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The Oakland City Council in the United States has ordered Nigerian medical doctor Matthew Bernard and his partner, Lynn Warner, to pay close to $1 million in penalties for cutting down dozens of protected trees around their Claremont Avenue property without official approval.
The sanction follows years of disputes between the property owners and city authorities over the removal of trees.
According to California-based outlet KQED, city officials visited the hillside property on five separate occasions between February 2, 2021, and May 17, 2022, following complaints of unlawful tree removal.
More than 20 residents attended a public hearing on Tuesday, where they urged authorities to strictly uphold Oakland’s tree preservation regulations, KQED reported.
Residents argued that the area’s dense tree cover plays a key role in reducing wildfire risks, supporting public health, and promoting environmental balance.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Bernard defended the decision, telling council members that the trees cut down nearly four years ago were “dead, dying, leaning,” or in “hazardous condition.”
The Nigerian-born doctor also sought approval from the city to allow replanting after future construction work on the undeveloped property, but the request was rejected.
City authorities imposed a fine of $915,135.40 on Bernard and Warner and placed a lien on the property, preventing any sale or development of the land until the penalty is fully settled.
Community tree specialist Erys Gagnez explained the basis for the punishment.
“Trees of that size are not commercially available for replacement. Even with replanting, it will take decades, even centuries, to restore the ecological and protective functions that were lost. The scale of the fine reflects this reality,” Gagnez said.
Earlier reports indicated that Bernard and Warner had claimed the trees were removed based on professional advice from an arborist.
