Alert: March 4, 2011
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+ Historic street trees removal from East 6th Ave
We've just been alerted by the community to the following mature tree removal, an issue that we had listed as No. 10 on our Top 10 Endangered Sites last year:
www.heritagevancouver.org/topten/2010/topten2010_10.html
Listed below is the community letter that we've received:
Dear Heritage Vancouver Society Board,
Two days ago, without neighbourhood consultation, the city of Vancouver posted street signs notifying the residents of East 6th Avenue of a massive tree removal program for the street. The city intends to immediately remove approximately 30 mature Siberian Elm trees from the 1500-2200 blocks of East 6th Ave.
The East 6th community has quickly mobilized to voice a great concern about the potential loss of the trees that aren't imminently hazardous. These unique and majestic trees have been growing for more than 50 years. In "Trees of Vancouver" it is noted that East 6th Avenue has the longest streetscape of these trees in Vancouver.
We wanted to make Heritage Vancouver aware of this happening as the conservation of natural heritage is part of your mandate. We feel that the East 6th Elm trees are an important natural historic landscape.
I am writing to see if the Heritage Vancouver Society would support the community appeal to save any trees that do not urgently need to be removed. We want very much to preserve the natural beauty and history of our street.
Brad Etheridge of City Hall ( brad.etheridge@vancouver.ca ) has received many calls and letters from our community but we fear that the tree removal may start as early as tomorrow [March 3].
External links
Just published by the Globe and Mail:
Cutting of 'problematic elms' causes uproar
Frances Bula | Thursday, Mar. 3, 2011
Globe and Mail web link
Resident created website with background, issues, and what you can do:
saveourelms.wordpress.com
Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/saveourelms
And also a link to a PDF information sheet (PDF, 525k) with further information, and meeting times on March 7 & 8, produced by the local residents.
Vancouver's Historic Street Trees
As the city was established, our founders understood the value of large street trees that would define the public realm. The massive trees that line many of our streets have taken a century to mature. They include incredible examples of trees such as London Plane Trees, Big-Leaf Maples, Catalpas, Hawthorns, Tulip Trees and Black Locusts that have grown to huge sizes. Many streets were originally planted with the trees much more closely spaced, approximately every 15 feet.
This irreplaceable historic legacy of plantings is now in full maturity, and is evident throughout many of our neighbourhoods. This is a very significant part of our public realm, and frames much of the ambience and character of our city's streets.
Heritage Vancouver’s Position on Historic Street Trees
Heritage Vancouver calls for a review of the Vancouver Park Board's policies regarding street trees. We need to recognize that we are in danger of losing the historic canopy that helps define our city's environmental character.
We recommend that the Park Board develop a Street Tree Management Plan that would specify a "one-to-one" replacement, which would see each tree at the end of its life replaced with an identical species.
Thank you for your support!
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