Pierre Cyr
Fort-Coulonge Feb. 27, 2023
Some residents of Fort-Coulonge were surprised to see that five healthy historical white pines were cut down on Jan. 26 and 27. The five pines were located just in front of the Bagg House (224 Chemin du Pont Rouge) along what is known as “Allée des Manoirs’’. The removal of trees was controversial for some, as the pines were approximately between 200 and 300 years old. White pines are considered historically significant in the Pontiac due to
their association with the forestry industry.
Representatives of the Municipality of Fort-Coulonge say they awarded the contract to cut them down in order to protect the sewer system that runs under the street in front of where the trees stood.
Neither the owners of the Bagg House nor the broader public was consulted about the decision.
THE EQUITY met with Fort-Coulonge officials to discuss the decision. The Mayor of Fort-Coulonge, Christine Francoeur, stated that she and her team were sad to have taken the decision but they didn’t have a choice.
Francoeur and municipal employees explained that in 2016, an evaluation of the municipal water and sewer infrastructure revealed a problem with root encroachment in the 35-meter-long section of sewer located just in front of the five centuries-old white pines.
In 2022, the problems became more serious, restricting the capacity of the sewage pumping station located just east of the trees.
The water utility management company Veolia inspected the pipe with the help of cameras and proceeded with a partial and temporary cleaning of it early last fall.
Following discussions with the firm and a feasibility analysis of the work, the decision to clear the trees was made in a unanimous vote by the Fort-Coulonge Council at the October 5, 2021 public meeting. A $12,000 contract for the removal of the trees and stumps was awarded to an entrepreneur.
Officials say that after analyzing the situation, the cost of redoing the section of sewer involved would have been close to $1 million. Another issue related to the inability to provide an emergency bypass for fire and ambulance services was also considered as these vehicles cannot travel on the old Félix-Gabriel-Marchand bridge in Mansfield.
Director General of Fort-Coulonge, Naomie Rivet, indicated that she felt the administration has done everything by the book.
The Municipality of Fort-Coulonge does not have any specific by-law in place to regulate the cutting of trees on its territory.
The item ‘’Pruning’’ appeared on the agenda of the October 5, 2022 council meeting at 7 p.m. This agenda was published on the website and Facebook earlier the same day. The minutes of this meeting, which were not available on the town’s website, make no mention of the location of the pruning operation, the reasons behind the decision or the historical significance of the trees.
The population was informally made aware of the cutting of the heritage pines during an interview with Francoeur on CHIP-FM on October 19.
Some residents of Fort-Coulonge and Mansfield-et-Pontefract, who are normally up to date with local issues, told THE EQUITY they weren’t aware of the decision and felt the council should have been more proactive in communicating their intentions.
Francoeur said she hadn’t considered using the lumber from the trees in some kind of art installation, which in hindsight would have been a positive way to recognize the heritage the trees represent.
In a historical irony, Dr. Haddon Bagg, who had his medical practice at the Bagg House, was a fervent defender of heritage, according to Benoit Paré’s book: Fort-Coulonge: Pour mieux connaître son histoire. In 1964, Bagg was the main opponent to the destruction of the Félix-Gabriel Marchand Bridge that the town of Mansfield-et-Pontefract wanted to undertake. Today that bridge is a Pontiac landmark.
