Dozens of trees in Hoffmann Park will soon be gone, with the city planning to remove them before the disease inhabiting them spreads through the rest of the forest.
At the June 25 council meeting, City of Pitt Meadows parks supervisor Olivia Huppee presented the issue to council, explaining that many of the 450 mature trees in Hoffmann Park would be at risk if immediate action wasn't taken.
"In the winter of 2023, several Douglas fir and Western Hemlock trees were observed showing signs of decline," said Huppee. "The primary cause of this decline is from Phaeolus schweinitzii, a root and butt rot that attacks the roots and lower 10 feet of the stem of conifers trees."
"This fungus enters through wounds or damaged roots and can spread via spores carried by the wind or, less commonly, through root-to-root infection."
She explained that trees affected by the disease might appear fine on the outside, but will have significant damage on the inside, which makes them far more susceptible to breaking or being hurt by other diseases and pests.
"The presence of this rot poses significant risks to public safety and compromises the overall health and resilience of the forest stand."
In order to determine the severity of the problem, the city hired a specialist company to come in and conduct a detailed analysis of 77 trees in high-use areas of the park.
"The results revealed that a total of 16 trees showing advanced stages of decay required immediate removal, and the remaining trees will be monitored regularly to observe any changes in conditions," said Huppee.
With there being no form of pesticide treatment for this type of fungus, the city will now have to remove these 16 trees from Hoffmann Park, with the work scheduled to take place from July 2 to 19.
"Areas of the park will be closed while crews are actively working," said Huppee. "If the work becomes too unsafe, a crane truck and fencing may be brought in, if necessary."
The project is estimated to cost $35,000, but Huppee warned that the price could go up if the crane truck and fencing end up being necessary.
"Once safety concerns have been addressed, further investigation in soil analysis will be done to determine future management and replanting efforts."
According to Huppee, it will likely take several years for the Phaeolus schweinitzii to disappear from the infected areas of the park.
So as to not put new trees at risk, the city will focus its replanting efforts in other areas away from the problem sections of Hoffmann Park, explained director of parks, recreation and culture Diane Chamberlain.
"We did just do a project in Hoffmann Park with Green Teams Canada and we planted 17 trees and 278 shrubs, all of which count towards our replanting," said Chamberlain. "That's within the same park but not near where the fungus is."
Hoffmann Park isn't the only area in the city with problem trees, explained Huppee. Shoreline Park will also be the site of some tree removal in the coming weeks.
Huppee reported that 40 hazardous Cottonwood and Red Alder trees were removed from Shoreline Park in 2022, but 20 more trees have now been identified as requiring removal due to poor health and structural issues.
"These trees were not intentionally planted here and have been growing under harsh conditions from strong winds, tidal changes, and bank erosion," said Huppee.
The removal of these trees will begin once the Hoffmann Park trees are dealt with, and is expected to take approximately two weeks to complete and cost $30,000.
During the Shoreline Park tree removals, sections of the trail will be closed to the public.
In response to a question from Councillor Mike Manion, Chamberlain clarified that the Shoreline Park project would not include the removal of the large tree currently in the Fraser River since any trees within the river are not in the city's jurisdiction.
