Removing 17 trees in two District of Houston-locations has been recommended in Steelhead Park and alongside 12 Street adjacent to the municipal hall.
All 17 are infected with the fungus black knot which looks just as the name suggests and which is considered an infection danger.
The decision to remove the trees follows an inspection by a contractor who said removing the prunus padus flowering variety is preferred over pruning.
Black knot produces spores in the spring which are then blown around, infecting other trees.
“Infection occurs from April through June on the current season’s growth,” noted District of Houston chief administrative officer Michael Dewar in a briefing note to council.
Ten trees will be removed near the municipal hall and seven at Steelhead Park.
Dewar said the tree removal may be noticed by the public, suggesting the action be communicated beforehand to allay any public concerns about cutting down trees and to raise awareness of black knot disease.
The District will then replant trees to replace those ones cut down.
Paying for the new trees will come from a $4,750 grant received from BC Hydro last year.
At first the District wanted to use the grant to plant trees on the north side of Hwy16 between the highway and the industrial park but then discovered CN won’t allow trees to be planted on its right-of-way. In any event, the grant can’t be used on private property.