Government work crews hope to have removed trees at risk of blocking roads during a bushfire from a New England highway by the end of September.
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Falling trees are just one of the risks to families fleeing a bushfire threat. Two volunteer firefighters were killed after their truck rolled after it was hit by a falling tree outside Buxton in January.
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Minister for Disaster Recovery John Barilaro said teams were busy removing trees with a high risk of falling from the sides of the Gwydir highway. The road connects Glen Innes to Grafton. It was cut by bushfire last year.
"We know how important it is to be prepared ahead of the upcoming bushfire season after the devastation of last summer's bushfires," he said.
"When trees fall across the road during a bushfire, entire communities can be cut off from emergency services or from travelling to safety and this is why we are putting preventative measures in place to identify and remove trees which pose a risk."
Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole said teams have been assessing the forest for the last fortnight.
In areas where wildlife needs to be moved, affected fauna will be relocated, he said.
Mr Toole said Transport for NSW teams had also been replacing burnt culverts with new pipes that are more capable of withstanding bushfire impacts.
The work, which started last week, is expected to be complete by late September, weather permitting.