Rural Masterton residents are furious at the mid-drought "butchery" of roadside trees that has left their laneways dangerous and strewn with debris.
Masterton Stronvar Road resident Shane Davies said his wife was in tears on Tuesday after Masterton District Council contractors severely trimmed back vegetation and trees along their boundary, including fruit trees on their property, without notification or adequate road warnings.
"I'm not just complaining for the sake of complaining and I can understand why trees need trimming for traffic safety but they're butchering these trees with no regard for what they leave behind.
"There were trees falling on to the road and I saw one chap who had to stop and carry his bike over debris left in his way because there's no traffic control or notification about the work."
A council delegation met Mr Davies at his property east of Masterton late yesterday afternoon about the trimming of his trees and damage to his fence line that he blames on the contractors.
"They're butchering these trees without any regard to their survival or safety hazards while they're working."
West Bush Road resident Carl Kitchenham said he was also shocked at the "devastation" Masterton contracting crews left last week near his property located west of the town.
"We live in an area of outstanding natural beauty, according to the council, but what their contractors are doing borders on environmental vandalism. It's just hideous.
"They have a spinning blade on a boom that's leaving trees virtually cut in half with great lumps just hacked off beavers could do a better job with far less mess afterward.
"I'm no tree-hugger and I understand trimming for the sake of safety but I've been picking up logs just left on the road near us that I believe is just as great a traffic hazard as obscured lines of sight."
A neighbouring and long-time West Bush Road resident, who declined to be named, said she reached an agreement with the council and contractors to halt the trimming of ornamental maple and specimen trees along her roadside boundary until "the weather improves enough to give the trees a chance to survive after they're trimmed".
"They claim some of my trees are hindering driver's vision but to maul them like this at the height of a drought really is butchery and nothing less."
Masterton District Council roading services manager Hamish Pringle said yesterday there are about 400 lane kilometres of roadside vegetation trimmed in the district each year at a cost to council of more than $60,000 a year.
Mr Pringle said the present trimming is "reasonably heavy", which will mean lighter pruning "next time around".
He said the trimming of roadside trees "basically back to the boundary line" of private properties is to ensure safe traffic sight lines and "encroachments are removed without notification or warning".
"We don't go through the process of notification every time because our work is ongoing.
"Most people keep their trees pruned without becoming a safety risk and our work is only undertaken in the interests of safety.
"But we do have more complaints about overhanging and obstructive vegetation than we do about our pruning."
Residents lash out at roadside tree 'butchery'
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