Arthur Williams
Citizen staff
A Salmon Valley resident is raising the alarm about people illegally cutting down Christmas trees in a regional park near Prince George.
Barb Pethich said during a five-minute span last week she saw four vehicles leaving Kristian Winther Regional Park, located 30 kilometres north of the city, with Christmas trees in the back.
“It’s a lovely park. I skied there yesterday, and it was gorgeous,” Pethich said. “At the rate I saw trees coming out of that park, it is going to be bare by next year.”
Pethich said there is no need to cut trees illegally in parks, because area residents can obtain a free permit to cut up to three trees per household from vacant Crown lands. Free permits to cut Christmas trees in the Prince George Natural Resource District can be downloaded on the B.C. government website.
“There are lots of places to harvest (Christmas) trees,” she said. “I care immensely about our parks.”
Regional District of Fraser-Fort George spokesperson Renee McCloskey said in an email that the district’s parks staff are investigating the situation.
“This appears to be the first time we have received this type of complaint so it is not a common concern to say the least,” McCloskey said. “We will monitor in the event this is not an isolated incident and will investigate enforcement options to deter those damaging or removing park property, including trees.”
The district’s 11 regional parks are open for day use from May to October, but the district knows residents continue using them during the winter months.
“We also know that 99 (per cent) of the people respect and treat our parks with care so others can enjoy them as they do,” McCloskey said. “It's disheartening when in that rare instance someone does not show care and respect for our parks.”
