The Oakland City Council in the United States has ordered Nigerian medical doctor Matthew Bernard and his wife to pay nearly $1 million in fines for cutting down 38 legally protected trees around their Claremont Avenue property.
The decision followed a public hearing where residents urged city authorities to strictly enforce Oakland’s tree protection laws, stressing the environmental importance of the trees.
Residents argued that the tree canopies played a vital role in wildfire prevention, environmental protection, public health, and climate balance in the area.
According to reports, Bernard and his wife, Lynn Warner, had earlier defended the tree removal, claiming the trees were cut down based on professional advice from an arborist.
Speaking during the hearing, Bernard stated that the trees removed from the property were either dead, dying, leaning dangerously, or considered hazardous.
However, city officials rejected the explanation and imposed a total fine of $915,135.40 on the couple.
Authorities also placed a legal claim on the property, preventing any sale or development of the land until the fine is fully paid.
Defending the council’s decision, community tree specialist Erys Gagnez said the environmental damage caused by the removal of the trees could not easily be reversed.
According to Gagnez, trees of that size and ecological value are not commercially available for replacement and restoring their environmental benefits could take decades or even centuries.
The case has generated widespread attention within the community, with many residents supporting the council’s action as a strong warning against illegal destruction of protected trees.
