Public input sought in development of new tree protection bylaw in Abbotsford

ABBOTSFORD — The City of Abbotsford is asking residents to provide input into the modernization of its Tree Protection bylaw which was written in 2010. The bylaw is a key piece of the City’s Urban Forest Strategy which was updated in 2022.

The Strategy presents a vision for an urban forest in 2045. It calls for Abbotsford to have a city-wide canopy cover rate of 40 per cent by the year 2045.

The City says the updated bylaw will address administrative and best practice updates and include some major influence updates that fundamentally change how the Bylaw regulates the retention, removal, protection, and replacement/re-establishment of trees.

The City has developed 16 wide-ranging recommendations that include the shrinking of the size of trees that would fall under the bylaw to the establishment of a tree density target of 60 trees per hectare of net developable area.