Nelson stops its tree cutting program

The city of Nelson is hitting the pause button on its tree pruning.

Nelson Hydro has been doing aggressive cutting of branches so they are well away from power lines.

But as councillor Deb Kozak explains there have been complaints from the public.

Nelson Hydro says the work is necessary to avoid the risk of electric shock down trees and a gap of around 3-metres from cable to tree limb is the industry safety standard.

The city is to convene the utility’s arborist as well as their own to review practices.