Chatham-Kent councillors Steve Pinsonneault and Aaron Hall are bringing in differing motions regarding woodlot conservation in the municipality at tonight’s council meeting.
Pinsonneault is planning on bringing in a motion to put an end to the municipality’s temporary tree-cutting bylaw, while Hall wants to extend the temporary by-law while council comes up with a plan for some sort of regulatory instrument for woodlot conservation.
Chatham-Kent council has grappled with the issue of woodlot management and tree cutting for a while. The municipality has one of the lowest tree-cover percentages in the province at 3.5 percent of the municipality having tree cover, with reports showing that number has fallen in recent years.
The issue has come up in previous years, and the previous council was working on developing a natural heritage policy. The committee gathered public feedback and reports to try and come up with a plan and possible by-law regarding woodlot conservation. The committee of council was looking at education, incentive and regulatory woodlot preservation instruments to help preserve trees, however the previous council ran out of time in making any permanent decisions.
While council was working on a decision, a temporary tree-cutting bylaw was put in place, and has been in place since April 2021.