Esther Short — An orderly mob of cyclists enjoyed a guided tour of great west-side trees on the evening of June 24 during Vancouver’s annual Heritage Tree Bike Ride.
Beginning and ending in Esther Short Park, the group pedaled to visit 10 arboreal notables, including the American chestnut outside the O.O. Howard House on Officers Row, the Mayors’ Grove in Marshall Park, a California bay tree in a private yard in the Arnada neighborhood (a.k.a. “the curmudgeon tree” for a previous property owner) and a row of Norway maples marking the site of the now-defunct Arnold Map Service just west of Uptown Village.
Cyclists heard some verified history as well as some tall tales about historic local trees, and also learned about problems like tree blights and types of trees that may be beloved but really don’t do well in tight city spaces.
The tour guides were urban forestry specialist Nick Redmond and outreach coordinator Jessica Antoine.
