Does Welland need a permit to remove a tree on a private lot?

The City's forestry page answers "Do I need a permit to take down a tree on my own property?" with "No", and says a resident may not prune or alter a City-owned tree without the forestry supervisor's authorization. Niagara Region's Woodland Conservation By-law 2020-79 applies across the region to every woodland of one hectare or more, defined by the number of trees per hectare, and makes it an offence to injure or destroy a tree in one without a permit or an exemption. Welland is not on the Region's list of municipalities that delegated smaller woodlands to it.

The Region's page says a woodland can cover several neighbouring lots and lists exemptions such as trees removed to build under a building permit. A rule summary says what the by-laws cover; it doesn't say whether a given lot is part of a woodland or who owns a tree near a lot line.

• Forestry services: the City's page on City trees and private tree removal
• Forestry and tree cutting: the Region's page on its Woodland Conservation By-law, permits and the municipalities that delegated small woodlands
• Woodland Conservation By-law 2020-79: the Region's by-law as amended by By-law 2025-24 (PDF)

Tree and ravine limits is in the free check as a summary of the City's rule, from our hand-kept table, with a link to the City's page. It is a rule for the city, not a survey of the trees on a lot.

Free check: pick “Tree and ravine limits” See the sample report