Tree protection bylaw needed in North Cowichop
Dear North Cowichan mayor and council:
Death by a thousand cuts.
That’s how our urban tree canopy is being lost while council stalls passing a strict tree-protection bylaw.
Such logical legislation is cited in our green-leaning official community plan, wise environmental bylaws — and meshes with our cogent climate-action plan.
Yet healthy trees continue falling on public and private land in what some now call ‘North Cowichop’.
Recent victims were trees at 5803 and 5801 Banks Rd.
At 5803 Banks, owners tragically yet legally further denuded our neighbourhood by falling a dozen trees allegedly deemed dangerous by the firm’s arborist.
B.C. Hydro also cut a row of firs on private property at 5801 Banks. Those trees were judged to interfere with power lines.
Residents should know Hydro staff has B.C. Utilities Commission permission to enter private property and fall trees of concern, with little or no notice.
Caring residents are rightly disgusted at our sudden loss of tree cover, especially given rising temperatures due to climate change — which council acknowledges.
Given a solid tree-protection bylaw, owners could arguably have needed a municipal permit, plus a public arborist’s nod, to chop.
A respectful bylaw could have mandated owners to notify Banks residents of reasons for blunt changes to our community.
Such tree clearing continues across North Cowichan until council drags our municipality into the eco-civilized world by passing a long-overdue, tree bylaw featuring hefty fines.
Some suggest $10,000 fines per tree removed without a permit.
But given council’s seeming nonchalance about municipal-forest timber poaching, our urgent tree-protection bylaw sadly remains a pipe dream.
Yours in urban ecology,
Peter W. Rusland
North Cowichan