This article written in french by Stéphane St-Amour was automatically translated using AI
The large cedar hedge that marked the northern boundary of Bernard-Landry Park over a distance of more than 200 meters was removed last week.
“Everyone was in shock,” says Monique Chartrand over the phone, referring to the park users who visit daily.
These “majestic mature cedars,” which lined the path leading to the 30-hectare natural site in the eastern part of the park, served as a screen for the parking lots and various institutional establishments operated by the Integrated Health and Social Services Center (CISSS) of Laval facing the park, recalls this resident who has lived in the area for 30 years.
Explanation
“This hedge, which had been declining for several years, was overrun with virgin vines and poison ivy, making it irrecoverable,” states Jonathan Lévesque, the City’s Public Affairs Advisor, in an email. “Its encroachment of 8 feet on an adjacent path also required intervention for safety reasons.”
In Ms. Chartrand’s view, this “does not justify the total cutting,” as she believes that “many” of these trees “could have been preserved and supplemented by new cedar plantings.”
Moreover, the Municipality’s spokesperson mentions that the area has since been cleaned, damaged fences have been repaired, and a contractor will soon proceed with the stump removal of the 240 cedars and some maples cut down on the site.
Reforestation
Under a reforestation plan developed and approved earlier this year, the municipal administration will plant 26 trees by the end of the season to replace the now-missing hedge. The City will also take this opportunity to plant 25 additional trees in Bernard-Landry Park, specifies Mr. Lévesque.
Disappointed, Monique Chartrand would have much preferred a type of planting that would eliminate the “frost fence” and the “parking lot” to preserve the beauty of the landscape. “This is my park; I care about it.”
Finally, while she acknowledges “the City’s considerable efforts to green the island” and “concern for living ecosystems,” the “massacre” of last week remains completely “incomprehensible” to her.
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