CENTRE WELLINGTON – Township of Centre Wellington staff are proposing to draft a bylaw that strengthens protections for trees on public property.
A report to Monday’s committee of the whole meeting seeks direction to create a trees on public property bylaw to present at a future council meeting.
The report says the purpose is to enhance the urban tree canopy through stronger protection measures including compensation for unlawful injury or removal of township trees.
“Trees are widely recognized in Ontario for the myriad of benefits that they provide from health and wellness, to ecosystem services and green infrastructure,” the report reads, adding its an integral part of the township’s image as a tourism destination.
“Yet regardless of their apparent value, tree protection in Centre Wellington is largely unregulated and therefore trees are currently at risk.”
Included in the report are examples of incidents that negatively impacted trees.
In 2018, township staff were alerted to a possible insect infested tree on York Road which upon inspection was found to be in good condition and the insects posed no risk.
“However, the homeowner chose to remove the tree without obtaining permission or negotiating compensation,” the report reads. “The work was done without insurance, putting both the private property owner and the township at risk and unnecessarily damaging the urban canopy.”
The same year, two apple trees were also removed from the Trestle Bridge trail by a resident adjacent to the trail because “they did not like their appearance.”
The bylaw will identify activities deemed to be injurious to trees and prohibited, regulated or subject to enforcement.
An application and permit process would be created alongside the bylaw with the fee yet to be determined.
