Arbutus falls to development in Langford

On the corner of Jacklin Road and Dunford Avenue in Langford, stood an unusually tall arbutus. It may have been two trees that grew together 80 to 100 years ago, a tree expert guessed. At an estimated 20 metres, it was taller than a standard arbutus that usually live on seaside rocks with shallow soil.

This one was thriving, but was in the way of two towers that will soon dominate the neighbourhood.

Dunford Towers, being developed by Jagpal Development, was one of the last and largest developments approved by the former mayor and council, with 352 residential units, 1,100 sq. ft. of commercial space, and a multi-level parkade with rooftop amenity space.

A petition to save the tree had more than 1,700 signatures, but clearly that wasn't enough. People asked the city and the developer to build around the tree and use it as a feature. Jagpal confirmed to The Westshore that Langford staff specifically asked it to try to keep the tree. The developer said it would evaluate the tree, but made no promises to keep it.

On Feb. 8, a crew of three fallers chopped it down and chipped it, one branch at a time.

There is no legal protection for arbutus trees in BC, even though many consider it to be an at risk species. Arbutus trees on their own are a yellow-listed species, meaning they are ”apparently secure and not at risk of extinction.” But the three “ecological communities” arbutus trees are part of are red-listed—endangered, extirpated, or threatened.

See what else is changing in Langford in our interactive development map.