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Letter: Tree protection bylaw needed

Owners can cut anywhere, anytime, any species, without penalty
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Tree protection bylaw needed

If Duncan firm Top Down Investments was fined $50,000 for logging without a Nanaimo city permit, just imagine what’s gone on for generations in the Cowichan Valley. Here, no tree protection bylaw exists outside the tiny City of Duncan.

Owners can cut anywhere, anytime, any species, without penalty. Foolishly, Cowichan basically has an honour system regarding our precious trees and ecosystems.

A non-existent tree bylaw is merely mentioned as a good idea in North Cowichan’s new official community plan and environmental bylaws, despite citizens demanding tree protection legislation with sharp teeth — such as Nanaimo’s.

We sincerely hope our fresh council will yank us out of such frontier thinking, and prevent the awful disregard for nature reported shown by Top Down and other firms.

Peter W. Rusland

Duncan