Hi, Do we have a heritage tree program in Vancouver or the GVRD? If so, does anyone know of a website or information source I could consult about it? I've got a huge hemlock in my front yard and am getting pressured by ignorant neighbours to cut it down so I'd like to be able to offer it as much protection as I can, including getting it designated as a hertiage tree. I understand that Victoria has a program like this, but does Vancouver?? Thx.
You could look in to a couple of books to see if it is listed as a significant tree, Trees of Vancouver by Gerald Straley and Our Sylvan Heritage by Susan Murray. For City of Vancouver contacts, go to their website and try emailing some folks, Wayne Maskall is who I contact regarding privately owned trees. I will PM you his email address.
Maybe hire a consulting arborist to do a Hazard Tree Evaluation. If they find the tree is sound then you have something to deflect neighbor's concerns. It WILL fall over some day, but that day could be a long way off yet.
Actually, we've already had an arborist look at it (unofficially) and he said it looked fantastic & healthy, no threat at all. It's always been a solitary tree (i.e. there was no thinned forest or surrounding trees that it grew up relying on to block the wind etc), so its roots & trunk should be well adapted to the conditions it now finds itself in, including strong winds. Unfortunately, though, our nosy neighbours talked to an old-school arborist whose mantra was "cut cut cut" and who only helped fan the flames of their paranoia. As for seeing if it's listed already, I know it's not in Trees of Vancouver. Don't know about the other though. I'm not sure if the tree is 'special' enough to qualify, but I think it's certainly large enough... And thanks for the address jimmyq - I'll send Mr Maskall an inquiry asap. Hopefully something will work.
See the City of Vancouver website below: http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/commsvcs/planning/treebylaw/TREERES.HTM It has the regulations regarding residential trees. Here is a brief quote from it: "Regardless of whether they are developing their land or not, a permit is required for every tree that has a diameter (width) of 20 centimeters (8") or greater, measured at 1.4 meters (4'6") above the ground." The site has links to the I.S.A certified arbourists, so you can make sure that your arbourist is certified. Then, I would highly recommend that you get the arbourist's opinion in writing for your protection. Good luck!
Cindy, the vancouver bylaw also allows for one tree without reason to be removed from a clients property per year, with permit of course. For arborist reports in vancouver, the rumour is that they will have to be ISA certified but also certified tree risk assessors in the near future to be able to submit an arborist report to the city. Richmond and Surrey allready have this in their tree bylaws I believe.
Thanks for the info guys. I knew about the bylaw already and, unfortunately, it's exactly what was worrying me: since the tree sits right on my property line, I assume that my neighbours could theoretically cut it down (via permit) without any reaction from the city or legal system, and leaving me without any way to stop them. I've been here for decades and consider the tree 'mine', but legally the city probably considers us equal and probably wouldn't even know to ask whether the tree is 1/2 mine too. And for now my neighbours are still trying to convince me to cut it, but I worry that they may eventually get fed up and just chop it down when I go away on holiday or something. Ignoramuses... Anyway, if they keep making grumbling noises about it, I'll definitely look into getting a certified arborist to officially assess the tree's health & stability. But I really do wish that Vancouver had a proper heritage tree program like Victoria does. We have some real beauties in town and it's a shame to lose them to greedy developers and short-sighted (& comparatively short-term) residents. Plus it's not like Vancouverites are likely to oppose such a law - most citizens value nature to some degree, or at least they probably recognise how much it adds to the tourism-value of the city, so a bylaw that encourages big beautiful (healthy!) trees certainly wouldn't cause any controversy here. Sigh. Know any city politicians who might draft a bylaw about this?? :) Well, thanks again. I appreciate the info & suggestions. And hopefully I can figure out someway to protect my poor tree....
if it is on a property boundary it is considered a shared tree. different rules than a tree on only one property. if its a protection thing, I would suggest that YOU make the tree famous. find a way to make it stick out to the public, let someone (or a bunch of someones) know of its fantastic qualities, size, shape, heritage value, etc etc. make it so obvious that no one could remove it without it being noticed by the masses. ;) get some local garden gurus to view it and make comment.
There have been a couple of times when trees were being butchered in my neighbourhood, and I have gone to the municipal government listings in the phone book and found fairly easily a number to call where I could report the sacriledge! They can't always help, but they want to... ...Why not call them, tell them about the tree and about the situation with your neighbours and make sure they have on record your concerns about the tree, so that if your neighbours make an application to have it cut down, the city knows to deny it. The more people that know about the tree the better. Jimmyq's idea of making the tree famous is a good one!
Great idea guys. Thanks. And like you, Alison, I've also seen huge trees cut down in my neighbourhood - including 8-10 that got famous (infamous) only after they'd had their bark illegally 'ringed' (cutting off nutrients & effectively killing them) by the new owner of a property who couldn't be bothered with permits or legal hoops and who wanted toimprove his view & expand his new house. Complaints & fines are all well and good, but they won't do much to bring the trees back to life. But alerting people to the tree's value ahead of time (& getting a full inspection by a certified arborist) could help protect it from getting cut in the first place... Thanks for the great idea!
Fern, I'm curious how your situation is playing out. Being on the other side of it at present (wanting a neighbour to cut down a tree that is admittedly lovely but unfortunately rules our lives and how we can use our property) I hate to see people vilified for wanting a tree cut down since it is not always for frivolous reasons. What are their complaints about your tree?
Hi everyone This is a really interesting topic. I am also interested to know what happened to your tree. It the tree is also on your property I don't see how your neighbour could make you cut your tree down. Did you neighbours explain why they want to cut the tree? Was it to improve views, increase sunlight, help their lawn? There may be ways to help them and keep the tree.
Hello again, Their issue was an unwarranted fear of falling branches. And actually they weren't nervous so much as the elderly neighbours on their other side were sticking their nose in where it didn't belong, inflamming a formerly non-existent issue, and suggesting that the danger was not only real but it was imminent & critical. Unfortunately NONE of them listened to us when we said we'd had a certified arborist look at the tree a number of years ago and had been given a big thumbs up about its safety. Instead, they were listening to the elderly neighbour's 'old school tree guy' whose mantra was cut cut cut and who didn't seem to have the foggiest idea about western hemlock ecology (i.e. shallow roots isn't necessarily a bad thing - they ALL have shallow roots!) or the fact that lone tree that has grown from a lone seedling (which this one did) is going to be a heck of a lot sturdier & steadier than a tree whose peers were cut down over the years. Ahh, anyway, we finally convinced them to get a second opinion and that arborist basically agreed with us (& wouldn't cut it down). His solution to everyone's concerns was to thin out some of the internal boughs (so the wind flows through the branches better rather than bending the trunk over) and to attach a wire & pins to hold the two offshoot trunks (i.e. after the 'Y') together regardless of how much snow has fallen. So hopefully that'll keep the neighbours (& their neighbours) happy for a long time to come. Good luck with your situation KarinL...
The alternative is the person with the tree MAKING the neighbour cede their property for the storage and sustenance of the tree. We are hoping to eventually be able to decide for ourselves how our front yard will be landscaped and used. Thanks for the update, Fern. There are sure a lot of big conifers on property lines in the city (once you start looking for them, they are everywhere - most people don't seem to want to plant them in front of their doors for some reason!). I wonder if anyone collates information about how the various conflicts are resolved. Thinning is certainly a good option, but of course becomes more challenging as the tree grows!