News Release
Councillor Calls for Urban Forest Master Plan
(Monday, August 27/2001)--Halifax Regional Municipality needs an overall Urban Forest Master Plan if it is to remain worthy of its designation as a " City of Trees", District 17 Councillor Linda Mosher said today.
Councillor Mosher (Purcell's Cove-Armdale) is seeking Regional Council support for $150,000 in funding for such a Master Plan, including an inventory assessment of existing trees and wooded areas.
The Councillor said there have been a number of cases recently (e.g area adjacent to Hemlock Ravine) which involved clear-cutting of land, which have upset many residents from all parts of the municipality. Unfortunately, the municipality does not have the legal authority to regulate tree removal on private lands.
She said "As it stands now, a developer can clear-cut all of the trees from a lot before applying for a Building Permit and there's nothing that the municipality can do about it. By the time it gets to us, it's too late...the trees are gone. It takes between 20 and 30 years to grow a stand of mature trees-- they can be gone in an afternoon."
The Councillor added "In another case, a developer clear cut a beautifully-treed corner lot on Keating Road in District 17. The developer maintained that the clear-cutting was necessary to accommodate Nova Scotia Power, which now requires a 20-foot vegetation easement on both sides of the road. As a result, the house could not front on Keating Road, as the others do, leaving room for a tree buffer on the back of the lot. The house had to be sited "sideways" near the back of the property. HRM is now working with NSPI to revise its policy."
Councillor Mosher said other municipalities in Canada, such as Vancouver and Victoria, have excellent tree by-laws respecting private property and she has asked HRM to gather more information about them.
"I would like to see our Council be pro-active in providing protection for the trees and the environment, as well as preventing future clear-cutting situations. HRM needs to investigate other Cities' tree by-laws, which regulate vegetation on private properties, she said."
The Councillor has also asked the municipality to seek the legislative authority from the Province to allow HRM to regulate and manage vegetation on "as of right" developments.
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Councillor Linda Mosher
(902) 477-8618 cell(902) 476-4117
