Purpose
To form and maintain a group of neighbours who respect the ecology of the forest on the northern side of Capitol Hill. As stewards of this forest area, this group has formed a Society, and will work in cooperation with the City of Burnaby and other entities in the wise management and preservation of that forest. The purposes of this Society are:
- recognize that the forest and the individual trees provide a healthy and enjoyable resource for the neighbourhood and visitors,
- to protect a valuable space which can be conserved and sustained through thoughtful environmental restoration.
Background
The once abundant and flourishing forest on the NW side of Capitol Hill in North Burnaby has been disturbed many times in the past 150 years. Logging, roads, houses, refineries, electric power lines and petroleum pipelines have all had their effects. Those disturbances have enabled people – including members of this Society – to build and live on the hill. We are focused on a forested area of about 176 hectares, bounded on the north by the Trans Canada Trail. We acknowledge that there are important trees beyond this rough boundary, on other parts of Capitol Hill, and those are not less valued. We hope our focus on this area will inspire others to focus on trees and ecology in their surroundings.
The trees and forest on Capitol Hill, and our homes and buildings, are on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh. The northern side of Capitol Hill is defined as a Conservation Area by the City of Burnaby and is is currently protected under the City’s Tree Bylaw. Our Society’s goal is to focus on additional care and preservation in light of the increasingly higher summer temperatures, variable and uncertain rainfall, and Burnaby’s need for canopy-shade and cool.
Capitol Hill Tree Keepers 