Vancouver Park Board starts final phase of Stanley Park logging

The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation is set to resume logging at Stanley Park on Tuesday amid opposition from environmentalists.

The work of removing thousands of trees in the park began in 2023 after hemlock looper moth infestations killed the trees, turning them into what the board describes as a public safety concern.

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The park board says it has removed around 11,000 trees so far. Visitors report that some areas of the park are visibly barer than before the process began.

This year, the board says the project is entering its third and final phase, removing more trees and completing restoration work in the spring.
The project has faced opposition from environmentalists, including the Stanley Park Preservation Society, which claims it’s ruining the park and damaging the local environment.

Society Director Jillian Maguire says many trees have been removed unnecessarily without tree assessments.

“The City of Vancouver has confirmed through Freedom of Information [requests] that they are not required. They don’t require tree assessment data, and they didn’t have any to share with us,” said Maguire. “I think we have over 11 scientific reports saying that this logging operation is damaging.”

She says one scientific study revealed that the park’s forest floor is drying out, degrading the soil, and increasing the risk of fire and wind throw.
“The forest might not be recoverable.”

Without an assessment by an independent ISA-certified arborist, Maguire says, the board can’t make an informed decision about any single tree.

On the restoration work, Maguire argues it’s dangerous to replace fully-grown trees with saplings that have been laced with pesticides.

“You can take a walk around the park and look at many of the saplings that they’ve planted, and they are dying. These trees usually grow up in a shady environment, right? Not in an open forest canopy, with sun beating down on them.”

She says the Stanley Park Preservation Society will file with the B.C. Court of Appeals this week, applying to have the project stayed before its appeal is heard in the summer.

“They can’t put the trees back up if we win the appeal.”

While the work continues, including on trails near Beaver Lake, the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation says visitors should be aware of on-and-off trail closures.