Page 4 - July 13, 2017

Page 4
Editorial
The Independent
Thursday, July 13, 2017
Lambton should
Our Story
The wording at the top of the postcard says “A Good Day for Ducks” but that probably depends on what side of the gun you were on. This postcard is from Canadian Post Card Ltd.
Sarnia Historical Society Photo
consider urban
woodlot rules
Perhaps it is time to take a closer look at how urban residents deal with trees.
is week, a large swath of trees on Tank Street was cut down. It completely changed the look of the street and likely has confused a few woodland creatures which cross from that wooded area into the Petrolia Discovery grounds.
e owner of the land had every right to cut the woodland under Lambton County bylaws. O cials estimate the lot wasn’t an acre of trees which automati- cally makes it a woodlot meaning the owner needs permission to cut down anything.
And it appears there was a lot of dead ash trees in the bush, meaning there were likely not enough live trees to consider it a woodland under the bylaw.
Under those rules it would be di cult to nd a woodland area in an urban centre and that means any landowner would have the right to cut down whatever they want.
While we recognize people’s right to use their prop- erty, there must be a happy medium between cutting down everything and the government stopping you from cutting down anything. If we don’t nd one, what will our urban areas look like. Petrolia, for example, in the Health Care Village concept talks about tree-lined streets, but that won’t happen if anyone can cut down any tree at any time.
It would be good for Lambton County o cials to consider if the de nition of a woodland should be dif- ferent for urban areas - perhaps a half acre is signi cant enough to monitor in an urban area instead of the full acre in the rural area.
Designating an urban woodlot size could help mu- nicipalities and landowners consider options other than clearing wooded areas and, like the current Woodland Conservation Bylaw in Lambton, would require those who remove massive amounts of trees to replant others in areas across the municipality. It would make our urban areas much greener.
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The frustration of a rainy summer in Central Lambton
Well if that was summer, it was sure short.
holidays. Mom would pack up boxes of food and clothing as dad prepared the boat for travel. Bikes were hoisted in just before we would leave home.
who make a living from the weather - farmers being one of the groups which spring to mind.
If you’re like me, you’re getting a bit frustrated with this “summer” weather. It seems more like spring than summer to me and my mood is becoming as dark as some of the clouds in the sky.
As my mind drifts back to those days, I know there must have been some rain - there are photos of us hanging around inside playing Monopoly - but those days were always lled with sunshine and lots of swimming.
And while I complain, my heart goes out to them while they wonder what all this water will do in the long run.
Our spring, as any farmer can tell you, consisted of rain, rain and - oh wait - more rain.
Farmers itched to get out on the elds and some crops were planted weeks behind schedule.
While I don’t take the rst two weeks of July off anymore, once summer rolls around, I try to get my family
to the beach as often as possible.
While we wait
for the sun to
return, I guess
we’ll just have to
make the best of
the summer we
have. Heather
Summer arrived although you might have missed it through the rain, which has continued. It’s raining again as I write this.
This year, there haven’t been a lot of opportunities and frankly, the kids haven’t asked a lot either. The rain makes a day on the sand seem less inviting.
I know rain is important. And some people might be glad to see it. But it is July. July in my mind is pure sunshine.
Perhaps, when
we head to the
beach the next
time, we’ll take the towels and a pair or rubber boots to be prepared.
When I was a child, the rst two weeks of July were set aside for
Now I know my issues of sunny summer holidays are miniscule compared to the concerns of those
Wright
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