Illegal Removal of Trees in Surrey BC on Rise

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See the lot in the centre of the larger map view from Google? Notice that there are no trees left on that property.

In 2008, a developer in Surrey, BC removed all the trees on that empty lot next to St Mary's Coptic Orthodox Church near the Southern BC Rail tracks on 104 Avenue.

What's the problem with that? The city of Surrey has a tree-protection bylaw that states all property being developed must protect trees from harm during development. Under this bylaw, developers also have to pay for a tree permit before cutting down trees.

Instead of complying by the bylaw, the developer went ahead and cut down the trees. After seeing this infraction, neighbours in surrounding properties complained to city council,

Once the city assessed the damage, it contacted the developer to issue a fine.
Rather than pay the fine for the downed trees, he tried to bribe a city clerk.

Since then, illegal removal of trees has gone up this year, with 58 removed by August 2012 compared
to 38 removed in 2010, and 31 in 2011.

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Reference:

Surrey Leader: $175,000 penalty for Surrey tree cut:
http://www.surreyleader.com/news/172567511.html