trees is for moderate pruning to be
completed frequently.
If this doesn't occur on a regular basis
a harder pruning approach will need to be
required to restore safe clearance
standards.
In some situations tree removal and replacement
may be necessary. It is your council's
responsibility to ensure trees and nature strips
fringing council reserves are a minimum distance
from powerlines.
Energy Safe Victoria will support your
council in this process, and audit their
work to ensure it complies with line
clearance standards.
Minimum clarances information can be found in
the Electric Line Clearance Code of Practice.
By implementing a scheduled tree clearing program
and being aware of, and understanding the required
clearance standards, your council will be able to
preserve your community's streetscapes, minimise
outages and provide safer electricity to the community.
Reviewed 15 September 2023