Regional Land Securement Strategy

 

What was the purpose of the Regional Land Securement Strategy?

The purpose of the Regional Greenlands Property Securement Strategy was to establish the required funding under the umbrella of the Greening Strategy and the Regional Official Plan for property securement across the Region of York.

What does "securement" mean?

In the Securement Strategy, the term "securement" refers to:

The protection of key natural heritage and Greenlands properties throughout the Region by a range or suite of tools including, but not limited to:

• public and private land stewardship programs,
• policy planning,
• monitoring, and finally,
• securement through bequests, easements, donations or purchase.

What are the key natural heritage and Greenlands properties referred to in this Securement Strategy?

The key natural heritage and Greenlands properties referred to in this Securement Strategy include:

• The broadest definition of forest cover including the complex ecosystem of different tree species, vegetation and other wildlife together with other non-living components, such as air, soil and water and related ecological processes.
• Environmentally significant areas, areas of natural and scientific importance, wetlands, valley and stream corridors, significant wildlife habitats and woodlands throughout our rural and urban areas.
• Greenlands and natural heritage properties such as, but not limited to, wetlands, old fields, marginal farmlands, linkages and buffers.

It is proposed that stewardship, policy planning and monitoring will be pursued as the first step in all securement opportunities. Outright purchase of key parcels of land would be very selective and utilized only when all other avenues are exhausted. The Regional Official Plan (ROP), as well as many municipal official plans, recognizes that it may not be feasible to purchase all the lands required within the identified Greenlands systems. The Region will have to pursue innovative alternatives to work towards ROP objectives.

What are the basic components of the Strategies?

Any Regional Greenlands Property Securement Strategy will have basic components that include:

• A suite of securement tools such as stewardship, policy planning, monitoring as well as outright purchase capabilities.
• The development of partnerships between different levels of government and non-governmental organizations and the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC).
• The development of criteria by which properties could be evaluated as to their appropriateness for securement.

What kinds of Securement Tools will the Region use?

There are many methods available to achieve the protection of our natural environment. Techniques include a continuum of tools from stewardship to policy planning to monitoring to purchase. While outright (fee simple) purchase is one method, in view of the relatively high costs involved, this method would only be recommended in specific cases where all other means have been exhausted. The full continuum of tools includes:

Stewardship Tools

• Private land stewardship through education
• Public land stewardship programs through partnerships, tree planting, education and forest management.

Policy Planning Tools

• Identification as Federal or Provincially significant area.

• Designation in the Regional Official Plan.
• Identification in Local Plans and Zoning By-laws.
• Property implementation of environmental evaluations within the planning process.

• Enforcement of Conservation By-laws (e.g., Tree By-laws and Soil Conservation By-laws).

• Transfers of densities in local zoning by-laws.
• Tax incentives
• Promote such programs as Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program, Conservation Land Tax Program, and Agriculture Program for landowners.
• Investigate the possible need for Regional or Local Municipal Tax program (future tax credits) to conserve forest cover.

Monitoring

• Important to monitor progress.
• Definition of forest cover is important as the percent forest cover is used as an indicator of ecosystem health.

Forest cover means a complex ecosystem of different tree species, vegetation, and other wildlife together with the non-living components of their environment such as air, soil and water and related ecological processes having a density of not less than;

• 400 trees of any size per acre (988 trees of any size per hectare);
• 300 trees measuring more than 2 inches dbh(diameter at breast height) per acre (741 trees measuring more than 5.1 centimetres dbh per hectare);
• 200 trees measuring more than 5 inches dbh per acre (494 trees measuring more than 12.7 centimetres dbh per hectare); or
• 100 trees measuring more than 8 inches dbh per acre (247 trees measuring more than 20.3 centimetres dbh per hectare).

• This definition will assist in monitoring progress, but should only be considered one part of the natural environment. The securement strategy will deal with all aspects of the natural environment and Greenlands system.

Acquisition Tools

• Bequests provide for transfer of property title through a will following the death of an individual.

• Easements/Covenants- Conservation Easement Agreements provide the owner with the flexibility of retaining the ownership and use of the land while restricting specific activities or uses.
• Leaseback Agreement allows the landowner to donate land and immediately lease it back for an agreed use and period.
• Long term lease to the Region or other agency.
  Donations
• Fee Simple Donation in which the landowner donates the property.
• Donation with a Life Interest allows the owner the use of the property for their lifetime. An agreement would be in place outlining specific uses such as right to live on the property, recreational uses or an agricultural use.
• Purchase - Fee Simple Purchase provides for outright purchase of the property for an appraised value.