A tree that has said to be hundreds of years old has seen it all.
Such as providing shelter for Sharon Jack when there was nowhere else to go.
“I had a sleeping bag, a quilt, a tarp,” she said.
Or becoming a final resting place for Joseph Duffey’s loved ones.
“My parents’ ashes are here, my grandparents’ ashes are here,” he explains.
The large maple tree – located near the Island Savings Centre – has been struck by lightning twice and is hollowed out at the trunk. But it’s never come across the threat of a chainsaw, until now.
“I was just irate that anyone would even think about cutting down this tree,” Duncan resident Lynn Hallam said.
“We need all the trees we can get,” added Jenn Newman, another Duncan resident.
Crews are planning to cut down the tree to make way for a new and improved parking lot, citing concerns it’s no longer structurally sound.
When Sierra Courtemanche heard about the plans, she made some of her own.
“I’m going to stay here until the tree is respected, and the wishes of the community is fulfilled,” she vowed.
Others have since joined her fight, while another 500 people have signed a petition.
Rosalie Sawrie was one of them.
“When a community comes around something, that should be heard and considered in decision-making,” she said.
After a last minute Regional District Board meeting Wednesday, that’s now on the table.
“We need to hold a community gathering to talk to our citizens about the future of the tree, about the condition of the tree,” North Cowichan Mayor Jon Lefabure said.
Officials say there is extensive rot and a bulge in the trunk – all putting stress on the tree. An arborist has determined the tree is at moderate to high risk of failing in the near future.
Still, protesters are determined to everything in their power to keep it standing. Fighting for something, that can’t fight for itself.
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