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A small town west of Montreal has decided to officially recognize trees as living beings with rights of their own, in what an environmental organization describes as a first in Quebec and Canada.
A resolution adopted by Terrasse-Vaudreuil city council on June 9 declares that trees are worthy of protection, "including the right to life, to natural growth, to integrity and to regeneration."
Mayor Michel Bourdeau says Quebec filmmaker André Desrochers inspired the community to take action.
He said Desrochers' film, called Des arbes et des arts convinced citizens that trees are living entities that breathe and communicate with each other through their root systems.
"A tree is like a human being," Bourdeau said. "It breathes, it lives, it takes in water. It protects us from all sorts of things."
The International Observatory of Nature Rights says the town of about 2,000 also became the first municipality in Quebec and Canada to sign on to the Universal Declaration of the Rights of the Tree, which is an international initiative spearheaded by environmental groups.
Its three main core articles state that trees are living beings and a common human good, that life on Earth depends on their existence, and that humans must act in "fraternity and solidarity" with them.
The mayor of Terrasse-Vaudreuil said he plans on implementing measures to further increase the canopy, including offering trees for residents to plant. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press)
Bourdeau says the new resolution means the town will review its existing rules and bylaws to ensure that trees are protected or replaced if they must be cut down. He also plans to implement measures to further increase the canopy, including offering trees for residents to plant.
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