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Close to 900 trees down on Burke Mountain in Coquitlam

The city of Coquitlam chopped more trees and at a higher cost — 41% higher — than budgeted on Burke Mountain.
A windstorm in 2015 toppled many trees in the Coquitlam area.

The city of Coquitlam chopped more trees and at a higher cost — 41% higher — than budgeted on Burke Mountain.

Close to 900 at-risk trees have been modified or removed in northeast Coquitlam to make greenbelts in the area more resistant to severe weather events, according to a city staff report this week.

Staff said of the 28 sections of the city-owned Streamside Protection Enhancement Area (SPEA) corridor identified on Burke, 13 required significant work, with the removal of 764 trees. The other 15 areas were found to be “wind-firm” but still saw the clearing of 122 trees.

The project will also cost $270,000 more than initially anticipated. 

A staff report stated that last fall’s $650,000 estimate was based on a sample of one third of the SPEA on Burke Mountain. Because of the public safety concerns surrounding the work, Raul Allueva, the city’s parks, recreation and culture general manager, told council that there was not enough time to do a full-scope assessment, which would have generated a more accurate budget but could have taken six to seven months.

“We really couldn’t wait that long,” he said Monday. “It was a bit of a unique project.”

The cost is now expected to come in at $920,000, with the $270,000 bump including $200,000 for tree removal and debris management, and $70,000 for replanting.

Last summer, a series of windstorms prompted the city to conduct the risk assessment for more than 11 km of tree stands in the northeast sector. 

A report noted at the time that as development has moved up Burke Mountain, many forested areas have been retained for parks and creek setbacks. But without the protection of a large number of surrounding trees, the stands are more susceptible to damage in wind storms. 

Coun. Chris Wilson said during Monday’s council-in-committee meeting that the city needs to be more proactive when developments on Burke come before it for approval. He asked whether staff would consider larger streamside setbacks and other work that could mitigate the need for large-scale tree removals in the future. 

“These areas were approved by a qualified environmental professional originally,” he said. “My preference would be to focus on the precautionary principles and be a little more certain that what we are doing is not going to come back to haunt us 10 or 15 years down the road.”

The next phase of the tree management project involves replanting 1,300 trees over the 28 SPEA sites. 

A report to council said that replanting and ongoing maintenance of the area are required to ensure that invasive species or undesirable trees — among them, western hemlocks, which have a more shallow route system and are prone to being blown over in storms — do not return to the area. 

Lanny Englund, the city’s urban forestry and parks services manager, also commented on the aesthetics of some of the greenspaces that have seen significant tree removal. 

“The look of the area is only going to improve through the growing season,” he said. “In the areas where there are a lot of trees that have been removed, the existing native vegetation is going to take off. Even by the end of the summer, it is going to look much better.”

gmckenna@tricitynews.com

@gmckennaTC