Large tree branch crashes in Vancouver yard after being deemed safe twice by city
Vancouver homeowner says a tree branch that fell into his front yard Thursday was deemed safe twice by city arborists.
Vancouver resident Dale Pugh’s roof and chimney were damaged by the same tree this summer.
Pugh says when a city arborist came to remove the first branch from his home at 13 Avenue and Camosun Street, he inquired about another limb on the tree he was worried about. He says the city arborist didn’t see a problem with it.
Pugh then hired a private arborist to conduct an inspection.
“He said the other limb is suffering from the same bark inclusion and it’s probably going to come down at some point in time," Pugh told CTV News Vancouver.
Bark inclusion occurs when a tree has multiple stems that grow together at some point. The bark doesn’t have the strength of wood and can become fragile and compromised.
After the visit by the private contractor, a concerned Pugh reached out to the city.
“I persisted," he said. "Finally another arborist came out and inspected the tree and he deemed it to be safe.”
Less than a month later, the second branch fell in his front yard and on the sidewalk.
"This sidewalk, if school’s in session, it’s got lots of kids going back a forth between the schools,” Pugh said.
Pugh says the bark inclusion, that caused the tree branches to fall, is common in his neighbourhood and should be addressed by the city before there’s another incident.
“Whatever maintenance program they have, it’s not working properly," he said. “I would like them to get some competent arborists.. inspect the trees and take down dangerous trees and take down dangerous limbs.”
The city says the branch has since been removed and the tree is currently being inspected for stability and possible remediation to limit risk to the community.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.