Tree Cutting By-laws

"Ottawa tree bylaw targets clear cutting
Wednesday Jun 03, 2009
By
The Ottawa Citizen
A proposed bylaw would require Ottawa residents to get a permit and pay a $50 fee at city hall to cut down a large tree.
The new law, to be discussed by city councillors next week, would also require owners of large pieces of land planned for development to prepare tree-conservation reports before permits are granted for tree-cutting.

The report released by the city Tuesday says clear cutting of trees has become a significant problem in Ottawa. It notes the widely reported cutting of trees in a natural environment area near Kizell Pond in Kanata in 2002, but says “several other forested areas have been cleared of trees in anticipation of future development.”
These areas include:
— seven hectares of highly ranked urban natural area in the east end, cut down in 2008 when the city was negotiating acquisition;
— two hectares of forest removed to develop a golf driving range; and
— trees removed from a buffer along a creek within an urban natural area.
The proposed bylaw outlines two procedures for controlling tree cutting.
The first would be aimed primarily at development properties.
In the case of trees 10 centimetres in diameter or greater on lots larger than one hectare in the urban area, a landowner would have to get a tree conservation report by someone with expertise in trees.
That report would have to be approved by the city before the tree-cutting began. If a tree was destroyed before approval of the report, the owner or contractor could be prosecuted. The fee for that tree permit would be $100, though it would often be part of a development application fee.
The tree-bylaw report says the city expects trees will continue to be removed by developers, but the bylaw will give staff the ability to assess conservation opportunities and make recommendations for retaining certain trees. Currently there is a requirement for a tree plan, but it lacks clear guidelines.
The second procedure would apply mostly to very old trees on established properties. It would cover trees of 70 centimetres in diameter or more, described as “distinctive trees” on properties of one hectare or less, which would include most residential lots in Ottawa’s urban area. The owner would apply, with a short report attached by an arborist, and pay a $50 fee intended to cover costs of having foresters inspect sites and scrutinize applications.
Grounds for cutting down a large tree would include the following: removing a dead, diseased or severely injured tree; removing trees likely to cause damage to a building; remediating contaminated soil; when removal is part of an approved development plan; or when landowners have a good replanting plan.
Exemptions include tree orchards, cemeteries, golf courses, farms and any situation where there is an immediate threat to public safety. People who defy the bylaw would be liable to fines of between $500 and $100,000.
The city says the conservation of trees is especially important given the fact that 25 per cent of the city’s urban forest is ash trees, which are threatened by the emerald ash borer.
Somerset Councillor Diane Holmes, city council’s strongest supporter of tree conservation, said she was pleased with the proposed bylaw. “It’s a reasonable bylaw. It’s a good start,” Holmes said, adding that house builders were not alarmed by the proposed law."

So what does all this mean? It means that hubby and I have extra work to do. For all of our future customers with trees over 70cm in diameter, they need a permit filled out and signed by an arborist. Then they have to pay 50$ to have someone from the City come out and look at their tree and see if they agree or not. Which I think is ridiculous because we all know how slow the city is at doing anything. I can see our months of July and August being quite bare in work activity. And my husband is not an arborist. Which means he would have to hire someone with a certificate of arboriculture.
Which is great delight means he has to hire...me.
:)
And now I look back, realizing with great satisfaction that eleven years ago, I did not waste an education at Kemptville College, as it was indeed, the worst year of my life.

The Veggie Garden

Ah, June brings warm weather (ish), which brings many vegetables. I usually start my seeds (bought from Vesey's and the local garden center) at the beginning of March in my little plastic greenhouse in the sunroom. Come May, I dance around impatiently waiting to plant them outside. This year I planted them during the long weekend (which was early this year for some reason) and kept them safe during frost warning nights with an old sheet. As I usually overdo it and plant way too many tomato seeds (90 last year, but only 60 this year) I managed to lose some due to frost anyway and actually had to go buy ten from the garden center (you never can be too sure) and plant them. What you are looking at is: the front box is beans, the left front box is peas, as is the one behind it, the front right box is tomatoes and a ton of radish seeds mixed with carrots (I have yet to see carrot leaves), behind that, more beans, and to the right in the long boxes are 4 different kinds of onions (red, sweet, multipliers (green) and leeks) and another box of tomatoes and tomatillos.

Here, you can see some fabulous bamboo 'fencing' I put up for my peas and beans. I purchased some 4' bamboo in a package ($2.49 from Home Depot) and a ball of jute. I grabbed my trusty hammer and lightly tapped each end into the ground as far as it could go. Because of my huge Chinese Elm in the back left corner, they only went down about 5" before they hit roots.

Then, I crossed the tops in a 'V' and gently laid a thinner bamboo pole and using the jute, wrapped it tightly, adding many knots and winding around the whole thing in many different, creative ways.

Then I tied more jute around each pole and stretched it across to another pole. This makes little 'stairs' for the pea plants to climb. And of course I gently guide them to go the right way and not strangle each other.

My tomato plants were given special attention this year. I always have problems with cutworms. Cutworms are gross little worms that hide in your soil and in the middle of the night, they chop down your plants, right at the base by the soil, leaving your poor plant just lying there, decapitated. And the only way to get rid of these little buggers is to dig up around the soil of the next plant beside the decapitated one, pull it out and kill it. Yech. I know that copper wire mesh keeps away snails and slugs, so I thought I'd try it on the cutworms instead of surrounding each individual plant with a can. I don't eat canned foods, so I don't have cans. Especially not 60 cans.

Sadly, I cannot grow broccoli, cauliflower, (too much work), cucumbers (they just don't grow!), or peppers (they make me very ill). But I have lots of advice on them, so if you have any, just ask!