Dear Editor,
Re: “Tree loss becoming an all too familiar story,” Letters, May 4.
Re: “City council clear-cutting Richmond trees,” Letters, May 13.
I must agree with Sid Carston who wrote on May 13 that tree bylaws are a joke in Richmond and that the city is losing trees at an alarming rate.
I jog through Brighouse elementary park and noticed recently that a very large tree adjoining the park has been removed (along with the house demolition).
This tree was located on the very back corner of 6100 Alta Court and would in no way hinder any new construction.
Was this tree legally removed (and if so, why)? If removed illegally, any minor fine would no doubt favour the developer or owner.
In Vancouver, the penalty for illegal tree removal varies from $500 to $10,000, but the value of the property can be impacted by 10 per cent (upwards of $300,000 in Dunbar) according to several news stories from last year (Vancouver Sun, CBC).
If similar rules apply, on a $1.5 million home in Richmond, this tree’s removal could be worth $150,000 to the developer/owner.
What steps is city council considering to alleviate this wholesale destruction of our neighborhoods?
Anything less than 10 per cent of the valuation of the property would not begin to address the problem.
Reg James
Richmond
