Tuesday night’s bomb cyclone temporarily closed Stanley Park on Wednesday morning. The park reopened around noon.
The Vancouver Park Board said the closure was needed for crews to complete safety inspections and clear downed trees from roads and trails.
For anyone visiting the seawall, they are asked to be cautious due to the high tides and wind. A portion of the seawall between Third Beach and prospect Point was already closed to accommodate the removal of dead trees impacted by the hemlock looper moth.
According to documents obtained by Global News, about eight trees came down in the park, with seven obstructing roadways.
Tuesday’s intense low-pressure system brought very strong winds to B.C., leading to downed trees, power outages and ferry cancellations.
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At Vancouver International Airport, wind gusts peaked at 78 km/h.
In November of 2023, the Vancouver Park Board estimated that up to 160,000 trees that had been killed in Stanley Park by a hemlock looper moth infestation would need to be cut down for safety reasons.
However, in October, the City of Vancouver significantly reduced its estimate of the number of trees that will need to be removed from Stanley Park.
“So we are suspecting we will likely be removing anywhere from 20,000 to 30,000 in the park, only those that are causing the most risk to public safety,” Joel McLeod, associate director of urban forestry, told Global News in October.
“We will be leaving the majority of the trees that are dead, especially those that are out of high-use areas.”
It is not known at this time if the trees that came down during the storm were slated for removal.
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