The future is looking green for Langford.

At a council meeting on Nov. 18, councillors gave a green thumbs-up to its Urban Forest Management Plan (UFMP), which will help maintain and improve tree canopy coverage across the city.

According to a council report, over the last 20 years, as it welcomed 28,000 new residents and saw new development across the city, Langford lost a quarter of its tree canopy coverage.

And with an estimated 50,000 new residents expected by 2050, the city hopes the new plan will help strike a balance between urban growth and enhancing LangfordB次元官网网址檚 urban forest. 

The UFMP will mitigate this canopy loss over B次元官网网址渢he status quo,B次元官网网址� said Coun. Colby Harder at the meeting, who described the plan as a B次元官网网址済enerational documentB次元官网网址� for the city.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 incredibly grateful that we are disrupting the status quo,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淏ecause 25 years from now I hope to still be here, and I hope that residents will be able to reap the immeasurable benefits that trees provide for our community.

B次元官网网址淸I] look forward to see this plan through its full term B次元官网网址� to see the growth that we are planting seeds for today.B次元官网网址�

According to a city news release, the UFMP establishes a strategic framework to meet the vision, target and goals for LangfordB次元官网网址檚 urban forest over the next 25 years.

Seven B次元官网网址渜uick start actionsB次元官网网址� have been identified as part of the UFMP, with two advanced quickly at the same meeting on Nov. 18.

Alongside the creation of a new arborist position, the cityB次元官网网址檚 new Tree Protection Bylaw received its first three readings.

Under the new bylaw, all trees with a diameter breast height (dbh) of more than 20 cm are protected. 

However, there was some disappointment expressed by Coun. Kimberley Guiry that the bylaw does not offer specific protections to native trees, such as Douglas fir, Garry oak, and arbutus.

Some residents also expressed similar B次元官网网址渕ajor concernsB次元官网网址� the new bylaw does not go far enough.

B次元官网网址淚 think there should be specific protections for trees such as Garry oak, arbutus, Pacific dogwood and Pacific yew,B次元官网网址� said one local woman. B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 pretty standard in all other municipalities in the region, that weB次元官网网址檙e seeing specific protection for those native trees that grow a lot slower B次元官网网址� it takes a lot longer to reach 20-cm dbh.B次元官网网址�

There are some exemptions from the tree bylaw, including if tree removal is associated with development activities, which would instead be considered as part of the relevant permit process.

The city does not presently plan on charging a fee for tree permits.