Toronto proposes new rules to protect trees

Sep 19

Toronto Councillor Dianne Saxe says she recently helped streamline the process to save an infected, dying Beech Tree at Chorley Park, thanking a Ward 11 resident and the City for coming together for the good of the neighbourhood. Photo courtesy: Dianne Saxe via X

By Abdul Matin Sarfraz

Toronto wants to protect hundreds of thousands of trees with tougher proposed bylaws, in a bid to expand the city’s critical green infrastructure and enhance its climate resilience.

Under the current bylaw, removing or injuring a private tree 30 centimetres in diameter requires a city permit. The city is considering proposed bylaw changes that lower that threshold to 20 centimetres. The change would bring about 373,000 more trees under protection, and help the city establish a 40 per cent tree canopy by 2050, said Nicholas Trevisan, manager of tree protection strategic projects at the City of Toronto

The proposed changes also give builders more design flexibility — for example, moving a house closer to the street — if it saves a mature backyard tree.

A new “distinctive tree” category would require community approval to remove trees 61 centimetres or larger. The city is also exploring incentives to help property owners maintain large healthy trees.

In recent years, the city has seen more extreme heat, flooding, power outages and worsening air pollution from wildfire smoke driven by climate change.

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Peter Allan

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