OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL FINES NIGERIAN DOCTOR $915,000 OVER TREE REMOVAL
Read Time:1 Minute, 16 Second
By Aishat Momoh. O.
The City Council in Oakland has ordered a Nigerian medical doctor, Matthew Bernard, and his wife to pay nearly $1 million in penalties for unlawfully removing 38 protected trees from their Claremont Avenue property.
Local media outlet KQED reported that more than 20 residents attended a public hearing where they urged strict enforcement of the city’s tree protection laws, citing concerns about wildfire prevention, public health, and environmental equity.
The trees were reportedly cut down on and around the couple’s property, an action the city says violated local environmental protection regulations.
During the council hearing, Bernard defended the removal, insisting the trees had been assessed as “dead, dying, leaning” or in hazardous condition, and were taken down on the advice of an arborist.
However, city authorities rejected that explanation and imposed a fine of $915,135.40 on Bernard and his wife, Lynn Warner.
The council also placed a legal claim on the property, effectively restricting any development or sale until the penalty is fully paid.
At the hearing, community tree specialist Erys Gagnez defended the severity of the fine, stressing the long-term ecological impact of removing mature protected trees.
“Trees of that size are not commercially available for replacement,” Gagnez said. “Even with replanting, it will take decades, even centuries, to restore the ecological and protective functions that were lost.”
The case has drawn significant attention in the local community, where residents argue that mature urban trees play a critical role in environmental protection and climate resilience.
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