Stanley Park at Risk

The Vancouver Parks Board is cutting 25% of the trees in Stanley Park

Not only is most of BC being logged but now Vancouver’s jewel, one quarter of Stanley Park is being logged, ostensibly to curb the hemlock looper moth and remove dead trees that could pose a safety and wildfire risk. But we see evidence of live hemlock being cut down too.

Given that the hemlock looper moth may jump to firs and other species why is the Vancouver Park Board cutting down hemlocks that are still alive? With no hemlocks left what’s to stop the moth from going after fir and cedar? We do know that the Park Board was being quite secretive and refused to share their report until recently.

Why are healthy-looking trees being cut down? Please see extensive examples of healthy stumps of larger trees cut down here.

This report should have been discussed on Wednesday, January 24, 2024 at a Standing Committee on Policy and Strategic Priorities meeting with the Park Board asking for $4.9 million dollars to continue removing dead and apparently living trees. Instead they simply passed it with no discussion.

On May 28, 2024 City Council, in a secret meeting, decided to spend another $11.1 million on logging Stanley Park hemlocks, It wasn’t until a June 2024 confidential memo revealed that councillors consented to the May 28th budget adjustment motion.

The Park Board is now saying that they will be cutting a much lower number of trees, about 20,000 – 30,000, not the original 160,000 figure. That is better news but why the massive increase in the budget? What is the money needed for?

November 2023 – 2024 Budget Adjustment Related to Risk Mitigation of the Hemlock Looper Moth in Stanley Park

October 2024 – Stanley Park Hemlock Looper Response and Mitigation Plan

Stanley Park Hemlock Looper Impact and Wildfire Risk Assessment – Report

Stanley Park Inquiry and Opinion

“Hindsight is 20:20, as the saying goes, but had the Parks people acted on recommendations by FLNRO to control the pest with Btk, made known to them in 2021, we would likely still have most of our famous mature conifer forest in Stanley Park.”

Stanley Park inquiry and opinion by a registered professional forester.

Take Action – Save Stanley Park

You can write to the Mayor and Council here and the Park Board here to tell them that you oppose the current plan for logging in Stanley Park. Plus you can email the Park Board’s catchall Stanley Park logging account stanleyparkforest@vancouver.ca and individual staff. They are very difficult to get a hold of but it’s still good to keep up the pressure.

Save Stanley Park page

Stanley Park Preservation Society video

Petition – Save Stanley Park – sign here

Petition – Save Stanley Park Demand the resignation of Vancouver Park Board Commissioner Tom Digby – sign here

Save Stanley Park Social Media

Save Stanley Park Instagram Facebook X YouTube BlueSky

Forest Emergency Instagram X

Save Old Growth Forests BC – Vancouver Facebook

Stanley Park video Where is the Rot?

Dr. Richard Hamelin says that there is a lot of rot making the trees dangerous but as you can clearly see from the cut trunks and stumps in the video there is very little rot or heart rot.