How much is a 300-year-old red oak, perhaps the city’s oldest and largest tree, worth?That’s the question realtor Waleed Khaled Elsayed is asking on behalf of his client, on whose property the massive tree stands.About 24 metres tall and with a circumference of about five metres, the oak frames the bungalow with its expansive branches — nine to 12 metres in each direction — and cups the foundation with its roots.Those roots, Elsayed says, are the problem. The gnarled invaders have snaked under the foundation of the North York home and curl up against it, threatening the structural integrity of the house and representing about $60,000 to $80,000 in “lost opportunity” for the homeowner, Elsayed said.He plans to put that price, plus the current value of the property (about $750,000, he estimates) to the city, which a few years ago expressed interest in purchasing it to preserve the oak. If the city isn’t interested, Elsayed said, the homeowner will chop the tree down.“My feeling is nobody wants to save it,” he said. “And why should the seller suffer? They’re the one paying the bill.” The potential felling of the tree is disturbing news to some neighbours. Edith George, 65, lives just around the corner from where the old oak holds court, towering over Coral Gable Dr., near Sheppard Ave. W. and Weston Rd. She has been fighting to preserve the tree for the past 12 years, and became emotional when she heard there were plans to cut it down. “It has survived the toxins in the air, water and soil. It gives us hope for a planet that’s dying and it has truly earned the right to live,” George said.The oak is protected under the city’s municipal code, which requires homeowners to get approval from council before chopping a tree down. It’s also designated as a heritage tree, said city spokesperson Jaclyn Carlisle.“City staff would not support a request for removal and wo ...
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