Executive summary
- The subject property is located at the southwest corner James St. and Martha St. which will be developed into a single condominium (See Fig. 1).
- An application for Site Plan (File No. 535-007-20) has been submitted to redevelop the subject property.
- As part of a condition to satisfy their Site Plan, council approval to proceed with issuance of a tree permit must be obtained in order to facilitate the removal of public trees.
- In accordance with the City of Burlington’s Public Tree By-law 68-2013, Section 1.19 states, “The City Arborist shall not issue a Tree Permit for Trees located on Public Property immediately abutting Private Property for which a development application has been submitted, until such time as the development application has been approved and Council has also approved the removal of these trees”.
Climate implications
- The removal of trees is always a concern as they provide the most cost-effective measure of carbon sequestration, in addition to providing a host of other ecological benefits associated with climate change.
- It is critical that in cases where trees must be removed, that they are sufficiently compensated for in the interest of replacing the canopy loss long-term.