…“Probably late 2020, but especially 2021, was when we noticed we’re starting to lose trees to the western hemlock looper outbreak,” he says. “We identified that this is not typical of what you would usually see.” The park board’s manager of urban forestry, Joe McLeod, is overseeing the response to the devastating infestations that have now lasted several years, a response that involves cutting thousands of dead and dying trees in the name of keeping humans safe. …For regular habitués of the park the effects can be jaw-dropping. And some have questions. …One of those alternative views comes from arborist Norm Oberson of Vancouver-based Arbutus Tree Service. Oberson feels the fire risk has been greatly exaggerated. …McLeod describes that argument as “patently false.” …McLeod says prolonged consultation could be fatal to mitigation efforts. … “If we had to get public approval for every tree that we remove in the city, we would never get 100 per cent consent.