Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016 (Halifax, NS) – As part of the continued commitment to the municipality’s Urban Forest Master Plan, the fourth annual winter street tree pruning project begins next week on Dalhousie Street and Oakland Road. Thousands of trees have been pruned along several kilometres of city streets since beginning this program in 2013. The Urban Forest Master Plan outlines the value in being proactive in our street tree-pruning efforts. Damage to street trees, as well as nearby utility poles, can be avoided with regular cycles of tree pruning, rather than by simply reacting on an as-needed basis whenever there’s a problem. Regular pruning can also extend the life and improve the canopy of street trees. Work along Dalhousie Street and Oakland Road will begin on Monday, Dec. 5, with the pruning program taking place weekdays between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. All the streets receiving tree pruning this season in the south end of Halifax will be open to traffic, however there could be temporary closures and some parking restrictions while pruning takes place. The work on Dalhousie Street is expected to be completed by Tuesday, while work on Oakland Road should wrap up on Wednesday (all timelines are weather permitting). Here are the other streets receiving tree pruning attention this winter: Cartaret Street Davis Street Fraser Street Waterloo Street Murray Place Roxton Road South Street Marlborough Avenue Greenwood Avenue Bellevue Avenue Regina Terrace Ritchie Drive Beaufort Avenue     Motorists should expect some delays in the area and are encouraged to use alternative routes whenever possible. It’s worth noting this pruning project is also completely ‘green’, with all the branches being further processed through a woodchipper to then be redistributed this spring along municipal paths and trails. Source: Release