On Monday, the city adopted changes to the city’s tree protection bylaw in an effort to regulate the removal and replacement of trees in riparian and environmentally sensitive sloped areas.
According to city staff, who were first instructed to begin this process in May, the core intent of the bylaw remains unchanged.
It continues to define trees as protected when they are in riparian management areas (RMA), growing on slopes exceeding 30% or 15 meters from waterways.
Jennifer Miles, environmental coordinator, said the amendments presented on Monday aim to update terminology to align with the 2040 Official Community Plan and the recently updated zoning bylaw.
Miles explains that the first amendment will introduce a smaller minimum size to increase the number of trees considered protected.
Another text amendment includes evidence providing that a hazardous tree needs to be removed from a sensitive area. Replacement trees will also be required in the future.
Additionally, applications to remove trees in sensitive areas will only be permitted for hazardous trees.
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