The reason I became interested in my purposed Tree Protection By-law was the demise of the 5 trees located on 659-661 Queen Street East, and also as we will without much doubt, see the dimise of the majority of our trees that line Queen Street, due to the Emerald Ash Borer Beetle infestation. The demise of these trees, and the five at 659-661 Queen Street will make a tremendous impact on the aesthetic and environmental well being of our city, and the downtown core. I am passionate about the environment, and the purpose of the purposed Tree Protection By-law is to protect Sault Ste. Marie's urban forest by restricting tree removal from both public and private lands and ensuring replacement trees are provided when trees are required to be removed. The basic strategy involves preserving healthy trees where possible (based on their long-term viability), permitting the removal of those trees that are either in poor health condition to be determined by a ISA Certified Arborist, imminently hazardous (a destabalized or structurally compromised tree that is in imminent danger of causing damage to property or injury to life), fall under size restrictions or in conflict with new development and requiring the replanting of new trees. Trees within any urban forest are a dynamic resource - they grow, they mature, they decline and eventually die. Seeking retention where it is feasible, while at the same time ensuring there are adequate replacements, promotes the creation of a sustainable urban forest as a continued benefit to the health and wellness of our community of Sault Ste. Marie. I am in the process of accumulating signatures of people who support the implementation of a new by-law to protect our healthy city trees. I would like to thank you in advance for your support of the purposed Tree Protection By-law. Alison Walton 332 Queen Street East Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario P6A-1Z1