Tree commission chair urges Fredericton to hold off on Officers' Square project

A commission set up to help manage and protect Fredericton trees wants the city to delay a project thatwill remove all but four trees from Officers' Square this summer.

The Fredericton Tree Commission only learned from city staff about two weeks ago about plans to take down 19 trees at the downtown gathering and performance space, said SarahWeatherby, chair of the advisory group.

"They've been working on the plan for about four years," Weatherby said Monday. "And two weeks ago that was the first time that we were involved.

• Fredericton removing 19 trees from Officers' Square
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"That was the first time we had heard just how many trees were actually being removed. It was a bit of a shocker."

The tree removal could start as early as this week, with eight trees on the block.

Theremoval coincides with aplannedrevitalization ofOfficers' Square in the next four years.Most of the trees to disappeararebesidethe wall along Officers' Square, and they vary in age.

Sometimes with these new developments, we're losing sight of what's really important.- Sarah Weatherby, tree commission

Greg McCann, a project engineer with the city, said earlier that the 19 trees won't survive a sizeableconstruction project planned forPoint St. Anne Boulevardthis year.

Coun. Greg Ericson, who is council's representative on the tree commission, said that although the chair and some members of the commission were never briefed on the Officers' Square plan, at least twomembers two city staffers on the committee knew about it for years.

He cited a communication problem but couldn't say why the collaboration with the commission, which would be expected on such projects, didn't happen.

The group will meet Thursday night to "straighten things out" and discusshow it should proceed as a group with respect to a stance on the tree-removal issue.

Mayor Mike O'Brien also planned to raise the issue at Monday's council meeting.

"The larger part is still off into the future," saidEricson.

The planned makeover for the square includes anoval skatingtrack around the outside of the lawn, a performance stage, playground, and food and beverage area.

The city said it will eventually plant 40 trees in thearea, a majority of them elms.

Construction season has begun in Fredericton

6 years ago

Duration 1:43

There are 22 major construction projects taking place in Fredericton this summer, which will cost more than $30 million.

When the removal is finished, fourtrees will be left standing at Officers' Square.

"I did feel a little bulldozed," said Weatherby, who has been a part of the commission for four years.

"They [city] definitely weren't coming to talk to us about our advice they were telling us, 'This is what's happening and why.'"

At thatmeeting, the commission made recommendations to city staff, including using a tree spade a giant shovel toremove some of the trees along the wall in the square to a new location.

But Weatherbysaid she'shoping the city will hold off on the upgrades altogetherand assess the real need for them.

"I really think they need to rethink the development," she said.

In the past, she said, the tree commission has been contacted early on by the city about plans involving trees.

"This is a fairly big development," she said. "But we were definitely brought in quite late in the game."

Public not impressed

Over the weekend, dozens of residents gathered in Officers' Square to protest against the city's plans to chop down the trees.

Protesters argued the loss of trees willdestroy the history and beauty of the park.

O'Brien said he couldn't commit to anything except a promise to take the protesters' commentsback to council and staff for a discussion aboutwhether anything can be done.

Weatherby applauded the public's passion for keeping the trees and its efforts to put pressure on council.

She said the trees provide more than just shade. They lower heating and cooling costs, they take away pollution from the air, reducestorm-water runoff and sway people to spend more time in the downtown, which is good for the city economy.

The commission will meet with the city in July to discuss the new trees being planted and other suggestions.

"Sometimes with these new developments, we're losing sight of what's really important," Weatherby said. "The trees are an important part of the infrastructure downtown."