I am so glad that “the tree” (the incredibly huge sequoia just off 104 Avenue on 133 Street) is getting some well-deserved publicity (“Rallying to save a giant,” The Leader, June 11).
It is a rare jewel of nature that deserves to be protected.
When I discovered this magnificent tree for myself several years ago, I called city hall and was told that it was not one of Surrey’s protected heritage trees. My takeaway from this was that, if a developer convinced city hall that the tree’s location made building on the property difficult and agreed to replace it with a few smaller trees, that this would be okay.
On this past weekend I was reminded how spectacular this sequoia is when I witnessed in about 15 minutes five cars drive up to the property where the tree is located. The passengers quickly got out of their cars to stare and exclaim at the remarkable sight.
Why not make this tree the centerpiece of a small city park? Imagine: just a block away from our new city hall is one of the largest and most majestic trees in the Lower Mainland.
Our mayor and city councilors could take a five-minute walk from our city hall to be reminded that our seemingly important daily concerns in modern life should be balanced by a sense of responsibility to the wondrous environment we inhabit.
Robert Kolpin, Surrey
