OFGAC presentation to City of Ottawa's Planning and Environment Committee
26 October 2004
on the

Draft “Good Forestry Practices in Sensitive Natural Areas” By-law

The by-law will help to

• Protect “Sensitive Natural Areas” from indiscriminate or unsustainable cutting
  (it applies to areas designated Significant Wetlands South and East of the Canadian Shield, Natural Environment Areas and Urban Natural Features in the City’s Official Plan of May 2003)
• Retain the character of rural areas
• Protect forested urban natural areas which are important to the community

The proposed by-law provides staff with

• An opportunity to provide informed advice prior to work being done
  - It encourages sustainable forestry practices
  - It provides prescriptions for commercial cutting protects sensitive lands while allowing harvesting
  - It respects existing practices such as firewood cutting for private use
• A tool to ensure compliance with the principles of the OP when needed

The Official Plan (section 2.4.2 on Natural Features and Functions) says,

“This Plan protects the natural features assessed to be the most significant by designating them and setting policies to ensure they are preserved.

Policy
10. The City will work with Conservation Authorities, rural landowners, community groups… on a strategy to manage and protect forests in the rural and urban area. This work will include: a) Developing a by-law under the Municipal Act to regulate tree-cutting and preserve woodlands”

Need for the by-law

• Extensive site clearing has occurred in some instances before plans of subdivisions and supporting studies were submitted to staff. Important ecological lands were lost and the Environmental Impact Statement is then based on a degraded site that usually no longer has the same ecological value.
• Premature or improper clearing of forested land destroys the ecological integrity of the site and adjacent lands.
• Staff requires tools to ensure that the planning process is followed.

  “The City is in the process of preparing a Good Forestry Practices By-law. Once it comes into force, staff may have additional means to prevent the removal of trees before development applications have been approved.”
  Staff report to P&E, 10 February, 2004 (ACS2004-DEV- APR-0009)

Tree-cutting practice in rural areas - one example:

“Much of this unit has been impacted by recent tree removal...” *

“Prior to recent tree removal, a band of forest interior habitat likely existed…” *

* EIS for FKZ Investments Inc. Revised July, 2003

Importance of “Sensitive Natural Areas” in our Community

Urban Natural Features are used extensively for recreational purposes - walking, biking, running, skiing

They provide contact with natural areas and their inhabitants in urban and rural areas

There are health benefits from having sustainable practices in forest and adjacent wetland areas - cleaner water and regulation of air temperature and air flow.

Summary

This by-law will:

• Encourage wise use of ecologically sensitive rural and urban lands - past clearing practices demonstrate the need for effective protection
• Have minimal impact on landowners - only a small percentage of rural lands fall into the designated areas, commercial cutting is still allowed, there are exemptions for personal use of wood, advantages to prescriptions
• Support Official Plan land-use policies

Recommendation

The Ottawa Forests and Greenspaces Advisory Committee (OFGAC) recommends that

the Planning and Environment Committee ask Council to approve the proposed Good Forestry Practices in Sensitive Natural Areas By-law.