[CANUFNET] Implementing a Tree Protection Policy in Prince Edward County, Ontario - looking for Cost-benefit examples

[Jim McCready]

Good Day Jennifer
The Town of Carleton Place is not rural but with the four lane coming from Ottawa develop is going rapid in the Town. We have a Urban Forest Advisory Committee who reports to Council.
Since the Ice Storm we have worked closely with Public Works , and Planning. For public trees no tree can be removed during development. Tree Preservation Plans identifies these trees and developers must protect these trees during development.
We have removed a number of public trees due to EAB. The Town has Guidelines when a public tree is removed they are replaced 1:1. This past year we replaced 38 trees with 70mm trees of the Committee’s choosing.
I am the chair of the Urban Forest and we have other foresters,planners etc. that sit on the Committee and give recommendations to staff and Council. Sometimes you have a Brown Council and sometimes a Green Council. 
We have tried for a number of years to get an arborist on board with little success as a small town like ours usually has other priorities. What we are doing at the moment is training a staff member in Public Works who I work with on the tree issues in Town. He is interested in trees and going to write his exam for a Certified Arborist when he feels he is ready. This was the best we could do in our small Town
Give me a call if you want to discuss further.

Jim McCready R.P.F./ Certified Arborist 


Sent from my iPad

> On Dec 16, 2020, at 9:48 AM, Jennifer Gagné via CANUFNET <canufnet at list.web.net> wrote:
> 
> 
> Hi all, 
> 
> I am part of a Natural Cover Working Group in Prince Edward County, Ontario (formerly Ad Hoc Tree Policy Committee). Last year, we developed a Tree Protection Policy for all public trees and private trees on development sites. Development is increasing rapidly in Prince Edward County and many large trees are being removed on private and public land, so it is very timely that this policy gets properly implemented. 
> 
> There has been a fair amount of push back from County staff and Councillors, specifically for the cost implications, such as the cost of replacing public trees at a 1:1 ratio or having an arborist/urban forester on staff. The working group believes that these 2 items are crucial to the success of the policy, but unfortunately, the non-market values that we describe as positives for the implementation don't work for all of us. 
> 
> So my question is to those people who were involved in preparing or passing a tree protection policy - how did you communicate the importance of investing in replacement (at the very least) or getting a dedicated staff member? Did it work? Was it an incremental process?
> 
> Would love to hear from you all, especially those in more rural areas. Please note that I would like to take your specific responses to Council, so if you are uncomfortable with being named, please let me know and I will mark your response as anonymous. 
> 
> For those of you who aren't familiar - PEC is a fairly rural area, with small towns, farmland, new developments and it is also a big tourism attraction, because of its wineries and beaches. 
> 
> Thank you so much. Your input is so appreciated.
> 
> Jennifer Gagné, MFC
> I.S.A. Certified Arborist