A six-decade-old Norway Spruce tree towers in Mary Bereziuk’s Calgary yard.
The 89-year-old planted it for her son at their Calgary home in 1959 when they moved in.
A decade ago her son, Tony, passed away at just 55 years old from colon cancer. His tree has grown big and strong in Bereziuk’s front yard but as an elderly widow living alone, its upkeep has become just too much to handle.
“It’s not easy,” Bereziuk said, choking back tears. “It’s not easy for me to part with that tree. I just cannot cope with it anymore.”
Bereziuk is trying to get the tree chopped down and re-purposed. Her idea is to have the wood carved into furniture.
The problem is, when the Bereziuk family planted it, she unknowingly did so on city property. She’s been trying to get the city to cut it down for the past eight years to no avail.
“Cutting down a healthy tree is something we just don’t do,” Jeannette Wheeler, urban forestry lead with the City of Calgary said.
Wheeler said there are only a few hundred Norway Spruce trees in Calgary.
“As part of urban forestry, we like good healthy trees,” Wheeler said. “This is one of those trees contributing positively not just to home property value but also to the community.”
However, Bereziuk is also concerned the tree poses a danger.
Several large branches have fallen over the years and the sidewalk underneath the shade of the tree stays icy all winter because it never sees the sun.
She also said the city had to replace part of the sidewalk because the tree roots broke through.
Global News tried to confirm that with the city and how much it cost to fix it, but has yet to hear back.
Bereziuk also said it’s incredibly hard for her to care for the tree. She is unable to pick up the thousands of needles it drops as she isn’t healthy enough to do so and said her water bills are through the roof making sure the spruce stays hydrated.
The city suggested Bereziuk ask her neighbourhood association to help with the cleanup and advised her to call 311 for any major issues like falling branches, but it’s standing firm that it will not cut down the tree.
Comments