At a committee of the whole meeting Wednesday, Oct. 28, council moved to proceed with the speedy adoption of an environmental management and protection bylaw to regulate the cutting or clear cutting of trees on development sites in Sechelt.
The bylaw applies to lots which are larger than 1.0 hectare, and protects: arbutus trees, trees that are larger than 60cm at breast height and all trees in riparian (riverbank) corridors and on slopes over 30 per cent grade. It supports the removal of trees to permit construction of a building and driveway access, and the construction of utilities, including hydro, water, sanitary sewers, storm sewers or septic fields, but stipulates that when trees are removed for the construction of new roads, houses, etc., an equivalent number of trees must be planted on the same property.
The bylaw requires development applications to include a tree protection plan. It doesn't apply to Agricultural Land Reserve lands.
Council moved to adopt the bylaw as soon as possible, have it evaluated over a six-month period - which would include consultations - and then, if necessary, recommend any necessary revisions.
Council expressed a lot of support for the bylaw, and commended director of planning Ray Parfitt for putting it together.
Coun. Keith Thirkell commented on the bylaw's "flexibility," noting that it won't apply, for example, to trees that are less than 60cm big at breast height.
"If there was a notion in the public that this was aimed at every single tree in every lot in the District, this is not the case," he said.
Coun. Fred Taylor brought some levity into the discussion by asking if staff had considering exempting alders.
"It just seems to me it's a very weedy tree," he said, rousing some chuckles in the room. "I want to raise that flag."
Coun. Thirkell, a wildlife photographer, countered that the alder is the number one nesting habitat for great blue herons, which are threatened in B.C., and also pileated woodpeckers.
Coun. Kershaw raised a concern about doing community consultations after implementing the bylaw.
The motions passed unanimously.
"I saw some hands go really high to signal how important this is," Mayor Darren Inkster said.
