Destruction of mature trees causes anger, ‘hopelessness’
‘They were healthy trees’: Schneider Creek residents call for bylaws that protect species on private property
Piles of branches, logs and sawdust are all that’s left of the mature trees at 86 Whitney Pl. that sheltered and shaded everyone who lived near them.
Janine Toms and Lisa Thomas are still in shock — the sudden destruction of the trees was legal and they have no recourse. But the loss directly impacts them, whether they are in their homes or yards.
A few trees next to Thomas’s backyard were left standing while she waits for a formal survey of the boundaries.
“Part of the reason I love my property is the trees back there,” said Thomas. “They are the only trees I have giving me shade and privacy.”
Thomas lives at 117 Peter St., right on the corner with Whitney Place. Behind Thomas’s home was a 97-year-old widow’s small, old house from the 1880s that was surrounded by big maples and cedars. That property was recently sold to a local developer.
On Wednesday morning chainsaws cut into the trees and woke Thomas up. She scrambled out of bed and ran out on her deck, hollering at the workers to stop. She said she got into a verbal dispute with one man.
“He basically responded, ‘You shouldn’t get emotionally attached to other people’s trees and you can plant your own,’ ” said Thomas. “He said keeping the trees would be detrimental to the development of (the) property.”
Before the real estate deal closes, the developer asked the owner for permission to cut down the trees. When he does take possession of the property it will have no trees, so he will not have to file a plan with the city to replace the lost ones. The city’s tree protection policy only applies to properties more than one acre in size.
“You can make a change if you are willing to fight it, and I am willing to fight it.” JANINE TOMS RESIDENT
“Honestly there is a feeling of hopelessness, there is nothing I can do,” said Thomas, who moved here in May 2009. “My home is completely and forever changed.”
Next door to Thomas is Toms at 115 Peter St. The chainsaws woke her up Wednesday morning as well. There was knocking on the door, and workers asked if she wanted the trees in her backyard near the property line cut down, as a favour. She told them no.
The two neighbours can hardly believe what is going on around them. Just two months ago, the City of Kitchener sent everyone on Peter Street a notice — pick a species from this list of approved trees and the city will plant it for you on your front yard if you agree to keep it watered for two years.
While promoting and supporting the expansion of the urban forest to battle the effects of climate change, the city cannot protect mature trees on private property, said Toms.
She wants to change that. Mature trees need protection, whether on public or private property. The people directly impacted by a tree’s removal need to have a formal say.
“You can make a change if you are willing to fight it, and I am willing to fight it,” said Toms.
They live in Schneider Creek — an urban-idyll of narrow, residential streets between Courtland Avenue East and the creek. It includes Bruder Avenue, Martin Street, Whitney Place, and parts of Cedar and Benton. Thomas and Toms have the support of Les Starkey and his wife, Janelle, who live at 111 Peter St.
“I took a slab and counted the rings — those trees have been there for a long time,” said Starkey. “They weren’t about to fall down, they were healthy trees.”
This tight-knit community of proud homeowners, who organize the Schneider Creek Porch Party when the world is not being ravaged by a pandemic, is rallying around the loss of the trees.
As large condo towers transform the look of downtown Kitchener, and land for new subdivisions is limited, more infill development can be expected in old neighbourhoods. And that threatens the mature trees that give those neighbourhoods so much character.
“At the end of the day we are going to lose control over all this beauty that we have right now,” said Thomas. “The reason people buy in this kind of neighbourhood is the pre-existing charm and forested areas and the old homes and the bigger backyards, the proximity to downtown.”