Oakville goes out on a limb for an aging 12-metre high oak
Town wants to study the health of century-old bur oak, which homeowners say is dying and creating a safety hazard for their children.

thestar.com
July 29, 2014
By Gemma Karstens-Smith

An Oakville family says it’s time to call timber on the century-old bur oak tree standing in their backyard. But getting rid of the aged oak is proving to be a trying process.

Stephanie Everingham and her husband, Chris, say the more than 12-metre-high tree is dying, creating a safety hazard as branches break and fall. The Everinghams can’t simply call an arborist to remove the tree, though; the oak is protected by the town.

Keeping oak trees in the area is important to the community, said Allan Elgar, a town and regional councillor for the area.

“We don’t have many oaks left,” he said. “We’re almost oakless in Oakville.”

The tree wasn’t a problem for the couple when they moved into their new townhouse on Golden Oak Trail in 2009.

“At the beginning, it didn’t really seem like such an issue because we didn’t have kids,” said Stephanie. “It’s always looked rustic, but I wasn’t so concerned.”

Now that the Everinghams have a 2-and-a-half-year-old son and a 6-month-old daughter, the situation has changed. Thick branches and clumps of wilted leaves fall from the tree on an almost daily basis, Stephanie said.

She’s afraid to let her kids play outside underneath the precarious branches, and fears a strong storm could crack the tree’s limbs, sending debris flying through the children’s bedroom windows.

There used to be lots of mature trees along what’s now known as Golden Oaks Trail. When developer Crystal Homes got approval to turn the wooded land into a subdivision, the company was allowed to cut down many of the trees. The bur oak was protected, however, after an arborist determined it was healthy and could be saved.

“It’s common during the development process to try and protect trees,” explained Phillip Kelly, manager of development and environmental engineering with the town of Oakville.

Residents have rallied to save old oaks in the town before. In 2006, neighbours raised more than $300,000 to save a white oak on Bronte Rd., when the street’s expansion threatened the 250-year-old tree.

“People do value the trees,” Elgar said.

He wants to have a specialist assess the oak in the Everinghams’ yard and determine whether or not it is a hazard.

“If in fact, it is dangerous and it is going to drop down, yeah, absolutely, it should come down,” he said.

The town is now looking into having two studies done on the tree, Kelly said. One would look at the oak’s current health; another would study the tree’s long-term prospects.

“If a tree is deemed to be a hazard, we don’t hesitate to give the order to have it removed,” he said. “Just because one branch is a hazard doesn’t mean the tree is a hazard.”

Dealing with the tree drama has been tiring, Everingham said. She doesn’t understand why the town allows new developers to cut down healthy trees, but can’t seem to let go of this old oak.

“It’s just frustrating that they’re wanting to save this dying tree,” she said.

Everingham said she would love to plant a new tree in her yard if the old oak is taken down.

“I’m more than happy to plant an oak tree,” she said. “We just want a safe tree, a healthy tree.”