Orillia puts onus on developers to replace trees

ORILLIA-

Developers will be forced to think twice before chopping down a tree on city-owned boulevards.

Orillia politicians have amended the citys tree conservation guidelines, putting the cost of replacing trees on the developer.

Its not intended to be a roadblock or red tape for developers, it just causes somebody to stop and say, OK, do we really need to remove that mature tree? Coun. Tony Madden said Tuesday.

In February, Madden brought an inquiry motion to council after hearing concerns from a Ward 4 constituent. A development in his area caused the removal of a mature maple, Madden said.

If development is going to require the removal of trees on the boulevard the developer, really, they should be responsible for replacing those trees, Madden said.

I feel that our urban forest is something that is highly valued by a lot of people in the city. Id like to see it preserved, he said, adding, It takes 70 years to grow a mature maple and four hours to cut it down.

The changes require developers to provide a tree-removal proposal prepared by a certified landscape architect or arborist for the removal of any tree on a city road allowance that has a diameter at breast height (DBH) caliper greater than six inches. The DBH is 4.5 feet off the ground. The proposal must include an inventory of all proposed trees to be removed including a description of the species, size, health and location of each tree a justification for the removal of the trees and a tree-replacement plan that identifies species, size and location.

All replacement trees must have a DBH of two inches. The cost of removal will be the responsibility of the developer and the developer must provide a monetary contribution for all trees with a DBH greater than six inches.

If we determine that the tree really is at the end of its useful lifespan and would need to be removed anyways, the developer would be responsible for the removal costs associated with it, said Jeff Duggan, a senior planner in the citys development services department. If its a desirable tree that we would like to keep and its healthy but there is simply no alternative, we would be looking at additional replacement costs.

Read more:
Orillia puts onus on developers to replace trees