WEDNESDAY THE VOICE OF NORTH AND WEST VANCOUVER WY diver named athlete of the year PAGE 3 March 7, 1990 News 985-2131 Classified 986-6222 Distribution 986-1337 52 pages 25¢ TREE IN THE WAY CF CAULFEILD AREA ROAD EXTENSION dents furious over pl Resi! ain to fell 500-year-old WV fir A 500-YEAR-old Douglas fir scheduled to be felled to make way for a road extension and new housing on Caulfeild Plateau has provided the latest green flashpoint for West Vancouver residents and environmentalists angeved over ‘‘inappropriate development’’ on the North Shore. -KAI GAGNON, 6, _concentrates on his form on Hollyburn Ridge. During sunny ays, . the cross-country ski facility i is busting with ski enthusiasts. . The giant stands near the cen- treline of the Meadfield Road ex- tension, and is one of a number of giant, old-growth trees still stand- ing in the area. On Monday night, West Van- couver District Council voted to ask the developer to wait a week before toppling the giant. Council also scheduled a special policy and planning meeting Tuesday night to tackle the issue. The road extension would ser- vice the new Sannis subdivision in West Vancouver. According to land surveyor Bill Chapman, Sannis property owner Ria Berdebe is allowed three ‘*building units’’ per acre. Berdebe’s holding totals just under 15 acres. Seven lots coming on stream in Sannis average 8,300 square feet each. But residents living near the new development argue that the steep area is being clear-cut, overbuilt and lacks sufficient provision for green belt. Last summer, 65 residents signed a petition opposing what one West Vancouver alderman has called, “the rape of Caulfeild.”’ being handled seems to be flying in the face of past development in West Vancouver, where there was some sensitivity shown regarding the natural setting,’’ he said, poin- ting to giant trees preserved at Clovelly Watk and west of Light- house Park. Added Warrington, ‘‘We are in the process of destroying the last vestiges of our ancient rainforests throughout the province — for convenience and profit.”’ But, said Chapman, ‘“‘The de- veloper has done everything possi- ble to save this tree.*’ One alternative to removing the giant fir involved splitting the road around it, but Chapman said the plan would have required costly rock blasting. The Meadfield split was also dismissed ‘n a February report to West Vancouver Parks and Recre- ation by forest resource consul- tants Reid, Collins And Associates, The report concluded that the PHOTO OF GIANT WEST VANCOUVER FIR: SEE PAGE 3 Last week, at the behest of North Shore Citizens For Trees founder Lena Warrington, Randy Stoltmann, Western Canada Wilderness Committee director and author of the Hiking Guide To The Big Trees Of Southwestern B.C., examined two old-growth Douglas firs standing in the Mead- field Road extension area. The larger of the two, which is slated to be felled first, measures 6.68 feet in diameter at breast height and stands 165 feet tall. A core sample taken by Stoltmann from the tree showed no signs of decay. A second giant nearby, which Stoltmann also assessed as being in good condition, measures 6.37 feet in diameter at breast height. “The way this development is 165-foot tree, immediately in the way of the road, is a hazard, given the ‘‘sardine type residential de- velopment being undertaken in the area’ and is infected by dwarf mistletoe. But said Ald. Carol Ann Reynolds, who voted against the Sannis subdivision, ‘‘There are vers few 500-year-old trees in our community. Efforts should be made to try to preserve them. I hope that this matter will bring the consciousness level of the public and council up with regard to sav- ing at least the exceptional trees.”’ In response to the call for saving the giant fir, municipal manager Terry Lester reminded council Monday night that the road lies on private property.