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Volunteers plant 300 new trees along local Rotary trail

Communities in Bloom, Rotary team up to remove 86 danger trees

Volunteers have planted hundreds of young trees along the Hope Rotary Nature Trail.

Communities in Bloom spokesperson Victor Smith said 86 trees along the trail were weakened by root rot, which prompted volunteers to remove them and plant 300 cedar saplings in their place.

“What happens is on the fir trees, the root rot [comes from] a fungus that gets right into the soil,” Smith said. ” It kills them off, and there’s no roots supporting it. But it won’t bother the cedar trees, and that’s why we are going to replace them with cedar.”

In addition to clearing the danger trees, Smith said there’s a plan in place to spread gravel along the trail to prevent tripping hazards from tree roots.

Smith said this project came about as a response to the death of five-year-old Weston Abel, who was killed when a tree fell on him while on a hike in Chilliwack.

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“It was just so tragic, and we knew this was an issue here, so we were more than willing to step up and make this happen,” he added.

Local Rotary president Shawn Eldridge said he and the club were grateful for Smith’s initiative.

“It’s on district property, but it has our name on it and we’d like to make sure it’s safe,” Eldridge explained. “[Victor Smith] came to us before we could make any conclusive decisions on how we proceed; he’s taken the bull by the horns, so to speak.”

The local Rotary donated $1,500 to Hope Care Transit by way of paying for the project; Eldridge said the club was prepared to pay more, but the labour and equipment to help clear the trees was all donated.

“I’d like to sincerely thank Victor Smith for all the hard work,” Eldridge said. “He continues to be an advocate for improving life for those who live in Hope. He’s just a tireless worker and volunteer.”


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