Nearly a dozen trees got the chop this week on a partially forested lot next to Coquitlam city hall.
Erin Gorby, the city’s urban forestry and park services manager, tells the Tri-City News the hazardous tree removal work finished yesterday (Nov. 23).
She says the 11 trees at 3038 Guildford Way — including seven red alders, two Douglas fir, a big-leaf maple and a western red cedar — were deemed “high risk” for falling on city property, such as sidewalks, parking lots and multi-user pathways, because of their poor condition.
The cedar had its dead top taken off, but the rest of it is still standing, Gorby explains.
The top of the maple was also removed “but a large stem was left for use by wildlife.”
Located south of the Lafarge Lake-Douglas SkyTrain station, the lot, which is half paved for parking, is the subject of a petition organized last month by Coquitlam teen Adam Dhalla.
To date, his Change.org petition has collected more than 15,000 signatures to save the central site from development.
Dhalla has also spoken about preserving the wildlife corridor and gained support from the Northeast Coquitlam Ratepayers Association and the Burke Mountain Naturalists.
The Guildford Way city-owned property is slated a high density, mixed-used development under the City Centre Area Plan that council unanimously adopted last November.
Currently, there are no active plans for the site.
