Editorials
June 13, 2007 08:08 PM
ISSUE: Vaughan shows leadership in move to preserve trees – other York Region municipalities need to get on board
York Region’s only city has shown a great deal of leadership this week by giving the nod to a bylaw that will help preserve a good many trees in Vaughan.
It will prohibit the destruction of any single tree with a diameter of 20 centimetres or eight inches or larger and provide for a public education campaign on the benefits of tree preservation.
Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti and his council should also be commended for putting the preservation of that town’s trees on the public agenda tonight.
Richmond Hill and Aurora already have in place rules that protect their urban trees, but Aurora’s comes up short by only requiring property owners apply for a permit when they want to cut down five or more trees a year.
And a regional bylaw deals only with clumps of trees of a particular size, known as woodlots.
For the others, it is time to jump on board the tree-preservation bandwagon and get tough on tree cutters.
Just recently, the destruction of more than a dozen 100-year-old trees in the Village of Kleinburg sparked a massive protest by residents.
Over two days, protesters and politicians alike staked out the property across the street from the McMichael Canadian Art Collection gallery, widely regarded as the gateway to the village.
A condominium development is expected to be built there.
Summer energy consumption, for example, can be reduced by 20 per cent when you have a few strategically placed trees to shade your home.
Trees have a profound impact on people. They make us feel peaceful and serene while we observe their beauty.
The strong bond between people and trees can most readily be seen by the efforts of some individuals and community groups to save old or historic trees in their community.
Newmarket council — widely known for its environmental initiatives — and its local heritage group last month chipped in money to get an historic white oak the tender loving care it desperately needed.
In a similar fashion, 75 acres of woodlands on the brink of being swallowed up by development, Thornhill’s historic Baker sugarbush, was preserved when the city, province, region and conservation authority joined forces to purchase them in 1999.
The Baker family had produced maple sugar there from 1820 until 1999.
But quite apart from the esthetic or conservation values some people place on trees, there are many local benefits.
Trees help improve air quality by reducing the production of ozone and reduce air temperature through shading.
REMOVE POLLUTANTS
They also help remove chemical ground and water pollutants such as pesticides by breaking them down into harmless compounds.
Particularly in urban areas such as Vaughan and Markham, mature trees can act as natural noise barriers and increase your property’s value.
They can also help save you money.
It is estimated summer energy consumption, for example, can be reduced by 20 per cent when you have a few strategically placed trees to shade your home.
And, because trees also block the wind, your heating bills can be 30-per-cent less during our long, cold winters.
Yes, trees are good.
But perhaps Vaughan Councillor Peter Meffe said it best: “The intent of the bylaw is not to prevent people from putting additions to their home, nor is it to discourage development. It’s meant to protect these assets to our community. They are the lungs of our community.”
As we continue to ride the boom of growth and development, it has never been more important to protect these living memorials in our communities.
While the century-old trees in Kleinburg couldn’t be saved, we hope Vaughan’s new bylaw, and others like it, will help to establish trees for what they are — major capital assets, no different than our public buildings or the sidewalks we stroll with our family and friends.