11 trees removed from Officers' Square in Fredericton

The City of Fredericton cut down 11 trees in Officers' Square this week, nearly two weeks before construction is set to begin in the park.

Bruce Grandy, a city councillor and chair of Fredericton's development committee, called chopping the trees weeks ahead of time "pre-construction activity."

"We decided to get it ready before Harvest got underway, so we can get right in the ground right afterwards," Grandy said, referring to the Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival, which runs from next Tuesday through Sunday, Sept. 15.

The city is doing a small amount of work this fall on its controversial project to renovate the downtown park. A wall along Queen Street will be refurbishedand new entrance stairs and an accessible entrance created.

Saving some trees

The larger project will see a skating rink, performance stage and water feature, among other things, but an archeological impact assessment is being done first.

Last year, the city announced 19 of the 23 trees in the park would be cut down as part of the $9.1 million project. After public pressure, however, city council later decided tosave eight mature trees, including a large elm tree at a corner of the park between Queen Street and St. Anne's Point Boulevard.

On Wednesday morning, aNorway maple tree the Calithumpians theatre troupe perform under during the summer was among the 11 trees to go, sparking an outcry on social media.

Will Pacey, director of Calithumpians, said the tree provided shade to their performers and audience.

"It's a really sad day to see it go," said Pacey, who started acting with the Calithumpians 15 years ago.

"I think everybody who is a Calithumpian or whoever came to see our shows is a little bit heartbroken today."

The Calithumpianshave performed under the tree for more than 15 years. The performers celebrated their 40th season in the park this year, two years ahead of schedule because they feared the square might not be the same in two years.

Grandy said he doesn't know why people are surprised the Calithumpians' tree was cut down, although he's sympathetic to their loss.

Calithumpians theatre group sings memorial to lost tree

5 years ago

Duration 1:00

Members of the Calithumpians theatre group sang an impromptu song as a memorial to the tree the group performed under after it was cut down earlier this week.

"We had laid out the plans dramatically and what trees were going to go," he said in an interview with Information Morning Fredericton.

"It was no surprise, but I know there are a number of people who it's near and dear to."

Grandy isn't sure where the Calithumpians will perform next summer, although the city is considering relocating their performances to the Guard House and Soldiers' Barracks in downtown Fredericton, beside the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design.

Hesaid it's hard to say when construction on the new stage will end.

The city chose to cut the trees early Tuesday because fewer people are in the square in the morning, Grandy said.

"People use the square a bit, you know, they're in there in the afternoons, so we didn't want to for safety reasons jeopardize the public."

Grandy didn't say how many of the 11 trees cut on Tuesday were mature trees.

"It depends what your definition of mature is," he said. "A larger tree was cut where the new stage will go. I call that a semi-mature tree then of course the Norway maple was cut, which was planted in the '80s, you know. Do you call that mature? It's not the same as the mature trees that are along Queen Street and the ones beside the museums."