East Preston residents fear fire hazard from tree trimming

People along a major road in East Preston, N.S., say tree trimming work for Nova Scotia Power is creating a potential fire hazard.

A contractor is cutting tree branches away from power lines along Cranehill Road, but residents say the debris from the trimming isn't being removed.

Spencer Colley with the East Preston Ratepayers Community Development Association said the problem is some of the debris has been in the ditch for more than a month.

"Some of it they left and as you can see the limbs and that are all getting brown and anybody can flick a cigarette butt out and cause fire," Colley said. 

After the devastating wildfires in other parts of Nova Scotia a couple of months ago, he said the fire risk is top of mind.

"We don't want that to happen in Preston," Colley said. 

The ratepayers association has written to the Harbour East-Marine Drive Community Council of the Halifax Regional Municipality. In the letter, the association said they're also concerned the cutting has been happening during nesting season for many types of birds, and complained about the way the trees had been trimmed.

"They didn't trim them down in a V-shape," Colley said. "They just cut the tops off of the trees, which is going to leave it looking terrible."

The ratepayers aren't the only ones complaining.

In an email to CBC News, area councillor David Hendsbee said he's hearing similar complaints in other areas.

"A couple of months ago, NS Power also have done some brush and tree cutting along the West Porters Lake Road and Crowell Road and that cut-tree debris is still lying along the side of the road dried out and now a fire hazard," he said.

Nova Scotia Power needs to tell its contractor to finish removing and chipping the debris it has trimmed, he said.

Nova Scotia Power statement

A spokesperson for the utility said the area will be cleaned up. Jacqueline Foster said it's part of a two-stage operation.

"There's always a bit of time between the trimming and the mulching as we need to leave enough time and space between these vehicles/equipment to do the work safely," Foster said in a statement.

"In some cases, the mulching may also have to be done manually due to heavy equipment not being permitted or not being able to access the entire right-of-way."

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