Urgent: Beaver Lake Riparian Area in Imminent Danger. New Commissioners Have Not Yet Acted!

Beaver Lake has just been ribboned for removal of high value trees without proper tree assessments.

Urgent! Email the commissioners here.

At its Inaugural Meeting on November 2nd 2026, the new Vancouver Park Board failed to act to protect Stanley Park from substandard tree risk assessments which dramatically misassessed and overrated risk of high value trees.

However, there is still a chance to protect Beaver Lake, but immediate action is required.

Under the Park Board Procedural By-law, any two commissioners have the authority to call a Special Meeting on 48 hours notice and bring forward a motion.
 
Provincially certified arborist Norman Oberson surveyed Beaver Lake on October 26, 2026 and located numerous trees which he assessed to be high value and low risk, yet they were marked for removal.

Beaver Lake and Stanley Park need a resolution of the Board requiring proper tree assessments!

The draft resolution that we have prepared reads:

                 
A.     THAT the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation (“Park Board”) direct Park Board staff to modify the scope of work contained within the contract with Blackwell Consulting Ltd. resulting from RFEOI – PS20251269-VBPR for Phase-3 hemlock looper response to read as follows:
  
All trees within the working zones shall be individually assessed for structural integrity and public safety risk, each assessment shall be documented, and the findings shall be incorporated into the treatment prescriptions such that only immediate high-risk trees are mitigated. Tree risk assessments shall be available to the public on request to the Director of Urban Forestry.
  
; 
  
B.     THAT the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation (“Park Board”) direct Park Board staff to modify the scope of work contained within the contract with Blackwell Consulting Ltd. resulting from RFEOI – PS20251269-VBPR for Phase-3 hemlock looper response to delete references to ISA’s Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ) and to read as follows:
  
 
  
Tree risk assessments shall be conducted only by provincially certified Wildlife/Hazardous Tree Assessors following the British Columbia Wildlife Tree Assessor’s Course Workbook: Parks, Recreation Sites & Trails Course Module, updated December 2024.
  
;
  
C.    THAT the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation (“Park Board”) direct Park Board staff to modify the value of the contract with Blackwell Consulting Ltd. resulting from RFEOI – PS20251269-VBPR for Phase-3 hemlock looper response to reflect the modified scope of work; and
  
 
  
D.    THAT the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation (“Park Board”) prohibits tree removals in and within 40 meters of riparian areas of Stanley Park, including but not limited to Beaver Lake, until further resolution of this Board.

We believe that this resolution is reasonable and balanced, in that it allows mitigation of actual danger while preventing unnecessary damage. It also saves taxpayer money and protects workers.

Please click here to fill in a simple form where you can easily prepare an email to be sent to each of the seven commissioners shown below (and a copy to you). You will have an opportunity to customize the message before sending.
 
Tom Digby
T’uy’t’tanat Cease Wyss
Spencer van Vloten
Breanne Smart
Jamie Han
Sacia Burton
Tamiko Suzuki


Photo: Living tree adjacent to Beaver Lake riparian area standing tall and straight incorrectly marked for removal
(image by Michael Robert Caditz October 26, 2026)

Send email to commissioners now!