LETTER

A Wychwood chainsaw massacre

 

Early in the morning of July 27, many Wychwood citizens felt horrified and powerless in witnessing the cutting of five big trees, including four majestic white pines aged between half a century and a century, on a large 100-foot lot at the corner or Arbutus and Oakwood.  The new owner of the lot chose to build a house with three entrances on both streets. A large portion of the population of our neighbourhood chooses to live here precisely because of the splendor of these magnificent trees and the “cottage country” feel they give to the area. Their beauty is only one of their benefits. Those trees are a considerable asset in cleaning up the air we breathe, in retaining water and fighting erosion, which makes our soil fertile. They offer shade during warm weather and protection from strong winds on cold days, reducing our energy consumption. Our trees are allies in the protection of our environment. Many Wychwood residents are conscious of the unique value of our trees, in addition to enjoying the historical heritage of these giants whose growth accompanied our parents and grandparents. To me and to many residents, it is quite unthinkable that someone would choose to kill such trees when it would have been possible to preserve many of them through a different home plan, taking into account the value of our area, or else choosing another neighborhood where trees have already vanished. There are many in this area. Our municipality should urgently recognize the priority asset that is our many mature trees in Wychwood, and set urban and land use planning policies that truly reinforce the preservation of this asset.

Lucie Goulet
Aylmer