If you have concerns about tree canopy in Collingwood, the town is going to want to hear from you.
To address a lack of a tree canopy protection plan, the Town of Collingwood will soon be putting a call out for suggestions from the public to inform a new and improved path forward to protect Collingwood’s trees. During the April 3 strategic initiatives standing committee meeting, councillors received an update on progress on the tree canopy preservation project from consultants SGL Planning and Design Inc.
Consultants Catherine Jay and Tim Cane spoke during last week’s committee meeting about the work they’re planning to complete between now and the fall of 2023, which will include making recommendations to update the town’s urban design manual/development engineering standards, drafting an updated private property tree bylaw as well as a site alteration bylaw and setting up a tree monitoring and inventory system.
Public consultation will be a major part of their work to inform the new bylaws and policies.
During the April 3 meeting, Coun. Christopher Baines said it will be helpful for council and the town to have these bylaws and policies in place as tools council could use to negotiate with developers.
“You've got a challenge ahead of you in the sense that you're in the mushy middle in regards to developers,” said Baines. “Assuming you or [an arborist] identifies specific trees that they would like to preserve, that becomes a bargaining chip with the developer to say a council really wants to save these specific trees. You'll have to give us the tools to be able to bargain in that sense. That would be a wonderful thing.”
Back in August of last year, council voted in favour of spending up to $100,000 to retain a consultant to inform the next council on how Collingwood can better protect tree canopy.
The move came on the heels of council at that time being informed that of the 41 recommendations in the town's urban forest management plan, only the review of the Official Plan to develop new policies that support the urban forest was underway.
Staff at that time said the delay in accomplishing the other recommendations in the plan was “a result of resource constraints and other pressing priorities (e.g., COVID-19 response and recovery),” according to the August report.
The new draft Official Plan, which was first presented to council in July, suggests the town should achieve a minimum of 30 per cent tree canopy cover by 2041.
The Urban Forest Management Plan, completed in February 2020, calculated the 2018 existing tree canopy coverage in Collingwood at 31.7 per cent.
“I’m so happy to see this project begin to go forward,” said Coun. Deb Doherty last Monday. “As part of this, will we be looking at a private tree bylaw that might apply to individual residential properties where we seem to be losing a lot of trees?”
Jay said a review of the existing tree bylaws will be part of the work.
Coun. Steve Perry asked about the preservation of existing trees when a developer wants to clear-cut.
“I do find it very frustrating when a new development goes in and it's basically clear-cut for trees,” he said. “Is it something worth looking at to possibly be able to keep the 31.7 per cent of the trees on that lot?”
Jay said those questions would be addressed through a new site alteration bylaw.
“In my experience, what that process should do is look at tree preservation upfront and ensure there's already an approval in place,” she said. “What you're talking about is always a grey area... and that's where the site alteration process can really come into play to help before the trees are cut down.”
“I do find it frustrating that there could be significantly mature trees that are taken down and replaced with basically little spindles that probably, in my lifetime, will not mature,” said Perry.
Baines noted there have been areas clear-cut just in the past few weeks that council has heard from residents about.
“It's been dramatic and traumatic for many citizens to drive by and see that. I hear questions, as I’m sure other councillors do, so Godspeed in your work,” he said.
The town will be creating an Engage Collingwood page for the plan and will be asking residents to submit their feedback on what they’d like to see in the updated plans in the coming months. They will also be running public consultation sessions, with the goal to have council approve final documents and new policies by the fall of 2023.
“You're going to find we have a very engaged community,” said Mayor Yvonne Hamlin.
