The landscape at the Port of Vancouver’s waterfront has been in a state of change with the vision for future development at Terminal 1. Located in the parking lot north of Warehouse ’23, the looming walnut tree that has been growing for decades was felled in late April.

An arborist examined the tree and discovered that it had Thousand Cankers Disease. Only walnut trees are susceptible to this disease which can be lethal within a few years. The port decided to remove the tree, preserving the usable wood for future uses at Terminal 1 so the beauty of the iconic tree can be enjoyed by the public in the coming decades.

The walnut tree at Terminal 1 before being felled

On April 24th, the tree was felled by Arborscape Ltd., Inc. with port crews alongside to transport and store the wood. With a foreman and two workers, Arborscape removed the limbs followed by the trunk of the tree.

The limbs were chipped up and the port will use them as mulch in planter beds. As for the remaining parts of the tree, the hope is to utilize them in various ways in the construction of the marketplace building that will be at the heart of Terminal 1.

“The arborist was able to cut the trunk into larger pieces than initially anticipated. This gives us more flexibility for what we can create,” said Assistant Project Manager Callie DeBoer.

With two dump trucks and one flatbed truck, port crews moved the cuttings into a covered storage area where they applied a sealant to the exposed ends which will preserve the logs for future use.

In early June, port crews returned to the tree’s stump and removed the remaining trunk and roots of the tree with hopes of preserving more of this historical piece of the port’s property.

These small steps move the port and the community forward to the vision of a sustainable destination waterfront at Terminal 1.