Sidney is moving to protect its urban forests with changes to the town’s tree preservation bylaw that were adopted on Monday.
Council voted in favour of changes to the bylaw, adding several native tree varieties to the list of protected species.
These include:
- Bigleaf Maple
- Grand Fir
- Western Redcedar
- Western Yew
- Shore Pine
- Cascara
- Seaside Juniper
The bylaw has also been updated to protect thinner and smaller trees. The minimum diameter for smaller and harder to establish protected species has been reduced from 15 centimetres in diameter to 3 centimetres in diameter.
Larger protected species are now a minimum 1.2 metres in height as opposed to 30 centimetres in diameter.
The minimum diameter of all other tree species protected under the bylaw has been reduced from 75 centimetres to 60 centimetres.
A new replacement ratio has also been introduced in the town’s bylaw. A table showing the required number of replacement trees has been posted to the Town of Sidney website.
The bylaw still allows for exceptions to these rules on the basis of a tree being structurally unsound or if the tree is protected only as part of a development permit.
Requests for these types of exceptions and to waive tree permit fees are approved or denied at the discretion of Sidney’s Director of Engineering.
