Chainsaw sheers 35 park trees
Mounties seek culprit; damage likely to kill trees, destabilize slope
Metro Vancouver and the RCMP are investigating the topping, trimming and cutting of about 35 trees in Capilano River Regional Park in North Vancouver.
The damage is significant, said Metro spokesman Bill Morrell, because the debris left behind are a fire hazard and could cost as much as $40,000 to $50,000 to remove.
There’s also the likelihood that the trimmed trees will die, which would affect the stability of the slope where the damage was done.
“I can’t believe that somebody who lives next to a slope this steep would think it’s a good idea to do anything to destabilize it.”
— Heather Deal, chairwoman of the Metro Vancouver parks committee
Sgt. Peter De Vries of the North Van RCMP said on Tuesday that the cuts were reported Feb. 13 and the illegal activity is believed to have occurred during three weeks in January.
Morrell said the damage to the trees was significant.
“They were limbed [24 metres] up,” he said. “This wasn’t done in a day. This took some work.”
Morrell said it was a “fair assumption” that the trees were cut to improve views.
There are some homes not far from the damage, which police identified as being in the 4500-block Capilano Road.
Norman Brown lives in that block and heard chainsaws running but thought it was someone working on their property. He was surprised to hear about the trees.
“If it’s the stabilization of the bank [that’s affected] I’m concerned,” he said.
Heather Deal, chairwoman of metro’s environment and parks committee, went to the scene Tuesday.
“I can’t believe that somebody who lives next to a slope this steep would think it’s a good idea to do anything to destabilize it — especially in a very wet climate like this,” said Deal.
There have been some notorious cases of trees being illegally felled.
In 2007, realtor Paulo Leung was fined $205,000 for cutting down 72 trees on three adjacent Point Grey properties.
A West End resident, June Matheson, paid almost $30,000 and donated $20,000 to the Vancouver parks board for poisoning five park trees along Beach Avenue to improve her view.
Metro got $50,000 plus court costs from Vancouver businesswoman Jacqui Cohen in 2005 to settle a legal action over cutting 34 trees in front of her family’s former mansion on Marine Drive without a permit in 1997.
Anyone with information should call RCMP Const. Steve Johnson at 604-9851311.