More Trees Coming Down

Wednesday, March 21, 2007 04:15 AM

map showing areas which will be target of tree removal

The City of Prince George will start removing trees along the Highway 16 corridor between Ferry Avenue and the Treasure Cove Casino this spring once the City has had a chance to have a public meting with adjacent residents. The tree removal will also include dead trees adjacent to the Prince George Tennis Club on the west side of the highway. ( see diagram at right)

In its report to City Council, the Parks and Solid Waste Services division says not only beetle killed trees will have to be removed. "Due to the large number of dead trees, any non-beetle killed trees must also be removed as they would be susceptible to wind throw once the majority of trees are removed".

The cost of the removal will covered by the Mountain Pine Beetle tree removal budget. The trees which are in the highways right of way will be removed at the same time under a license to cut held by the |Ministry of |Transportation. The MNinistry will pay for the removal of the trees in its right-of-way.

(Trees along the Highway shown in this photo from 2005)

The report says the trees along the east side of the highway are beginning to "prematurely fail at an accelerated rate." Acccording to the report, there have been six tree failures resulting in property damage. strip includes not only beetle killed trees on the east side of the .

The City says it is aware the removal of the trees will have a major visual, and possibly audible effect for neighbours who will lose the buffer between their homes and the highway.

The City is already looking at possible designs for landcscaping that will see new grass planted, and a mix of tree species replanted, but the design stage is only preliminary. Public consultation would have to be part of any over all design.

The cost of the preliminary landscape design (which would also see a multi-use trail developed on the east side of the highway) is in the half a million dollar range. The landscaping budget is part of the Capital Expenditure plan for 2010, but an application has been submitted with the Province for the cost of the trail development ( $147 thousand) under the Local Motion grant program. If the Province gives the City that money, then staff will ask to have the rest of the reconstruction plans moved up to next year.

Previous Story - Next Story

Email |

Print |

Facebook |

Twitter |

Digg |

Del.icio.us

Posted on Wednesday, March 21, 2007 04:15 AM in News by 250 News

Return to Home

Comments

Posted by: Gofaster on March 21 2007 9:37 AM

Of course, they are going to clean up by the casino first.... can't have major's monstrosity looking shabby now can we?
Maybe the next step will be to put up a camping permitted sign.... draw in all them american dollars....

Posted by: owl on March 21 2007 9:59 AM

The casino's gravel pit at the corner of the two highways is an ugly scar on the entrance to the city that has been there for three years now. I am wondering how long it will take someone to clean it up.

I am also wondering how come it has taken this long to start a so called "public consultation" process to get feedback on ideas of what to do along the strip of road discussed above. Those trees have been like that for about 2 years and I have wondered for almost as long waht will happen there once they take the trees down.

In many urban areas they have built walls. Many of those look ugly and are not all that effective. I would think a berm at least as high as an 8 foot wall would be the beginnings with some shrubs at the top and cascading towards the highway in several locations, dotted with clusters of trees, which will, of course, take several decades to look reasonable, unless they us a clamshell to dig up some trees elesewhere and tranplant them here, as the city used to do 25 or so years ago.

Posted by: owl on March 21 2007 10:00 AM

Oh, a reasonable beginning of something like that on a bit smaller scale is the "screen" between river road and lakeland mills on river road.

Posted by: red2b on March 21 2007 10:03 AM

Gofaster- what does camping have to do with cutting pine trees that need to be cut to prevent further damage?

I agree with owl- fill in the hole- whatever that had to do with the original story.

Posted by: diplomat on March 21 2007 12:30 PM

The sooner these eyesores are cut down and replaced with newly planted trees the better.

Two years of new growth has already been missed out on.

Yet, better late than never - here is an opportunity to beautify an entrance to the city's main intersection with a fast growing blooming species and do some nice first class landscaping.

Posted by: Harbinger on March 21 2007 2:40 PM

Prince George. B.C.'s Northern Stump Capital. Doesn't sound right. Does it?

Posted by: bohemian on March 21 2007 3:41 PM

Owl has a good point about the eyesore at Treasure Cove. Why is that gravel pit there? Surely this must be in violation of some bylaw or agreement. Or is it some kind of loophole?

How about following up on this, Ben.

Posted by: owl on March 21 2007 5:58 PM

Loophole??? .... maybe sink hole?...

I think someone came in the middle of a night or two and snuck some gravel out of there. Safer bet than gambling.

;-)

Posted by: Chadermando on March 21 2007 6:20 PM

That gravel pit at the main city entrance is a badge of honour for our city council in how they like to do business. I think its their way of saying we're open for business.

From my perspective it is an eye soar that exemplifies this city does not care about quality of life for any potential new resident that enters the city. Its all part of the John Major city vision.

Posted by: palomino on March 21 2007 7:08 PM

I remember when the whole casino property was still treed. At that time the property was at least as high as the highway, or even a bit higher.

I realize that you have to scrape off the topsoil on a property before you pave it over, which I assume is what the berm around the outside is now, but I suspect that a whole lot of gravel was taken off the property before any construction was started, and sold elsewhere, for some quick capital, resulting in the entire complex having to be built in a pit, -- considerably lower than the highway.

I also suspect that the big hole in the front corner of the property resulted from a committment to fullfill a contract for a certain amount of gravel from the property that could not be met by scraping the site any lower than it already was --- hence the eyesore of a dugout!

Why else would they dig that ugly rut right out in the front corner like that?

IMO the whole place was downgraded by lowering the property like that.

Just wondering what the real story is here.

Posted by: Harbinger on March 22 2007 12:04 AM

Must be an engineering report hidden some where at city hall. Every facet of construction of the casino was planned by engineers, architects, contractors and landscaping experts. Track these guys down and ask what gives. Look into it. Curiosity killed the cat.

Posted by: Rounder on March 22 2007 2:32 PM

Maybe that "pit" was created for a future development?

Posted by: Harbinger on March 22 2007 5:09 PM

Not a "money pit". That's fer sure. Suicide pit if ya don't wanna go home after losin' all yer dough?