Dear Candidate:

Guelph Urban Forest Friends is a local group that advocates for better protection of urban trees and canopy. We make delegations to City Council, hold events to raise awareness about the importance of urban trees, and distribute information about the many benefits of trees, and the threats to trees, through our web site.

We have serious concerns about the continued loss of mature trees in our City and hear frequently from upset residents about tree removals. We are submitting these questions to candidates for City Council and respectfully request your response by October 18. The responses we receive will be posted on our web site and e-mailed to our list of 500 supporters.

For further information, please check our website (www.guffguelph.ca) or contact us. Thank you for your response. GUFF

Leanne Piper – Ward 5 Candidate

1.  Currently all tree planting, maintenance and removal activities are the responsibility of the City’s Operations Department.  Will you support and advocate for establishing an Urban Forest department headed by a forester with a degree in urban forestry?  Why or why not.

We have re-aligned some of our departments recently, and created a revised portfolio and responsibilities for a General Manager, Parks Maintenance and Development. Under this position there is a Forestry Department.

2.  Shade is important for reducing the heat island effect and for reducing the risk of skin cancer.  Will you support and advocate for establishing a shade policy which would set goals for shade coverage along streets/sidewalks, in parking lots and in parks?  Why or why not.

Yes. Parking lots are my personnel pet peeve, especially large ones such as those in plazas and grocery stores.

3.  There is currently no program in place to recognize or protect trees that are exceptionally large, old or have a significant history in the City.  Will you support and advocate for a city program to be adopted during the next term of council aimed at designating and protecting Heritage Trees?  Why or why not.

We have policies now, under the Ontario Heritage Act, trees can be included in designations if they have cultural value. Designating a tree simply because it is old is not possible under the current laws. We can also protect trees that are part of a designated cultural landscape, such as trees at Exhibition Park or Woodlawn Memorial Park.

4.  Though the City has adopted a goal of 40% tree canopy coverage, information about tree canopy loss due to development, road construction, etc. is not being collected.  Will you support and advocate for collecting publicly accessible data, funded in the next budget cycle, on the annual removal of mature trees and loss of canopy within the City?  Why or why not.

Yes, in principle. However, I need to know the resources required and estimated cost before I will commit to supporting such a recommendation. We currently have a GIS system mapping tree canopy, so some of this work is being done now.

5.  The City does not have an inventory of trees in our urban forest (species, size, health, etc.), nor are trees given value as “assets” or “green infrastructure.”  Will you support and advocate for an inventory of trees in the City, including the dollar value of the trees (using currently available computer programs that compute the dollar value of ecological services provided by trees)?  Why or why not.

This is being done for public trees now.

6.  City Council recently passed a tree by-law which requires permits for removing large trees on properties over half an acre in size.  This tree by-law only covers a small percentage of properties within the City.  Will you support and advocate for expanding the existing tree by-law to cover all properties in Guelph?  Why or why not.

In principle, yes. Again, I want to see and read the proposed by-law first. The previous by-law that came before Council was not clear enough on exceptions, enforcement and alternatives. I expect we will likely see alternatives when the Urban Forest Management Plan comes back to Council.

While I advocate for the preservation of existing trees, we must also invest in increased planting and improved maintenance (species selection, watering, pruning, etc.) practices if we are going to prepare for the next generation.

We also need to add protection for trees as part of our building permit process, i.e. requiring fencing around drip lines to prevent construction damage and heavy equipment stress.

Leanne Piper