A committee of local citizens will look at how to manage Langley Township’s forests, after council approved a new Tree Protection Advisory Committee in June.
The nine-member committee, plus a non-voting member from the Township council, will work on an expansion and honing to the tree protection bylaw the Township passed last year.
They will also bring forward a Tree Protection Canopy Standard, for the entire Township but with an initial focus on the Brookswood-Fernridge area.
The goal of the canopy standard is to create “a clear direction for the protection, preservation, and planting of trees and forests, based on a shared vision and best practices,” according to a staff report.
The report noted that public engagement is one of the goals of the new committee, but that will be challenging given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
After years of discussion on a possible tree protection bylaw, the council passed regulations in 2019.
Council voted to ensure that at least two-third of the committee members must be Township residents at the urging of Councillor Kim Ricther.
READ MORE: Langley Township tree bylaw now in effect
The current regulations say that property owners who want to cut or remove a tree from their property must apply for a permit, with a few exceptions for smaller diameter trees.
The current bylaw does not affect tree removal for farmland, and trees can also be removed for construction activities, whether for building a new driveway or for a major multi-family development.
Trees that are hazardous can also be removed.