BC Hydro regularly conducts brushing operations along the dikes that protect portions of the city from potential floods. It has been years since we were actually threatened by flooding, but that doesn’t mean the threat no longer exists.
Contract brushing crews remove saplings, small trees and bushes that, by establishing themselves, threaten the dikes’ integrity.
This year, Bob Walker’s Revelstoke Tree Care had the contract and did a pretty good job of it.
However, some people took exception on the Stoke List to his cutting down of about 80 small cherry trees near the Downie Sawmill. As one poster put it:
“6-8 cherry trees were cut down by BC Hydro (can’t think of anyone else who would) right on the greenbelt by downie. They are all just laying there full of ripe fruit. I have gotten ahold of bear aware to let them know and a friend and I picked as many as we could, but I’m not stoked about leaving my dog outside to free range for a couple weeks… why would they cut down the trees, then leave them to lay there and attract bears? We all live right beside the greenbelt, and there are many children and dogs and people that walk that path everyday. I have no truck to take them away, but they should have been hauled away as soon as they were cut. So thanks, BC Hydro for leaving us all to the bears… just thought I would write this to warn Downie residents to be on the watch for the next couple weeks.”
In fact, Walker, says the cherries would have attracted bears whether they had been cut down or not. Contrary to what this poster claimed, the trees were all chipped. By eliminating the wild cherries and chipping them he has actually removed a bear-attractant.
Here are some photos of Walker and his crew at work:
