Editor:
Just read the article about the owners of two new homes on 54A St in Ladner wanting their street trees removed because of sidewalk issues (Optimist, July 29).
I happen to live a few houses down from these folks in a 90-year-old house with two horse chestnut street trees in front of our home, which I estimate are close to the same age as our old place. Our sidewalk is just fine with no lifting concrete with these big beautiful shade giving, air cleaning trees.
One of the things that made us love our house was the lovely tree lined street. Many streets in Ladner have almost no trees.
Council and city staff need to get way more aware of trees and how they help cool and shade communities especially older, big trees which take decades to mature. New saplings will offer almost no shade for years.
Cities around the world are waking up to how crucial trees are for cooling and cleaning the air and reducing the temperatures during increasingly hot dry summers. The Globe and Mail and New York Times recently had editorials on this exact issue. Trees are invaluable.
In this year especially, after our “heat dome” nightmare which we now know killed over 500 B.C residents, we need to increase tree canopies and protect our existing street trees.
Unfortunately the sidewalk at these new homes is badly configured, but it sounds like the staff are on it and planning to give the trees more root space. Don’t cut down these trees!
Martha Cheney
