RICHMOND -- The City of Richmond is apologizing after chopping down more than 300 trees along the Fraser River in recent weeks.

The clear-cutting on River Road was a part of a multi-million-dollar project to raise the city’s dikes, but residents say it was poorly executed.

“This is just heart-wrenching for everybody and everything that’s here,” said Arline Trividic as she looked at what once was a green space in her neighbourhood.

“It breaks my heart," said her neighbour Janet Flamand. "The first time I saw it, I started to cry.”

Hundreds of lifeless trees were left along the road this week, serving as a shocking discovery for the many residents who drive through the area for its scenic views.

“This was one of the most pristine areas I would say," Trividic said. "Maybe a jewel in our little area here."

She says many people cycled, walked their dogs, or went bird-watching near the green space, but it’s now muddy and barren.

“We’re disappointed that we’ve had to take the trees down," said Clay Adams, a spokesperson for the City of Richmond. "It wasn’t a choice. We had to do this.”

Removing the trees is part of the $30 million dike-raising project, which is backed by the municipal, provincial and federal governments.

“Rising sea levels, climate change is one real predominant issue for us," Adams said. "We know that we've got to take all of our dikes up by at least a metre by the end of the century,” said Adams.

Richmond City Councillor Michael Wolfe teaches environmental sciences and biology at a local high school and also lives nearby.

He said advocating for the environment is one of his main priorities, but improvements to the dikes are needed.

“When a tree that size is in this small of a boulevard between the river and roadway, there can be major compromise of the dike,” explained Wolfe.

Wolfe says the fact that the area is no longer aesthetically pleasing is only part of the problem.

Dozens of species of animals called the space home. They’re now being forced to go across the Fraser River to Burnaby or Vancouver.

“My granddaughter and I would come and look at the eagles here,” said a very emotional Trividic.

The raptors could be seen flying above the clear-cut area Saturday morning, landing in the small section of Cottonwood trees still standing.

The city says an environmental assessment was done prior to the start of the work.

“There were no eagle nests," Adams said. "We did confirm that and we did this during a time when we know eagles aren’t nesting."

However, Wolfe says the homes of other animals were compromised.

“All the other birds, ducks, the woodpeckers, they don’t have the same level of protection,” he said.

Neither do the mammals like coyotes and squirrels.

Residents say very little information about the work was passed on to them, and they’re now demanding answers.

“I think we really need to put their feet to the fire and I want to see some reports,” said Trividic.

The city did send out flyers to some residents a week beforehand, but admits it should have informed them about the work sooner.

“We really dropped the ball a bit in actually communicating to them, putting signs up, going to them more directly to make sure they knew what we were doing,” Adams said.

The city has stopped clear-cutting for now. Adams said a community meeting was held with residents on Feb. 26 to discuss the issue.