Chilliwack cemetery defends tree removal

Bev Van Winkle, manager of Chilliwack Cemeteries, says some trees must be taken down for safety reasons.

image credit: Staff photo

Trees have expiry dates, just like people.

Thats the message the manager of Chilliwack Cemeteries would like for people to understand the next time they see fresh stumps on the cemetery grounds.

Bev Van Winkle, manager of Chilliwack Cemeteries, was not surprised to learn of recent complaints made following the controlled takedown of three cedar trees and two maples last month.

Shes been fighting such complaints since starting in the position 12 years ago.

The trees were rotten, they were splitting, they had to be taken down before they created all kinds of havoc and damage, said Van Winkle.

But when Chilliwack resident Ron Smith, who frequently walks through the cemetery, saw what he believed to be healthy trees chopped down, and grave markers lying on their sides, he was horrified.

Smith sent letters and accompanying photos to Mayor Sharon Gaetz and the media.

You just dont do that, he told The Progress. Theyre showing no respect for the dead.

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Chilliwack cemetery defends tree removal