Loyalist Township has enacted a new by-law that looks to protect and enhance its tree canopy and natural vegetation. Council passed the motion at their Sept. 25 meeting.

The new by-law will help put into place a new policy for residents and township staff when dealing with trees and other vegetation in the area. The Municipal Act states that municipalities in Ontario must adopt and maintain such policies.

Under the new policy, private land owners will be encouraged to reforest idle lands. These areas often provide important habitat for species that could be lost through reforestation. Development Services Manager Andrea Furniss noted how the policy takes into account the resources available to help encourage land owners.

"The intent of the policy was working with higher level of government, particularly the ministry of natural resources, and I believe the conservation authority has a number of tree programs, and so on, that land owners can invest in trees, and they have to maintain them for a certain amount of years on their properties," said Furniss

Furniss explained why the tree by-law exists in Loyalist Township.

"There are some exemptions in the tree by-law in regard to farming, so there's exemptions here and there, but we don't have to grant a tree permit. There has to be a reason, and that's why the tree by-law was initially put in place, because there was some clear-cutting occurring in the township, and it was a mechanism to stop it from happening," said Furniss.

Council reviewed a draft of the by-law in 2019 and staff followed up with public consultation. The adoption of the by-law was then placed on hold while the township completed its official plan policy, and consulted on other existing policies.

Once updated in accordance with the township's official plan policy, the by-law was also further revised to update and help streamline both the rural tree planting policy, and replacement of trees in boulevards policy. Staff noted these two policies were outdated, and combined them into one policy for ease of reference. More public consultation took place this summer in the final weeks of August and applicable comments were included in forming the final proposed by-law.

The by-law takes into account that council annually budgets funds for tree planting. Staff noted tree planting will be included in the upcoming 2024 municipal budget process.

Director of Economic Growth and Community Development Services Marie-Josee Merritt spoke about steps the township is looking at to encourage a healthy tree canopy

"Something else we're looking at out of the climate action plan is at some point maybe having a partnership with conservation authorities for tree planting as well." said Merritt.

The by-law and associated policies will be posted on the Township's website, and shared to their social media accounts. All members of the public who submitted comments and questions were  provided with a copy of staff's report.

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