Trees have long been a topic of debate on the North Shore. That’s not surprising. Our back is to the mountains and we get a lot of rain.
But for every person who loves the lush green canopy that surrounds us, there’s another who finds the views of Burrard Inlet equally enchanting and a root system stubbornly in the way of a new build.
Trees aren’t just trees, of course. They are also esthetic features of a neighbourhood, habitat for wildlife, shade, privacy screens and hydrological filters. Small wonder then that trees are lightning rods for conflict.
So far most debate has focused on what should be allowed on private land.
But some people have also taken the fate of public trees into their own hands. Two recent cases of public tree chopping in West Vancouver happened after nearby property owners were denied permits to chop or limb the same trees.
Rude and boorish as it may be, it’s not hard to see why people would be tempted. So far, the only repercussion has been a negligible $1,000 fine – levied against an unnamed tree cutting company.
Figuring out which trees can be legally cut isn’t rocket science. Neither, apparently, is making a calculated risk on what’s easy to get away with.
A serious deterrent requires a significant fine – either through a change of provincial legislation or through pursuing offenders through the courts.
Since most homeowners aren’t likely to shimmy up a tree with a chainsaw themselves, tree cutters who blatantly flout the rules should also be publicly identified.
If municipalities don’t take their own rules to heart, it’s apparent nobody else will either.
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