Decorating trees and bushes in Port Moody parks and natural areas won’t be allowed if council endorses a staff recommendation at its meeting on Tuesday (July 11).
Instead, they’ll be invited to put up seasonal decorations on potted fir trees and metal eco-sculpture frames to be placed in Pioneer Memorial Park as part of a pilot project to run from November to February.
Last November, council tasked staff to come up with a solution to ongoing concerns about ornaments and tinsel being hung from trees in Bert Flinn Park.
According to the chair of the city’s parks and recreation commission, the practice began in 2016 and has been occurring with increasing frequency and zeal ever since.
Esin Gozukara said the trend picked up steam during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Environmental technician Emily Gutenberg said while the decorating effort doesn’t seem to be organized, it has become a polarizing topic in the community with some people equating it to “forest graffiti,” while others said it represented the joy of the holiday season.
However, Gutenberg said, some of the decorations had been erected in sensitive habitat and glass from broken baubles could pose a hazard to wildlife.
In a report to be presented Tuesday, Gutenberg said some glass fragments had been identified under logs as recently as last month.
She said running a pilot project in Pioneer Memorial Park from November to February not only gives the city a measure of control over the decorating, it would also be more inclusive, allowing for various cultural or religious celebrations from Diwali to Christmas to Lunar New Year.
Signs would be erected in the park to educate visitors about best practices and materials to be used in their decorating efforts.
Gutenberg said additional signs would be installed at Bert Flinn Park as well, explaining the decoration ban there and directing users to Pioneer Memorial Park instead.
Among the rules being considered by the city to guide the decorating pilot project are:
- seasonal décor must not include hate speech or hate symbolism, including profanity, lewd imagery or other offensive remarks
- all decorating items must be installed and collected by their owners no later than the last full week of February and any still unclaimed will be removed or disposed of by the city
- no glass or other items with sharp or hazardous edges
- no candles, styrofoam, glitter, plastic confetti, mesh/netting or tinsel
- no edible materials like seeds, nuts or dog treats
- no artificial snow
- no balloons
SOUND OFF: Do you think decorating trees in Port Moody’s parks and natural spaces should be banned? Would you decorate a designated tree or metal eco-sculpture frame in Pioneer Memorial Park? Send us a letter to the editor. Be sure to include your full name and city of residence.
