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Chopped trees leave residents feeling toppled

The removal of several dozen trees in Copper Cliff has left many residents angry and heartbroken. NorthernLife.
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Crews with Woodpecker Energy Systems Inc. were brought in to remove trees deemed a nuisance to the infrastructure of the Dow Drive townhouses in Copper Cliff. Photo by Heather Green-Oliver.

The removal of several dozen trees in Copper Cliff has left many residents angry and heartbroken.

NorthernLife.ca received several phone calls and emails from concerned residents of the townhouse complex on Dow Drive, where the trees are being cut down.

Hired by the property owners, David Calford of Woodpecker Energy Systems Inc. said the trees simply had to go.

"When you get a tree that's up to 12 inches (in diameter), especially soft maple, they have a tendency to grow roots on top of the ground and dig towards where the water is," Calford said.

"There has been basements flooding, so they asked us to solve most of the problem by getting the trees away from the homes."

But many residents NorthernLife.ca spoke to say it was unnecessary to chop down and destroy all the mature soft-wood maples and poplar trees that once shaded their front lawns.

"I understand they have to remove the trees, but there are other options like transplanting," a resident told Northernlife.ca. "Even though it may have cost a bit more money, the outcome would have been a lot better."

Linda Hanninen moved into the complex a year ago and was told by management that the trees were scheduled for removal.

"They need to come down," Hanninen said. "The roots are damaging the building.”

Calford said the tree removal is the first step in a large infrastructure renovation to fix the weeping bed, water and gas piping and electrical in the complex.

"I personally love a nice shade tree also," he said. "But in the wintertime, when you got problems in your home, that shade tree is not what you want. You want it done so you have a nice tight house."


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Heather Green-Oliver

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