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Coquitlam looks for contractor to clear more than 200 trees from Town Centre Park

By Jeremy Shepherd

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January 12, 2026

photos supplied Van der Zalm and Associates

Coquitlam is searching for a contractor to clear vegetation and chop trees to make way for 10 new Town Centre Park tennis courts.

A total of 276 trees, most in the area around Trevor Wingrove Way and Pipeline Road, should be removed, according to an arborist report prepared for the city by planning firm Van der Zalm and Associates.

Of the trees on the chopping block, 18 are dead and seven are in poor condition, according to the report.

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The report recommended the city plant 276 replacement trees either at the park or elsewhere.

“However, the final replacement-tree requirement is at the discretion of the City of Coquitlam,” the report noted.

The city should keep 172 trees in the area, the report recommended.

With canopy cover ranging from 50 to 60 percent, trees in the park are in “generally fair to good condition,” according to the report.

Most common tree species in the area include black cottonwood, red alder, and western redcedar.

Besides clearing the trees, the contractor is also tasked with removing vegetation, including invasive knotweed, and lowering the grade to match the surrounding area.

“This will prepare the site for future use, eliminate elevation inconsistencies, and improve site accessibility and drainage,” according to the city’s request for proposals.

The honey locust tree is set to be retained.

The deadline for submissions is Jan. 20.

Work is set to start by Feb. 2 and be substantially complete by the end of the month to avoid bird nesting season.

The Town Centre Recycling Depot is scheduled to close Feb. 1.

The new tennis courts are tentatively set to be open for play in 2027.

The dead cottonwood tree is set to be kept as a wildlife tree with a jagged top.

Author

Jeremy Shepherd

A chiropractor and a folk singer, after having one great kid, decided to push their luck and have one more, a boy they named Jeremy Shepherd.

Shepherd grew up around Blue Mountain Park in Coquitlam, following a basketball around and trying his best to get to the NBA (it didn’t work out, at least not yet).

With no career plans after graduating Porter Elementary school, Jeremy Shepherd pursued higher education at Como Lake Middle School and eventually, Centennial High School.

Approximately 1,000 movies and several beers later in life, Shepherd made a change.

Having done nothing worth writing, he decided to see if he could write something worth reading.

Since graduating journalism school at Langara College, Shepherd has been a reporter, editor and, reluctantly, a content provider for community newspapers around Metro Vancouver for more than 10 years.

He worked with dogged reporters, eloquently indignant curmudgeons and creative photographers, all of whom shared a little of what they knew.

Now, as he goes about the business of raising two fascinating humans alongside a wonderful partner, Shepherd is delighted to report news and tell stories in the Tri-Cities.

He runs, reads, and is intrigued by art, science, smart cities and new ideas. He is pleased to meet you.