Tourist In Your Town: Burnaby, B.C.'s Central Park

Tourist in Your TownisOn The Coast'ssummer series. Producer Lisa Christiansen visits communities in the Lower Mainland to explore hidden gems you'll want to check out for a summer visit.

Visual artist Gord Iversen moved to Burnaby, B.C., when he was five years old and ever since the city'sCentral Park has been his playground.

"To me, it wasa sanctuary," said Iversen. "It's a gentle peace I get in these woods here."

The park,nestled between Boundary Road and Patterson Avenue,is home to a large rain forest conservation area.

Construction is currently underway on a multi-use trail along the east side of the park which is intended tocreate easy access from the park's Swangard Stadium in the north, down to the pitch and putt golf course along Imperial Street.

Iversentook CBC on a tour of some of thepark's best attractions, starting with itstall forest.

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Spectacularly high trees

Iversen said Central Park'strees are all second growth. He said the park was established in 1891,a year before Burnaby was incorporated as a city.

Shortly after the its inception, Iversen saidthe parkwas taken over by the royal naval reserves, because the military wanted to use the tall trees as masts forsailing ships.

"There's lots of Douglas fir, cedar, hemlock ... And they're all very straight," said Iversen. "You'll notice not a lot trees are bending over because there's no wind. The wind can't get in here."

Of special interest isa large stump Iversen pointed out. The stump is a remnant of the forest's original old growth. A deep gash is visible on its side,evidence of the spring boardlogging method used in the 19th century.

"The loggers back then ... they put a piece of wood in there and stand on it to actually buck the saw back and forth."

'A very special light'

As a visual artist and photographer, Iversenusesthe parkas both a subject and an inspiration.

"It's got a special light to it," said Iversen. "Because it's surrounded on all sides by urban development, a lot of light is able to come in from the sides."

Central Park is very compact when compared to other municipalities' green spaces. Iversensaidit's just under a square kilometre.

"That's comparable to about a fifth of the size of Stanley Parkand about a quarter of the actual Central Park in New York City," said Iversen.

He said the park isactually named after New York's famous Central Park.

Vancouver's second mayor, David Oppenheimer, was married to a woman from New York and wanted to present Burnaby's Central Park to her as a gift.

In fact, Iversensaid, a tour of Central Park is an excellent idea for a summer date.

Starting at the pitch and putt in the park's south, he suggestedhavinga picnic at the nearby pond and then heading north to the elevated portion to watch the sunset.

With files from CBC's On The CoastandLisaChristiansen