Arborist Report East Gwillimbury: Tree Permit Requirements & 2-Day Turnaround

Understanding East Gwillimbury’s Tree Protection

East Gwillimbury’s Private Tree By-law 2024-077 is one of the newest in York Region, in force since November 2024. It protects private trees 20 cm or larger in diameter, measured 1.37 metres above grade, and covers qualifying neighbouring trees within 6 metres of the subject site as well.

A lot of East Gwillimbury sits within the Oak Ridges Moraine’s Recharge and Natural Linkage Areas, which means Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority review often runs alongside the Town’s tree permit, not instead of it. LSRCA is the relevant Conservation Authority here, not TRCA, which matters if you’re pulling reference material from a Toronto-area project.

The Private Tree By-law

By-law 2024-077 applies to private trees 20 cm+ DBH and qualifying neighbouring trees within 6 m of the property line. York Region’s Forest Conservation By-law 2013-68 layers on top for woodlands over 1.0 hectare, and the Woodlot By-law 2007-71 covers woodlots between 0.2 and 1.0 hectare.

What Requires a Permit

• Removing or injuring any private tree 20 cm+ DBH
• Removing or injuring a qualifying neighbouring tree
• Grade change or compaction within a tree’s Tree Protection Zone, which the bylaw treats as a prohibited act

Exemptions

• Up to 3 live healthy trees, each under 30 cm DBH, per property per year
• Dead, dying, or hazardous trees
• Listed invasive species: Norway Maple, Manitoba Maple, Buckthorn, Black Locust, Autumn Olive, Glossy Buckthorn, European Black Alder, Invasive Honeysuckles, Scots Pine, White Mulberry
• Emergency situations posing immediate safety risk
• Normal farm practice, up to 5 trees per 50 acres per year with a valid Farm Business Registration number

Tree Protection Zones

East Gwillimbury uses the York Region Street Tree and Forest Preservation Guidelines formula: trees under 24 cm DBH get a flat 2.4 metre radius TPZ, and trees 25 cm and larger get a radius equal to DBH in centimetres times 0.10 metres. Where the standard radius can’t be achieved, the bylaw falls back to a minimum 20 square metre soil area, and after that, root-sensitive excavation using an air spade or hydrovac only.

How to Apply for a Tree Removal Permit

Step 1: Confirm the Diameter and Check LSRCA Status

Measure at 1.37 m above grade. If the property is near a watercourse or on the Oak Ridges Moraine, confirm whether LSRCA review applies before finalizing the removal plan.

Step 2: Hire a Qualified Report Author

The Town requires the report follow ISA ANSI 300 Part 9 (Tree Risk Assessment Best Management Practices) and be signed by an ISA Certified Arborist, Registered Professional Forester, or Registered Consulting Arborist. Reports must follow the Town’s 2012 Arborist Report Guidelines: 9 required sections covering site description, tree resource description, development concept, probable impacts, retention and protection measures, workplan, certification, limiting conditions, and a set of required appendices.

Step 3: Submit the Application

There is no application fee under By-law 2024-077. For York Region road allowance projects, submissions are staged: a preliminary inventory at 30% design, a full report at 60%, and a finalized report at 90%, each valid for 18 months from submission.

Step 4: Town Review

Permits, once issued, are valid for one year. The Town has not published a standard review timeline separate from that validity period.

Replacement Requirements

East Gwillimbury uses the Aggregate DBH Method: the sum of all removed trees’ diameters in centimetres, divided by 6, sets the number of replacement trees required. Each replacement is a minimum 60mm caliper deciduous or 200cm height coniferous tree. Where on-site planting isn’t feasible, cash-in-lieu is payable to the Replacement Tree Planting Fund at $521.60 per unit (2024/2025 rate). A farm and forest exception allows a simpler 1:1 ratio for owner-operated farms under normal farm practices.

Penalties

Fines range from $250 to $25,000 for an individual’s first conviction, up to $500 to $50,000 for a subsequent one. Corporations face $5,000 to $50,000 for a first conviction and $10,000 to $100,000 for a subsequent one, with a special fine of up to $100,000 where economic gain was the motive. Unpaid costs carry a 15% annual lien registered on title.

Working with The Arborist Group

East Gwillimbury’s bylaw is recent enough that we treat every project here as a fresh check against the current formula rather than assuming last year’s rules still apply. We calculate TPZ and Aggregate DBH replacement obligations to the Town’s current standard, prepare the nine-section report format the bylaw requires, and flag early when a property’s Oak Ridges Moraine location is going to pull LSRCA into the timeline.