District of Squamish council has agreed to hire a forestry specialist to assess the controversial damage done to the Upper Malamute following the downing of trees on the property earlier this month.
The assessment is a lead up to a possible issuance of fines under the site alteration bylaw infraction.The degree of damage is one of many questions that have yet to be answered, as well as why the trees were downed in the first place, -and by whom .
The assessment would lend credibility to the district in the event that legal action goes to court, according to Kim Anema, chief administrative officer for the district.
"We need to have an understanding of what went on the site prior to moving forward," said Anema, regarding why N&R Forest Management Ltd. was contracted to do the job.
As of yet, the reason for the tree cut has not been determined. While previous media reports in The Today and The Chief stated that Paul Turner owns Malamute Holdings Ltd. - the registered property owner - Turner said he in fact sold his interest in the company "years ago" and media reports have had a "big impact" on he and his family.
A provincial registry revealed that wife April Turner and business partner Steve Miles are in fact the current co-directors of Malamute Holdings.
Turner also denied reports that his company, CRB Logging - which lists as its directors Paul and April Turner and Miles - undertook the tree removal.
"[CRB] has not undertaken the removal of trees from the Malamute property," Turner stated in a letter to The Chief.During a previous interview, Turner would neither confirm nor deny that CRB cut down the trees.
The fact the trees remain on the property was one reason district environmental coordinator Chessy Knight felt a specialist was needed to assess the area, as she was concerned that the area may be dangerous for staff.
In a letter to council, Miles noted that Malamute Holdings was "not aware that a site alteration permit was required to undertake the clearing and grubbing of this property." Council did not feel that this was a suitable excuse.
"Ignorance doesn't cut it," said Coun. Corinne Lonsdale.
However, Lonsdale was quick to point out that while she is not pleased with the apparent bylaw violation, she has also been offended by the reaction to the cut by some members of the public.
"Some of these e-mails we have been getting, people saying that those responsible 'should hang' that's just absolutely deplorable," said Lonsdale. "It's not right.
"As I understand it the owners of that property have never stopped recreational users from going through there and using the land. They could have put up a fence. They've been good corporate citizens. People have been getting a free ride there for years, but instead of being appreciative for that now they're acting shamefully."
Tyrone Brett, president of the Squamish Access Society (SAS), confirmed that there have been no reported problems with recreational users accessing the site in the past. However, the group has never been able to get a formal agreement in place with Malamute Holdings."We are not aware of any formal objections by the owner to visitors on the land," said Brett, who also agreed with Lonsdale that some reactions have crossed over a line and should be tempered.
"Emotions are running pretty high right now, but no matter how riled up one gets there is a certain baseline of constructive language that works best from an advocacy standpoint, and I'm sure the vast majority of feedback on what has happened reflects this," said Brett.
N&R Forestry Management's assessment of the site will be completed by April 20, and the results of their survey are expected to be brought before council May 1. The responsible party could face fines ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 for each tree cut down. An estimated 500 trees were on the site.
