It’s survived seven decades, suburban sprawl and encroaching condominiums, but it may not survive the Scarborough subway.

A section of historic woodlot near the Scarborough Civic Centre may need to be cut down to make way for the transit project, according to TTC staff who have identified the parkland as a potential location for the subway’s tunnel mobilization site.

The idea of leveling the stand of old trees is not going down well with nearby residents or the local councillor, who consider the Frank Faubert Woodlot a key community asset.

“I think it’s really unforgivable to even consider going through there,” said Iain McLeod, president of the Glen Andrew Community Association.

McLeod was also the president of the association in the late 1980s, when community pushback prevented the grove from being flattened by a condo developer. He recalls that at the time, “the one thing the community insisted on was: Don’t touch the wood lot.”

A remnant of Scarborough’s agricultural past, the five-hectare forest at the northwest corner of Ellesmere Rd. and McCowan Rd. dates back to at least the 1940s, when the surrounding lands were still farmers’ fields. A 2012 master plan for public space in the area described the woodlot, named for Scarborough’s last pre-amalgamation mayor, as “a unique and important ecological resource” that should be “protected, expanded, (and) properly enhanced.”

But building the subway would require the TTC to clear two tunnel mobilization sites of about one hectare each, which the agency would use to launch and maintain tunnel-boring machines, store concrete tunnel segments, and house trailers, excavated soil and equipment.

One mobilization site would be at the Scarborough Centre Station, the other in the vicinity of McCowan and Ellesmere.

The TTC has proposed five potential sites at the intersection, two of which would damage the forest. But the other three would require relocating 13 businesses and 10 single-family dwellings. That means that unless an alternative is found, political leaders could be forced to choose between destroying the parkland and displacing people.

Neither option is acceptable to Councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker (Ward 38, Scarborough Centre). He argues the woodlot could be spared without having to expropriate any homes, if the mobilization site were moved north to the Scarborough Town Centre parking lot. TTC staff didn’t list that as an option, however, and if it’s not possible De Baeremaeker would prefer to locate the tunnel site at the south side of Ellesmere, where it would only displace commercial properties.

“The ugliest options are kicking people out of their homes and cutting down this spectacular woodlot. So I think those options are going to get dropped pretty fast,” said De Baeremaeker, who campaigned to save the parkland more than 20 years ago and is a vocal proponent of the subway.

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“The woodlot will not be cut down,” he added. “It’s really an insult to all of us that the staff put it out there as an option.”

Rick Thompson, the TTC’s chief project manager for the Scarborough subway, said the commission understands that using the parkland is “a sensitive topic,” but it’s just one option being considered.

“The intent is to evaluate it along with the others, develop the pros and cons, and see which comes out as having perhaps the most palatable impact,” he said.