Trees cut down illegally in Kelowna park

Someone cut down 10 mature Ponderosa pine trees in Mission Ridge Park recently, and it's not only illegal, it's creating a wildfire hazard. The 10 pines, as well as two more damaged trees, were reported through the City of Kelowna’s service request system. “We are taking this offence seriously. City trees provide numerous benefits including shade, absorbing carbon dioxide, providing oxygen, and providing wildlife habitat,” Todd Cashin, Urban Forestry Manager for the City of Kelowna, said. The cut trees are now capable of being fuel for wildfires. The removal of the trees will be costly for the public, according to a release. The trees were on a steep slope making the excess vegetation difficult to get to. “In addition, these specific trees were used to provide stability to the steep, sandy slopes of Mission Ridge Park. The removal of these trees will certainly increase the erosion potential in the park. The stability of the slope is key to protecting the homes at the top of the slope.” The individuals who cut and damaged the trees are unknown at this time. The destruction of municipal property is a serious offence and may result in hefty fines up to $50,000 under bylaws 8041, 8042 and 10680. City of Kelowna bylaw officers and RCMP are both aware of the situation. RCMP are asking members of the public who may have information about the event to come forward and share any details they may have. The Kelowna RCMP non-emergency number that can be used is 250-762-3300 and the reference number for this file is 2024-44190. To contact a reporter for this story, email Bailey Zimmer mailto:bzimmer@infonews.ca  or call 250-808-0143 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .