North Vancouver residents protest city plan to chop 200-year-old cedar tree

An ancient cedar tree in the City of North Vancouver is slated to be sawdust soon and a group of concerned residents is doing what itcan to try tosave it.

The tree, locatedon the corner of 21st Street and Eastern Avenue in Central Lonsdale, is estimated to be over 200 years old and is expected to be cut down this week to make way for a development project on what is known as the Harry Jerome Neighbourhood Lands.

According to plans for theproject on the city's website, it includes two towers, one 30 storeystall and the other 26, as well as four mid-rise buildings that will be either five or six storeys tall.

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Gabriel Hendry, who lives next door to the land, started an online petition to save the tree Friday night and by Tuesday morning it had more than 2,500 signatures.

That same morning, about 50 people, including Hendry, rallied by the tree with protest signs to show they'reupset with the city's decision to remove it.

"We should be cherishing the history of these ancient trees," said Hendry, speaking to CBC's The Early Edition from the protest.

He has been in touch with the city about the issue and told CBC the tree is being taken down because it is blocking the future entrance of what will be an underground parking lot.

"I'm sure that more creative architectural feats have been accomplished, and we expect better from our city," said Hendry.

In a March 15 statement, the City of North Vancouver said Darwin Construction, the development company responsible for the project, considered how to keep the tree, but determined it just wasn't possible.

"Unfortunately, the tree conflicts with Darwin's site grading, underground parkade access requirements and the north-south alignment of pedestrian streetscape improvements along Eastern Avenue," according to the statement, which also said the tree interferes with overhead hydro wires.

The city also said the guidelines for the new development saythat every large tree removed must be replaced with three others and in this case, the developer is going to go above and beyond that requirement.

"The development will provide a higher ratio of replacement trees, planting four trees for every tree."

But Hendrysays the community really cares about this tree and it's the one they want. He said signs telling people not to park by the tree this week have popped up, leaving himself and others to believe the tree is coming down in the coming days.

"There is surely another way," said Hendry.

LISTEN| Gabriel Hendry talks about trying to save a 200-year-old cedar from the chopping block: