Editorial – Go plant a tree

What should have been a good-news story has turned into a can of worms in the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry. A program that plants trees along the sides of county roads as a wind and snowbreak is now developing into a battle between farmers and non-farmers.

SDG has a lot of county roads where there are open spaces and no windbreaks. In the winter this becomes a safety issue as drifting snow will make driving conditions treacherous. Given the prevalence of the agriculture industry across the counties, this is a frequent issue. Notable routes which have a high amount of open spaces and drifting snow are County Road 31 throughout most of its length in South and North Dundas, the worst of which occurs north of Winchester. There are many examples across the United Counties.

This winter, the Glengarry Federation of Agriculture presented a detailed report to council, explaining the impacts of tree planting near agricultural land. This included how the shade from trees planted close to properties can impact crop yield and a farm’s bottom line. There are reports of the roots from trees planted on SDG rights-of-way infiltrating private land. But, these issues are a two-way street. It has been reported that when planting trees on the rights-of-way, that some farms have encroached as well, with crops being planted on public land. It should be noted that no one has suggested the errors were intentional for any party.

At the March 16 Counties council meeting, councillors discussed the issue and decided that another Committee of the Whole meeting was needed to take feedback from those supporting the tree program. This action delays elected officials having to make a decision, and kicks the now-paused tree planting program down the road for another month or more.

At council, a petition was received in support of tree planting. Many of those at the council table supported the program, with Councillor Theresa Bergeron (North Dundas) rightly saying that this is a matter of safety and if farmers do not want to have trees planted next to their property, then an alternative solution should be implemented. Temporary snow fencing, as is done now in select areas, is inadequate. Councillor Carma Williams (North Glengarry) correctly pointed out that having more meetings to hear all sides of an issue can be important, but more meetings on this particular issue are not going to change things.

The argument about planting trees or having proper barriers of some sort — be it berms, permanent fences, or some other recognized method — should only be framed as a safety issue. Through that lens, the issue is clear. Counties need to do more to make roads safer in the winter, and in this case, the agriculture industry must assist in this, as they also benefit from it. Resume the program, and go plant trees.