A former New Brunswick Green Party candidate chained himself to a tree in downtown Fredericton on Wednesday morning, as it was scheduled to be torn down due to signs of Dutch elm disease.
Chris Smissaert posted a set of photos of himself chained to the tree on Queen Street just before 8 a.m. Wednesday.
In the post, Smissaert stated that he feels the tree “can be conserved and preserved to live for many more years if it were inoculated for Dutch Elm, and given a sanitation pruning.”
The City of Fredericton recently announced it would be removing four downtown elm trees because they are carrying Dutch elm disease, a fungal disease that is spread by elm bark beetles.
Smissaert said there are hundreds of other extremely diseased trees outside of the protected Garrison District that should be prioritized for removal.
“This beautiful tree must be granted a new lease on life,” Smissaert wrote.
READ MORE: City of Fredericton proceeds with removal of five trees in Officers’ Square
Smissaert is also a member of the Save the Elm Trees at Officers’ Square citizens Facebook group, which was created following the city’s decision to remove over a dozen trees as part of the upcoming replacement of the retaining wall along Pointe Sainte Anne Boulevard.
The group currently has nearly 1,500 members.