Some Kentville residents hope a road that threatened old-growth forest will be rerouted

A resident of Kentville, N.S., who was concerned that the town's plans for a future connector road to support the construction of new housing would result in the destruction of old-growth forest on his propertyis hopeful that the road can be rerouted.

As a child, Ron Cousins spent his days playing in his family's woodlot, on the edge of the town; as an adult, he cut trees selectively from the forest.

Over time, he saidhe came to recognize the forest was special especially the forest on the furthest edge of the 10.5-hectareproperty, with its towering oaks and massive yellow birch.

"This really is priceless," Cousins said.

Last year, the Town of Kentville told Cousins it required nearly half a hectareof the land on that edge of his property to expand an existing service road into a connector road for new development and that it would expropriate the land if necessary.

But after months of campaigning by Cousins and his advocates attending council meetings, contacting politicians, and launching petitionsthe town is considering other routes, a change Cousins hopes will mean permanent protection for the forest.

"They said it's the only way around," he said. "They were determined to cut it and I want to save it. If we have to take expropriation, I won't take any money for it whether it's a big amount or a little amount, I won't accept it."

'I'll never sell the woodlot'

Cousins's family has owned the landon School Streetfor eight decades. When Cousins, 77, was caring for his mother before she died, he said she asked him what he intended to do with the property; he told her that he intended to keep the forest.

"I said if I have to I'll sell the house, but I'll never sell the woodlot," he said. "I definitely don't want to part with it."

But last year, Cousinsheard that the town planned to open up the land adjoining his property to residential and commercial development, and noticed that the proposed road appeared to run through his land.

Then, in May 2023, hereceived a letter from Kentville's director of engineering andpublic worksstating that the town was planning a connector road over a portion of the property. While it was the town's intention to find "mutually agreeable arrangements,"the letter said, the land would be expropriatedwith compensation, if required.

For months, Cousins attempted to get an answer from the town about their plans.

Recently, the land on the opposite side of the service road bordering the old-growth forest on Cousins's property was put upfor sale.When he proposed the town buy that land as an alternative route, he said he received no response.

Several trees on his property are hundreds of years old, he said, including a hemlock that's at least 218 years old and a yellow birch that naturalists have said may be the largest in the province.

"We may need houses, but we also need to help protect the environment."

John Burka, secretary of the Blomidon Naturalists Society, said clearing the forest didn't make sense given the area's environmental targets.

"It's law, in effect, that 20 per cent of Kings County should be protected by 2030, and we're only about 14 per cent," he said. "We think any destruction of forest that is not necessary should be looked at."

There's no reason why the future connector road can't curve around Cousins's property, he said.

"It's just being done for convenience's sake."

Concerns aboutpotentialflooding

For some Kentville residents, a plan that would see trees removed in the forest, which is uphill from the town, ata time when the areais experiencing increasing floodingis a concern.

The forest naturally absorbs water, said Garry Randall, Cousins's neighbour, who has also beenadvocating against expropriation ofthe land.

Already, Randall saidhe sees increased flooding in his home, which is downhill from the forest, after the first service road was built along Cousins's property.

"Once they clear this out, I should be moving out [ofKentville], to be honest with you, before I get flooded, if I were that type of person," Randall said.

Town officialsaid road was 'critical'

Kentville CAO Jeff Lawrence declined an initial request for an interview, but said in a release that the road is "a critical piece of infrastructure that is key to opening up hundreds of hectaresof land for housing and development within the Town of Kentville."

The release also said the road is a piece of infrastructure that will direct stormwaterto management areas, and that the concerns about stormwater and the housing crisis have made it more important tocompletetheroad.

Nonetheless, the statement said the local municipal council is aware of the Cousins family's attachment to the land, and is reviewing and considering "all reasonable and financially feasible pathways" for the road.

Then,in August, Cousins says he received a call from the real estate consulting firm Turner Drake about assessing his land for sale. At the next council meeting, Cousins stood up and said he wouldn't sell his land under any circumstances.

Shortly after that, council gave direction to the town to pursuea different route for the road that would not require expropriating land.

Lawrence did not respond to CBC'srequest for a followup interview.

Cousins and his allies are still waiting for confirmation, but are hopeful.

Still, Randall saysthe experience has been stressful. "Every morning [when] I wake up, I think about what [we can] do to better Ron's position."

But Randall says the experience is a testament to the fact that ordinary citizens can advocate for what's important to them, and participate in local politics.

"Ron's little forest is not just ... a little piece of land. It's unique. And someday the real value of what that is may come out, even more than what we realize."

Cousins said he won't rest until the alternative route is confirmed, and not just for his benefit.

In his will, Cousins, who hasno children, has left the property to his niece, with instructions that she give it to a nature trust.

"I've seen lots of people say, 'Oh, I'd love to have your woodlot,'" Cousins said. "They'd have it so they could sell it and make some money, and [my niece] is not like that, and I'm not like that. I don't want the money."

Whatever it takes, he sayshe's determined to save the trees."I wouldn't give up, not ever," he says. "You can't replace them."