RismadarVoice Reporters
May 9, 2026
The Oakland City Council in California, United States, has ordered a Nigerian medical doctor, Matthew Bernard, and his wife to pay nearly $1 million for cutting down dozens of legally protected trees around their property on Claremont Avenue.
According to a California-based media platform, KQED, the council’s decision followed a public hearing held recently where more than 20 residents called for strict enforcement of Oakland’s tree preservation laws.
Residents argued that the dense tree canopies in the neighbourhood play a vital role in wildfire prevention, environmental protection and public health.
Reports indicated that Bernard and his partner, Lynn Warner, had earlier defended the removal of the trees, saying the action was carried out based on professional advice from an arborist.
Speaking during the hearing, Bernard stated that the trees removed from the property nearly four years ago were “dead, dying, leaning,” or in a “hazardous condition.”
However, city authorities disagreed with the explanation and imposed a fine of $915,135.40 on the couple.
In addition to the penalty, Oakland authorities placed a claim on the property, preventing the owners from selling or developing 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 loss of the trees could not easily be reversed.
“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.
