Vancouver Park Board to vote on final phase of Stanley Park tree removal

The Vancouver Park Board will vote on the final phase of the looper moth logging project in Stanley Park

The Vancouver Park Board will decide how the final phase of removing dead trees from Stanley Park will be conducted, following recommendations from staff.

A report titled, “Stanley Park Hemlock Looper Response and Mitigation Plan - Phase 3,” will be presented to the board Monday.

Since mitigation work began in 2023, about 160,000 trees have been classified as dead or dying as a result of a hemlock looper moth outbreak.

The final phase of work would be focused on interior forested areas such as Lees Trail, Lovers Walk, and the trails around Beaver Lake, according to the report.

Staff have provided three options for the board to review, but are suggesting Option 3, which they say, “is considered appropriate to provide effective risk mitigation and optimize a balance with other decision criteria.”

“So, you could have either a big swath of trees on either side to clear out the dead trees, or you could do a narrower one,” said Green Park Board Commissioner Tom Digby. “And the narrowest one they proposed was 40 meters.”

Digby said since 2023, the park board has had to remove more than 10,000 dead trees.

“The entire management is $17.9 million,” he said. “It’s been very expensive.”

Michael Caditz, the director of the Stanley Park Preservation Society, called Monday’s evening’s decision “pivotal.”

The Society has been a vocal critic of the ongoing work in the park.

Caditz was one of four people who sued the city over it in 2024.

He said the parties reached a temporary agreement, but that Monday’s decision could alter that.“If they decide to go ahead with the logging, then we’ll be back in court within the next two months,” he said.

According to the report, the final phase of work would conclude in 2027.