Tree Cutting between Trail and Lake

Sebastian

Registered User
May 1, 2014
53
1
8
Beach Strip
#1
I noticed that last few days they have been cutting trees between trail and lake (where power lines are).
I talked to one of the guys in Hydro One truck today, and they said that it is basically because of the power lines.
It is quite sad, as they cleared, a lot of trees - some of them old and really nice.
 

scotto

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 15, 2004
6,985
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The Beach Strip
#2
I noticed that last few days they have been cutting trees between trail and lake (where power lines are).
I talked to one of the guys in Hydro One truck today, and they said that it is basically because of the power lines.
It is quite sad, as they cleared, a lot of trees - some of them old and really nice.
This isn't new so excuse me for being a little cynical, I was involved in trying to stop the last two clear cuts and was basically told, "too bad, we are going to do what we want." It is the same attitude we get from the Port when ever they add another industry over on Eastport, no consultation, it just here you go. That is why you haven't heard much from me on this topic even though Hydro One has been over on the Trail for a couple of weeks cutting everything down to the ground.

From the Stoney Creek News(taken from the Spec)
Dec 02, 2015
Hydro One defends tree-cutting program on Beach Strip and Red Hill Valley

Stoney Creek News
By Kevin Werner


Hydro One officials are defending the corporation’s tree-cutting program that has already wiped out vegetation along the Hamilton Waterfront Trail and will begin sometime next year chopping down trees in the Red Hill Valley.

Tiziana Baccega Rosa, Hydro One spokesperson, said a number of poplar trees were cut down from the Hamilton Federal Pier to the Beach Transmission Station as part of a program to improve the safety of workers and the public, while also protecting its transmission lines. She did not know how many trees were removed by Hydro One workers.

“Hydro One is required to comply with operating, safety and reliability standards set by regulatory and standards authorities,” she said.

In 2003 the North American Electricity Reliability Corporation (NERC) established new standards to keep vegetation 4.5 metres away from lines in 2003 following the southern Ontario blackout.

“Much of the cutting (along the beach Strip) was brush. There was a lot of poplar and underbrush.”

The tree-cutting program began Nov. 23 and is expected to take about five weeks, she said, with the work occurring between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. during weekdays.

It is not yet determined when Hydro One will begin clearing out the trees and other plants along the hydro corridor in the Red Hill Valley. But Rosa said it will happen sometime next year.

“It does need to go forward,” she said.

“Vegetation grows into the wires and it could (involve) the line.”

Ward 5 councillor Chad Collins blasted Hydro One for its tree-cutting practices at the Dec. 2 general issues committee meeting saying officials have ignored a past unwritten agreement with city officials to save a portion of the vegetation and instead has just started to clear cut trees.

“They are clear-cutting everything in the easement,” said Collins. “The beach strip has already been decimated now.”

Collins said Hydro One will be targeting trees in the Red Hill Valley next, even though the corporation has done nothing to maintain the flora and fauna in the area. He said there are trees that are 20 to 30 years old that could be removed.

He said the hydro corridor in the Red Hill Valley is about 2.5 kilometres along Glen Castle Drive, following the path of Mount Albion Road up to the escarpment.

Collins said the province is more interested in selling Hydro One than protecting the environment.

Politicians at the general issues committee meeting agreed with Collins’ motion to study how much it would cost the city to maintain the hydro corridors in order to protect as much vegetation as possible.

Rosa said Hydro One officials have been in contact with councillors Collins and Sam Merulla, along with Hamilton’s forestry officials talking to them about what type of cutting would take place.

“We have walked the hydro corridors with them,” she said.

She said Hydro One has been meeting with the city, the Hamilton Conservation Authority and Coastal Ecologist on how best to create a naturalization plan for the right-of-way areas. Rosa said the idea is to create low-grow areas of plants that don’t impact the hydro lines.

Hydro One has already cleared hydro corridors in Kitchener, Guelph and Burlington, which has also prompted outrage among politicians and residents in those areas.

Rosa said the corporation has about 29,000 transmission and distribution lines across the province that need to be cleared. She said the corporation is on a six to eight year rotation to remove the vegetation.
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/6...g-program-on-beach-strip-and-red-hill-valley/






 

scotto

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Feb 15, 2004
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#3
And the Redhill Valley Is Next

I have been up and the Redhill Pkwy many, many times and don't recall seeing hydro towers located along there, guess I should have a better look next time.

Posted with permission from the Hamilton Spectator
_____________________________________________
Dec 03, 2015

'Virgin Territory': Red Hill Valley next hydro cull target

Hamilton Spectator
By Teviah Moro


The Red Hill Valley is on deck for Hydro One's tree-clearing efforts following a cull on the Beach Strip.

But the city has no wiggle room to save trees that may come in the path of the utility's chain saws, says Coun. Chad Collins.

"This time, there is no compromise."

Last week, the provincial electricity distributor started a five-week plan to cut vegetation along the Beach to protect power lines.

In the past, an "informal arrangement" allowed city forestry staff to attend work sites with Hydro One workers to save trees, Collins said during Tuesday's general issues committee meeting.

"We actually walked the trail and tried to save as many as we could."

But Hydro One is less flexible now that it's cutting less frequently, but more each time to shave costs, Collins said.

The Ward 5 councillor suggested trees that haven't been touched for 20 or 30 years are potential targets.

"They've never visited the valley to maintain the trees. This is virgin territory for them."

But Hydro One won't be setting a precedent by cutting trees there.

The construction of the Red Hill Valley Parkway exploded into protests, arrests, heated community debates and lawsuits.

Some opponents of the plan camped out in trees, trying to save the 12,400 that were cut down to make way for the highway, which opened in 2007.

Hydro One's "vegetation management area" is about 2.5 kilometres, running along Glen Castle Drive and following the path of Mount Albion Road up the escarpment.

The utility doesn't yet know when the Red Hill project will start or the scope of work involved, said spokesperson Tiziana Baccega Rosa.

"It's still in the planning stages."

Baccega Rosa disputed that Hydro One's efforts to involve the city have changed.

"They've been engaged and involved."

Utility staff met with city officials, including once with Collins, twice in November about the most recent Beach project, she noted.

"In fact, we do walk the corridor and go through everything with them."

City forestry manager Steve Barnhart said staff are familiar with the Beach work plan but saving individual trees "isn't on the table anymore."

Barnhart said replanting could soften some of the altered landscape at the Beach and in the valley.

"Yes, we're going to lose wooded vegetation, but it's not like we're not going to get anything from them."

Baccega Rosa couldn't say Wednesday how much will be cut during the Red Hill project, but noted maintenance targets any "incompatible" vegetation that in its lifetime could grow into the wire zone.

Hydro One has said the shift to less frequent "vegetation management work" is meant to cut costs, while meeting safety and regulatory requirements.

The result "does look more dramatic" at first, Baccega Rosa acknowledged.

On Wednesday, Collins asked staff to explore how much it would cost the city to maintain the corridors to maintain as much mature vegetation as possible.

The transmission utility's maintenance projects have also stirred controversy in Burlington, Guelph and Kitchener and Kingston.

The province is selling 60 per cent of Hydro One to help pay for its $130-billion public transit and infrastructure goals.

Collins argued the province is more concerned about selling the utility than maintaining its assets properly.

"I think that's a sad state of affairs."



tmoro@thespec.com

905-526-3264 | @TeviahMoro

http://www.thespec.com/news-story/6156554--virgin-territory-red-hill-valley-next-hydro-cull-target/
 

Sebastian

Registered User
May 1, 2014
53
1
8
Beach Strip
#4
Thanks scotto - that explains a lot.

Hopefully they will ultimately move those power lines on the Eastport side and then the trees will be left alone.
At least that is my wishful thinking.
 

scotto

Administrator
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Feb 15, 2004
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The Beach Strip
#5
Thanks scotto - that explains a lot.

Hopefully they will ultimately move those power lines on the Eastport side and then the trees will be left alone.
At least that is my wishful thinking.
Let me try this again;
I believe the price tag for just the Hamilton side is sitting around $17 million right now, so I don't think there much of an appetite for any level of government to go for that in the near future. The Burlington side may have a chance as there are far less towers to move.

 

scotto

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Feb 15, 2004
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The Beach Strip
#6
I have attached a couple of pictures of the Beach Trail area near Mareve Ave., they show the part of the trail that splits into two with an island in the middle. Back when the Beach Council gave out the Beach Bloomer Award, this was one of the winners.
From a couple years ago;


From about a month ago;


From today;



 

scotto

Administrator
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Feb 15, 2004
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#8
I was in that area today too... Yeah, that is quite a disaster. It looks like a completely different place.
Good you still had those older photos.
I am sure I have many more before pictures, so will try and add a few more. I don't recall who's quote it was, but one resident compared it to the moon.
 

RHammond

Registered User
Oct 11, 2004
20
0
1
#9
Scott, Thanks for posting the pictures of my Aunt Lou's garden. I helped my Uncle Lorne lay the original rail ties that formed the garden not long after the tracks were torn out. Probably 30 years ago now. Long before the path ever existed. The path splits there because of a compromise reached with city, my family and the Griffin and Hanson families that would keep the gardens and existing trees. Residents the length of the Beach began to clean up and maintain areas along the Beach which then led to the formation of the Garden Club. It's been 10 days since they clear cut the area and I'm still fuming, especially how they left the limbs laying in the garden, but the damage is done. The area will never be the same in our life time. Mary and I have been maintaining the garden the last few years since my Aunt and Uncle left. We will be back in the Spring to salvage what we can and rebuild to honour my Aunt's love of the Beach Community.
 

scotto

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 15, 2004
6,985
218
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The Beach Strip
#10
Scott, Thanks for posting the pictures of my Aunt Lou's garden. I helped my Uncle Lorne lay the original rail ties that formed the garden not long after the tracks were torn out. Probably 30 years ago now. Long before the path ever existed. The path splits there because of a compromise reached with city, my family and the Griffin and Hanson families that would keep the gardens and existing trees. Residents the length of the Beach began to clean up and maintain areas along the Beach which then led to the formation of the Garden Club. It's been 10 days since they clear cut the area and I'm still fuming, especially how they left the limbs laying in the garden, but the damage is done. The area will never be the same in our life time. Mary and I have been maintaining the garden the last few years since my Aunt and Uncle left. We will be back in the Spring to salvage what we can and rebuild to honour my Aunt's love of the Beach Community.
Thanks Rob;
As I walked along the Trail looking at the clear cut done by Hydro 1, I couldn't find a better area to voice my concern of the damage done then there, over the years it was always a nice spot. What a shame they had to go that far.
Maybe we could donate a new sign, "Damage Done By Hydro1"

From 2007;
 

scotto

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 15, 2004
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The Beach Strip
#12
Yeah, that was one of the nicest spots on the whole trail. Big thank you to people who created that garden in the first place.
Been looking through many of my Beach Trail pictures from over the years, I will post some of them and compare the same spot next summer when everything is green again.
 

scotto

Administrator
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Feb 15, 2004
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The Beach Strip
#13
Opposition growing to hydro corridor tree chopping

Hamilton Spectator
By Matthew Van Dongen
Jan 28, 2016



Some Haudenosaunee leaders want a say on contentious tree-cutting plans in the Red Hill Valley hydro corridor that are already spurring protest from area residents.

Hydro One has upset residents from Guelph to Hamilton's beach strip in recent years by removing — rather than trimming — trees within transmission corridors, citing safety and cost considerations.

Glen Castle Drive residents Mike and Julie Brezden are rousing the neighbourhood before the next round of what they call "clear-cutting" begins along a 2.5-kilometre stretch of the Red Hill Valley. The utility has pledged to hold a public information session, likely in February, but a spokesperson said Wednesday no details about the work plan are available yet.

Whole article;
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/6252140-opposition-growing-to-hydro-corridor-tree-chopping/
 

scotto

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 15, 2004
6,985
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The Beach Strip
#14
From Councillor Collins

Hydro One Vegetation Maintenance - Hamilton Beach Update

Hello Councillor Collins,

I would like to let you know that Hydro One forestry staff met with Marcia Monaghan and Steve Barnhart from the City of Hamilton to discuss the upcoming tree stumping along the Hamilton Beach transmission corridor, between the Federal Pier, along the Waterfront trail to Van Wagners Beach Road.

As you know, we completed a large part of our vegetation maintenance work last December and at this time we will be returning to the corridor to level the tree stumps to the ground in order to make the trail safe for users and to prevent tripping hazards. The stumping work will be within 10 to 15 feet of the trail and our crew will use chipper trucks and small trucks and trailer to carry out this work. Excess debris generated will be removed. We plan to start work on March 14 and anticipate completion within three weeks, weather permitting.

I also want to let you know, the final phase of the maintenance work will include follow-up application of herbicide treatment on selective stumps to prevent regrowth. This portion of the work is scheduled for April or May, depending on the weather. This approach was also agreed upon with Steve Barnhart as well as Hamilton Conservation Authority.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Best Regards,

Ani Bekmezian
Public Affairs

Hydro One Networks Inc.
483 Bay Street | South Tower | 6th Floor
Toronto, ON | M5G 2P5

Tel: (416) 345 – 4026
Email: Ani.Bekmezian@HydroOne.com

www.HydroOne.com
 

scotto

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 15, 2004
6,985
218
63
The Beach Strip
#15
The City has been working on the Trail island that Hydro1 destroyed in the last tree cutting, one bench has been added with space for more, some boulders and new plantings. It will be hard to match what was originally there, but it is a very nice start.
Thanks to the City.





 
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