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The city of Hamilton has just passed a tough new by-law that would impose hefty fines on people who clear urban woodlots without permits. But The move may be too late to protect a chunk of forest in Ancaster.

Hamilton’s new ‘Urban Woodland Conservation By-law’ was passed to prevent situations like this — mass clear cutting of urban properties. The trees in this chunk of urban forest located in Ancaster’s Meadowlands area, were felled this past weekend — just days before the city approved one of the toughest clear cutting by-laws on record.

City Councillor Lloyd Ferguson: “Municipal enforcement went out and immediately issued a stop warrant to the owner of the property last weekend. He went back at it again so residents called police. He started up again and virtually cut down dozens if not hundreds of trees.”

We attempted to ask the owner of the property why he felled the trees but he wasn’t interested in talking. He has since been charged under a pre-existing Ancaster by-law. But the penalties under the old by-law aren’t as severe as those under the motion passed yesterday. Now, anyone who doesn’t get a permit to clear trees on private property, half an acre or more in size can be fined up to ten thousand dollars with corporations facing fines of a hundred thousand dollars or more.

Ferguson says the hefty penalties are not meant to act as a deterrent for development but rather a tool to protect valuable Woodland: “You know we have a tree canopy that is very precious they clean the air they provide oxygen they do a lot of great things for our community and if you want to come in and make changes just apply to do it and it won’t be unreasonably withheld.”

Councillor Ferguson emphasized that while the fines are extremely hefty, there is no cost in obtaining a permit to cut down a tree. They are hoping the new rules will prevent the mass clear cutting that we have just witnessed in Ancaster.