Tree Protection

Council recognizes that trees have a lot of value including the economic, social, and environmental benefits of trees, the increased aesthetic and property values that trees provide, the shade canopy created by trees, the contribution of trees to human physical and psychological well-being, the improvement of air quality by trees, the maintenance and enhancement by trees of water quality, and their prevention of soil erosion and water run-off, their maintenance of wildlife habitat, and the moderation of local climate by trees.

Since 2005 the Town of Penetanguishene has administered a tree cutting by-law that regulates the removal of trees from private property. The by-law identified under which conditions an application for permission to remove trees from properties is required; however, provides little guidance to staff to manage, approve and enforce the rules contained within the by-law. The County of Simcoe also has a by-law; however, their by-law enforces tree protection for much larger properties than the Town's current or proposed by-law.

An initial report by the consulting firm WSP is a benchmarking study ( see "Background Reports and Documents") that identified gaps in the Town’s existing by-laws and policies, conducted a best practice review based on experience in the industry, and made recommendations on the next steps. It identified that the existing by-law and policies do not effectively guide tree management.

A draft Tree Protection By-law and Tree Management and Tree Planting Guidelines ( see "Background Reports and Documents") has been prepared for consideration in which several important new regulations have been proposed.

Draft versions of the by-law were prepared (see "Draft By-laws"). Public consultation was conducted to receive feedback on each of the drafts (see "Public Consultation Results").