Keeping Our Right-of-Ways Clear

 Yukon Energy has more than 1,000 kilometres of transmission lines, and we must keep the right-of-ways under the lines clear to ensure reliability of our system. Currently we mow the right-of-ways and manually remove the trees under our powerlines. However vegetation experts have reviewed our practice and suggest that using herbicides in addition to our current practices will provide benefits both from an economic and an environmental standpoint.

Using herbicides would mean that the right-of-ways would be disturbed less often by heavy equipment, because we wouldn’t have to manually remove vegetation so often. It could promote the growth of grasses and other vegetation desirable to animals and humans, since herbicides can be selectively applied to target certain plants or trees. It also reduces bird nest disturbances.

This summer, we will be testing some herbicides in the Whitehorse area to see if it makes sense for us to add their use to our vegetation management program.

The small plots, near the Long Lake Road and in the vicinity of the Takhini Hot Springs Road, will be clearly marked with signs before the work begins. See the maps below for their exact locations.

Herbicides are commonly used by utilities elsewhere in Canada and abroad. The ones we are testing have been recommended by environmental experts and have been approved as safe to use by Health Canada.

We will begin our test program on July 8th and run for two weeks. During this time, we ask that you not walk through the plots, and that you prevent your pets from walking through them. While it isn’t a hazard for you to walk in the area, it could affect the results of our testing.

Please contact us if you have any questions.