Trees & tree removal — Elgin County, Ontario

Do I need a permit to cut down a tree?

In the County of Elgin County, Ontario, permit required: True; applies to private property: True; protected threshold: Trees in Woodlands (s. 1(tt)); "minimum circumference prescribed for the species in Schedule 'A'"; replacement required: for every hectare of land cleared a hectare has to be replanted based on 1750 trees per hectare. Source: Woodlands Conservation By-law 05-03 (as amended, consolidated version), verified 2026-08-28.

Woodlands Conservation By-law 05-03 (as amended, consolidated version) adopted bylaw
permit required True s. 2(a), s. 5(a)
applies to private property True s. 5(a) Every owner of woodlands
protected threshold Trees in Woodlands (s. 1(tt)); "minimum circumference prescribed for the species in Schedule 'A'" s. 1(tt), s. 2(a)(ii), Schedule 'A'
replacement required for every hectare of land cleared a hectare has to be replanted based on 1750 trees per hectare Schedule 'B' Item III
fine range first conviction: not more than $10,000.00 or $1,000.00 per tree; subsequent: not more than $25,000.00 or $2,500.00 per tree s. 9(a)
scout note

Requires County permission to harvest, destroy or injure trees in woodlands anywhere in Elgin County. 'Woodlands' means a parcel of 1 hectare or more — or a parcel between 0.2 and 1 hectare, on an extrapolated average — carrying at least 1,000 trees of any size, 750 trees over 5 cm DBH, 500 trees over 12 cm DBH, or 250

Machine-readable: trees.json · Official website: http://www.elgin-county.on.ca · Last verified 2026-08-28 · Trees & tree removal in other municipalities