Every time Barry Gibson drove by 1836 Guthrie Road in the Comox Valley Regional District, he would look up at the tall tree containing a large eagle’s nest to see if he could spot any of the birds.
When he drove by two weeks ago, he was dismayed to see the tree had been cut down.
Trees containing eagles’ nests are protected by the Wildlife Act, but permits for their removal can be provided if there is good reason.
According to Michael Stalberg, Fish & Wildlife section head, this particular tree was determined to be dead and was cut down as its proximity to Guthrie Road posed a safety concern.
“If [the tree] is located near a location where it might cause an issue if it falls, like the side of a road or close to a building or house, that would create a higher risk factor that would be justification to allow the removal of the tree,” said Stalberg, adding that the eagles nesting in the tree are also at risk.
Stalberg explained that landowners must submit an application for a permit to remove a nest tree to FrontCounter BC. The application is reviewed by a biologist and a recommendation is made.
In this case, a permit was issued for the removal of the tree before Jan. 15 so as not to interfere with the eagles’ breeding season.
“The trees aren’t being used in early to mid-January,” said Stalberg. “Later in January, the eagles will start breeding so then it becomes an issue of whether or not the tree is being used, if the eagles, eggs or eaglets are in the tree.”
According to the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, eagle mates often have an alternative nest in case anything happens to their main territory. If they don’t, they would need to find a new tree to rebuild their nest.
Stalberg says there are no plans to relocate the eagles as attempts made in the past have had very little success.
“The good news for Vancouver Island, there are a lot of potential trees to use as alternate nest sites,” said Stalberg. “In other places, like the Lower Mainland where they may be more rare, they’ve attempted some of these projects to try to relocate a nest or to create an artificial nest, but the project is quite expensive and has had low success. So, it hasn’t worked that well for eagles.”
He said it is likely humans are unable to replicate the exact nest conditions that would satisfy eagles and they also do not have a way to attract an eagle to a new location.
Stalberg added that protecting eagle nests is very important and due diligence is performed before allowing nest trees to be cut down.
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Correction: In a previous version of this article, it stated the property 1836 Guthrie Road was located in Comox when in fact, it is located in the Comox Valley Regional District Electoral Area B.
jolene.rudisuela@comoxvalleyrecord.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter