Local conservationist John Buchanan said he was shocked and dissapointed when he saw the trees that were cut by FortisBC.
Buchanan visited the Crown land site on the west side of Howe Sound along the shoreline halfway between the Woodfibre LNG site and the Squamish Estuary on Friday and says he saw about 100 cut trees, some between 100-150 years old.
"I just can't believe how many big, old trees were cut down," Buchanan said.
A FortisBC spokesperson confirmed the worksite is where the company conducted geotechnical investigations from September to November as part of its work to determine the route for the Eagle Mountain – Woodfibre Gas Pipeline Project.
"We removed trees to ensure our crews had space to do their work safely. We also removed dead trees in the area, that were at risk of falling," ForitsBC's Viviana Zanocco told The Squamish Chief in an email.
Prior to the start of the work, FortisBC received permits from the District of Squamish and the BC Oil and Gas Commission, Zanocco added, and an environmental monitor and an aboriginal liaison were on site to ensure all work carried out adhered to the conditions.
"We were careful to remove only the trees that were necessary for safety. In fact, we reduced the impact to trees by half of what the permits allowed."
