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A new treetop adventure site at Mactaquac Provincial Park will have to wait for an investigation by the Department of Environment.

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The Daily Gleaner/Ray Bourgeois

DOWNED TREES: Dawn Derbyshire shows an area at Mactaquac Provincial Park once covered in shade that’s now out in the open, with stumps visible.

TreeGo, an aerial obstacle course created by Quebec-based d'Arbre en Arbre Canada, was set to open by Labour Day weekend, but co-owner Martin Laviolette said he didn't know he needed a permit to cut trees in the area.

He said he also wasn't aware there was opposition to the project.

"I'm not even in the area yet. I'm hoping to get there (today)," he said. "I'm not sure what's going on. I just know there was a cease-order on the work our guys were doing there."

The Quebec company has been constructing TreeGo parks since 2002.

TreeGo Mactaquac is the 12th in Canada and second in New Brunswick.

It involves a series of zip lines, bungee-jumping platforms, suspended bridges, rope-netting and other obstacles high above the ground.

The aerial activities range in difficulty and are designed to appeal to all ages.

"We are concerned about the environmental impact of this aerial obstacle course and whether something like this should be located in this area of Mactaquac, or in the park at all," said Dawn Derbyshire, a member of Friends of Mactaquac, a group of citizens that help care for the provincial park.

Phil Cunningham, another member of the group, alerted authorities Wednesday that tree-cutting had begun in the park.

"I went into the park (Wednesday) morning because I found out they had started cutting before everyone was consulted that should've been," Cunningham said. "I also knew, because of the watercourse there, that they would need a permit and they didn't have one."

Laviolette, who also owns the TreeGo franchise in Moncton, said he thought TreeGo would be a welcomed addition to the provincial park.

He said he didn't intend to upset anyone or avoid going through the proper procedure.

"I didn't have to have a permit in Moncton and I didn't know I needed one for Mactaquac, since we had already been in discussions with the Department of Tourism and Parks," Laviolette said.

"I guess because it's near water and they don't want sawdust or other debris getting into the streams or river or something, but I'll get it all straightened out (today)."

Laviolette said he plans to meet with park officials and co-operate with the Department of Environment during its investigation.

Department spokesman Michael Wesson said it has begun reviewing the matter with the Department of Tourism and Parks, but he wouldn't say whether there would be consequences for cutting trees before a permit was issued.

"The Department of Tourism and Parks issued the order (to stop the work)," he said in an e-mailed statement. "The Department of Environment can offer no further comment at this time as the matter is under investigation."

Alison Aiton, spokeswoman for the Tourism and Parks Department, said the adventure park is meant to bring more people to Mactaquac.

She said the aerial course was a hit in Moncton and will add to what is already offered at the Mactaquac park.

"We're looking at this as a way to keep people in the province one more day," Aiton said.

"They can camp, golf, go swimming and then do this aerial adventure. For us, it's an exciting new tourism project for the park."

Aiton said the work on the TreeGo obstacle course will continue after the permit has been issued.

But Derbyshire said obtaining a permit isn't good enough.

She said the TreeGo group should have to consult with park officials and other interested parties to decide where the aerial park could go without a major disturbance to the environment or to the natural setting of the walking trails.

"We had been told we would be involved in the process before any tree-cutting began," Derbyshire said. "That hasn't happened and we're upset about it. Some of those trees are hundreds of years old."

Aiton said 30 trees have been cut down to allow room for zip lines and platforms. A few have been stripped of their lower branches, she said.

But Cunningham said more than 200 trees have been cut so far.

"They need to learn how to count because I go through there every day and there are more than 30 gone," Cunningham said. "I'm not trying to stir up shit or get anyone fired, but I just think there's proper ways to go about things and it hasn't happened that way. No one real knowledgeable about the park was consulted and neither was anyone who lives around the area."

Ian Smith, a Mactaquac Provincial Park officer, declined to comment on the issue.