Residents of a quaint, tree-lined street in Chatham are once again fighting to save mature trees from being chopped down.
Chatham-Kent Councillor Michael Bondy, who lives on Victoria Avenue, told CK News Today an arborist hired by the municipality has recommended that 16 trees be cut down on Victoria Avenue in Chatham this summer because they're either dead and unsafe or are dying and putting public safety at risk.
Bondy said another 14 trees could be axed at a later date and will be closely monitored this summer, adding he believes 40 trees on Victoria Avenue have already been cut down.
He said he will be introducing a motion at next week's Council meeting to put a stop to what he is calling "World War Tree."
Bondy agrees a few trees should come down because they're clearly dead, but wants the situation reassessed and hopes his motion will achieve that.
He's heard the same thing is in store for Erieau and said residents living on Victoria Avenue or on Erieau Boulevard are not too pleased about it.
"Are they a hazard? Sure they are. Playgrounds are a hazard, arenas, swimming pools. We have to live with some risk. I don't think clear-cutting Victoria Avenue and Erieau Boulevard is wise, I just don't think it's necessary," said Bondy. "It's really a shame because Victoria Avenue has some pretty houses on it and I live in one of them. But it's not known for that, it's known for its tree canopy and has been for 150 years."
Bondy said the municipality spent a lot of time cleaning up downed trees on Victoria Avenue after a tornado in Chatham last summer, but quickly added the trees that didn't come down then should be left alone.
He noted that if arborists went down every street in Chatham-Kent looking for dying trees, there wouldn't be many left to enjoy.
Bondy said he would rather have the dying trees die a natural death.
"Tree canopy, which I believe should be saved to a reasonable degree. I think this is unreasonable to take 30 more trees out this summer because they could maybe cause a problem. Well, let's live with that in my opinion," Bondy said.
Residents of Victoria Avenue are all too familiar with fighting to save the trees on their tree-lined street. They fought hard for a couple of years and scored a moral victory last year to keep their trees from being chopped down.
Some trees were slated to come down for a sewer replacement and road rehabilitation project in 2022. The work was eventually postponed because the sewers still had some shelf life.