The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation is moving ahead with the second stage of removing looper moth-damaged trees in Stanley Park.

During Tuesday night’s Park Board meeting, commissioners approved a plan to fell the trees killed by the hemlock looper.

The hemlock looper insect experiences population outbreaks roughly every 15 years, however, the most recent outbreak resulted in significant tree mortality in the park causing an elevated risk to public safety,” the Park Board stated.

Phase two is set to begin by the middle of this month, finishing by early 2025. Replanting is set to follow in the spring of next year.

When all is said and done, more than 160,000 trees are expected to be felled by the city, about one-quarter of the trees that make up what’s considered a Vancouver jewel.

The juvenile form of the moth, a member of the inchworm family, chews on both the fresh, green needles of trees in the spring as well as older needles. The result is that trees can be completely defoliated just in two or three years, eventually killing the tree.

“Our response efforts in Stanley Park have been vital to ensuring the continuing safety and well-being of park users, park infrastructure and wildlife species in the park,” said Park Board Chair Brennan Bastyovanszky.

“Further, it’s an opportunity to build a stronger Stanley Park that can better withstand future insect outbreaks and climate change impacts.”

According to the Park Board, the felling work will be concentrated in areas heavily used by the public, near the aquarium, Brockton Point, Chickadee Trail, and along the northwest Seawall.

“During the first phase of emergency work from October 2023 to April 2024, less than 8,000 trees were removed in 25 per cent of the affected forest areas that posed the highest risks to public safety. This emergency response addressed the Stanley Park Causeway, Prospect Point, the Train precinct, Pipeline Road and sections along Stanley Park Drive. The work culminated with the planting of 25,000 native trees last spring,” the Park Board said in a statement Wednesday.

“Approximately half of the trees removed in the first phase were more than 20 centimetres in diameter and the remainder were smaller material. Eighty-eight per
cent of the trees removed were western hemlock and 10 per cent were Douglas fir.

“No old growth trees were removed and all Douglas fir and western red cedar was shared with the Host Nations for ceremonial use. In addition, some logs were provided to the Vancouver Police Department to support the On the Land Cultural Training Program. The remaining commercially viable hemlock material was taken to a domestic log sort in Squamish, while other materials were left in place in the forest to provide coarse woody debris for habitat,” the Park Board continued.

Bastyovansky explains that the Board knows there will be big impacts for park users into the new year.

“Staff have worked closely with stakeholders and the community to reduce impacts as much as possible while prioritizing safety. We are immensely thankful for the public’s patience.”

–With files from The Canadian Press.