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<\/p>\nToronto is giving some of its biggest trees more protection \u2014 and making it harder for unauthorized removals to go unnoticed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Several updates to the city’s tree bylaws take effect Sept. 1, and will mostly affect property owners who want to take out or build near trees.<\/p>\n
“To ensure that we reach our target of increasing our tree canopy to 40 per cent by 2050 \u2026 the bylaws are a critical piece,” said Kim Statham, Toronto’s director of urban forestry.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Right now, a permit is required to cut down or build near a private tree measuring 30 centimetres or more in diameter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of the biggest updates, Statham said, is a new “distinctive tree” category for trees measuring 61 centimetres in diameter and above.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She said those larger trees will get extra consideration, and city staff will have more power to refuse removal applications.<\/p>\n
“The bigger the tree, the more environmental benefits,” Statham said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Janet McKay, executive director of the Toronto forest protection group, LEAF, said the added protection for larger trees is one of the changes she welcomes most.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Even though a [mature] tree is rooted in private property, the benefits accrue to the community as a whole,” McKay said, explaining that large trees provide shade, cleaner air, stormwater control and wildlife habitats.<\/p>\n
Stronger protections, tougher enforcement<\/p>\n
Right now, if you cut down a protected tree without a permit, consequences can include fines, ranging between $500 and $100,000, and having to pay for the cost of replanting five trees for every one that’s gone \u2014 nearly $600 per tree.<\/p>\n
Starting Sept. 1, the number of replacement trees required will depend on the size of the tree removed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even after the tree is gone, the stump could now tell a story for city staff who are investigating. According to the updated bylaw, staff will now be able to measure the size of stumps and use it as evidence a protected tree was removed without permission.<\/p>\n
The city will also introduce permit fees for the first time for the 30,000 households in Toronto’s ravine-protected areas, which will range between $87 and $632, depending on the application.<\/p>\n
Outside of the enforcement arena, there’s also a new pilot program to incentivize tree care.\u00a0<\/p>\n
McKay said the city is also looking at a pilot program to help private property owners care for very large trees, including those in the new “distinctive tree”\u00a0 category.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Under the new rules, city staff will be able to measure a remaining stump and use it as evidence that a protected tree was removed without permission. (CBC)<\/p>\n
More protection could take root<\/p>\n
Statham said the Sept. 1 changes are only one branch of a broader bylaw overhaul, with permit improvements and the incorporation of Indigenous knowledge among changes being considered for 2027.<\/p>\n
Staff are also considering lowering the protected-tree threshold from 30 centimetres in diameter to 20 centimetres \u2014 meaning smaller, younger trees would also require permits to remove.\u00a0<\/p>\n
McKay said the lower threshold could help protect the next generation of Toronto’s canopy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Protecting that younger population that’s growing up and will hopefully replace those mature trees when they do die is so important,” McKay said.<\/p>\n
Can the city keep up?<\/p>\n
Urban planner Blair Scorgie said he supports stronger tree protections, but worries about whether the city has the staff and processes in place to handle them efficiently.<\/p>\n
“My concern is primarily around implementation,” said Scorgie, managing principal of Scorgie Planning.<\/p>\n
He said a lower 20-centimeter threshold for protection could bring thousands more applications into an already complicated system, increasing the risk of delays and uncertainty for builders.<\/p>\n
Scorgie’s hope is for a more coordinated, navigable permitting system that gives developers the answers they need and “allow[s] buildings to be relocated or redesigned to preserve important trees.”<\/p>\n
Statham said more flexibility for builders is also something staff are looking into for possible inclusion in its next round of tree bylaw updates.<\/p>\n
“Tree protection and development are not competing interests,” she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Toronto is giving some of its biggest trees more protection \u2014 and making it harder for unauthorized removals…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":180312,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[57170,7797,57168,57169,48,28118,57171],"class_list":["post-180311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-toronto","tag-centimetres","tag-city-staff","tag-kim-statham","tag-private-tree","tag-toronto","tag-tree-canopy","tag-tree-care"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=180311"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180311\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/180312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=180311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=180311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=180311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}