Almost all of the , including chair Constance Barnes, attended an event this past weekend marking the successful conclusion of a collaborative street tree project. (From left to right Vision Vancouver's Niki Sharma, Barnes and Sarah Blyth, NPA's Melissa De Genova and Vision's Aaron Jasper.)
The project began last year when the park board proposed culling 20 per cent of the that line East Sixth Avenue between Woodland Avenue and Nanaimo. Nearby residents were incensed and organized to save the trees. In response, the park board held a community meeting to discuss the elms and came up with a plan to remove only the five most damaged trees.
The other positive to this story is that a long-term management plan was developed for the popular canopy of trees. Fifty-two new elm trees will be planted to fill in the gaps along the canopy. That planting launched this past Saturday with a ceremony and community celebration.
