Ottawa tree budget faces cut

Ottawa residents may need to watch out for falling branches in coming years if proposed cuts to the city's tree maintenance budget go through.

The city's budget, audit and finance committee has recommended a $2 million cut to the $11.4 million the city's forestry program requested.

If city council passes the recommendation, regular trimming of Ottawa's 310,000 trees would happen just once every 32 years. In the past, the city set a target of proactive trimming every five to seven years — a generally accepted standard it has not yet reached.

"We're moving away from what they say is a best practice," Alta Vista Coun. Peter Hume, chair of the city's planning and environment committee, said Wednesday.

Regular tree inspections could also dwindle if the proposed cuts go ahead, Hume said, and this could make it easier for tree-killing pests such as the emerald ash borer to spread.

Horticulturalist Ed Lawrence said failing to keep up with the pruning schedule could put the health of the trees and the safety of the public at risk.

"It's very short-term, potentially short-term gain for long, long-term pain," Lawrence said. "This is very short-sighted."