It was a hot afternoon in August 2020. The doorbell rang. An arborist from the City introduced himself and told us that they were doing an annual pruning and one of his crew thought our tree may need to be removed due to rotting. He showed us that at least three branches had rot problems. He said that he ordinarily just leaves a letter at the door and does not speak to homeowners. We expressed how sad we were to see the tree go. It keeps the air cool around our house in the summer. Trees act as natural air conditioners, and we were aware of this. He said we would have about a week to say goodbye. So I took the image above one day after we finished a family run.
This is a wild cherry tree, very unique for this area for its species and size. Every March it has white blossoms and it produces tiny red black cherries with a large pit inside. I tried eating one once, and it is mostly pit, but the fruit tasted decent.
Only five days later, the tree removal crew arrived. The man with the chainsaw said he was an arborist. He estimated the tree to be around 75 years old, which would mean that this tree pre-dated the development of this entire neighbourhood. My neighbourhood is the least historic in this city, having been developed last! In 1959, the city's first shopping mall opened in my large block. Currently it is being developed into a second downtown-type area, with over a dozen residential towers reaching their fingers into the sky and blotting out the sun and dwarfing the surrounding family single homes.
The green arrow shows the location of the tree in 1958. Before development, this area was once home to the Vancouver Gun Club's rifle range.
Above: Image taken after the crew finished the first day, mostly removing the greenery from the southwest corner of the tree. The next day, the majority of the work was done, leaving nothing but the trunk and treeless branches.
The third and final day. Every day we were heartsick watching the tree being meticulously chopped. I created a time lapse video which you can view here.
I feel sickened with the death of the tree. Every year when we came home from our March vacation, the tree would be there, welcoming us home. The tree sheltered our house as the sun set in the west, keeping our house cool through some hot summers. Our house felt like it was set in the middle of a park.
The City of Vancouver has 22.5% coverage by the tree canopy. For many years, homeowners were removing trees on their private property, leading to a deforestation of the city. The trees helped decrease carbon in the atmosphere and regulate the air temperature, as well as preventing soil erosion. In 2014, the City amended the bylaws to require property owners to obtain a special permit before removing trees from homeowner's property.
Above image: My area, Oakridge, had only 15% canopy cover. There is no shade for pedestrians or runners so it makes the neighbourhood less liveable and decreases the chances for developing the community, meeting your neighbours on your evening walk. The nearby Tisdall Park must serve that purpose, and even then, the canopy cover does not fully cover the walking path.
Image: cross section from the beloved tree. The centre appears to have heart rot, but that will not kill the tree, as the bark and outer layers of the tree can sustain it. The diameter is 30.5 to 31.5 inches, and this is not the base of the tree, but is part of the main trunk.
Wild cherry wood is the most desirable wood for furniture. The grain is straight and it is resistant to rot.
Above images: Top - before. Bottom - after. What my front yard looks like without the tree. Truly shocking.
Goodbye, dear cherry tree. You will be sorely missed.
