Arborist Reports in York Region

Tree Bylaws in York Region

York Region's Forest Conservation By-law protects woodlands throughout the region, stacking on top of individual city bylaws in Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, and the other member municipalities. If your property contains a qualifying woodland, you need a regional forestry permit regardless of what your city's own tree bylaw says.

A woodland is at least 1 hectare with at least 1,000 trees of any size, 750 trees over 5 cm DBH, 500 trees over 12 cm DBH or 250 trees over 20 cm DBH per hectare (s.1.1(t)). A woodlot is 0.2 to 1 hectare with at least 200 trees of any size, 150 over 5 cm, 100 over 12 cm or 50 over 20 cm per 0.2 hectare (s.1.1(u)). Orchards and Christmas tree or nursery plantations are excluded from both. The bylaw covers every woodland, but a woodlot only in a member municipality that delegated that power to the Region (s.2.1). The Region's permit page says the bylaw does not apply to treed areas under 1 hectare in Aurora or Newmarket, which protect them under their own bylaws. Vaughan took its woodlots back under its own By-law 177-2025. Two permit types are available. A Good Forestry Practices Permit is for work that follows an approved silvicultural prescription prepared by a Registered Professional Forester. A Special Permit covers removal that does not meet good forestry practice standards. Confirm the permit fees with York Region. Where the removal area is greater than 0.2 hectare, Regional Council makes the final Special Permit decision (s.5.6, s.5.7), and York Region publishes no review time.

Beyond the forestry bylaw, York Region's Official Plan designates a Natural Heritage System covering valleylands, wetlands, Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest, regional forests, and river corridors. Development proposals near these features trigger a Regional review that runs alongside the city-level permit process.

We check a project near a woodland, valley or other natural feature against the Regional Natural Heritage System before work starts, and tell you whether a regional review applies.