Vancouver woman hopes to save old trees from development at UBC

There’s a push to save a number of old trees in the UBC area of Vancouver.

If you drive along Westbrook Mall, you’ll notice a row of boards signalling future development at Carey Hall. But right next to those boards is a row of older trees, and one woman is demanding to know what will happen to the green giants once new buildings go up.

Su Wang started a petition, which has already gathered thousands of signatures. She tells CityNews she thinks developers haven’t considered in their plans the people who appreciate the trees.

“You can kind of approximate the age of a tree by how big it is, so by its circumference around breast height. So for this tree, it’s extremely big, it’s a cedar tree. I think it’s around 2.8 metres in circumference,” Wang said of one of the trees in the row.

The development proposal includes two buildings: a four-storey, mixed-use institutional and residential building, and a six-storey residential building.

“I live right in the neighbourhood and I look out into these trees every day. So, it’s extremely heartbreaking to realize how many trees are going to be impacted,” Wang said.

“With really mature trees, they provide the foundation for all the ecosystem around it. They provide the foundation and their role is really irreplaceable,” she added, noting the trees also provide homes for animals like squirrels.

“I hope that UBC, you know, as an educational institution, can lead this movement in the protection of healthy trees from development.”

However, in a statement, the school notes “Carey Hall operates independently of UBC providing educational facilities, faculty, and student housing.”

UBC’s Matthew Ramsey tells CityNews the housing provided at the Carey Hall site “aligns with UBC’s goal of increasing diverse housing opportunities on campus.”

He adds the school has heard from concerned community members about the potential loss of mature trees, adding feedback and a staff technical analysis will be considered before UBC makes its final decision.

“The [Iona] Woods preserve is adjacent to the development and will be protected and enhanced,” Ramsey said.

The project’s developer, Paul Williams, tells CityNews that, any day now, there will be a report that should verify exactly how old the trees are. Williams says this is being done by an arborist.

He also notes that trees will be replanted as part of the new space.

Wang says she’s just looking for some cooperation on the part of Carey Hall and the developer.

“I really hope that we could come together and look at the proposed plan and see if there is a better way of maintaining this very important ecosystem that betters all of our lives,” she said.

There will be two open house sessions on Feb. 16 when people can provide feedback. The project still has to be reviewed by the UBC Development Permit Board, set to happen early next month.