MORRISBURG – Handling a stand of butternut trees near Morrisburg’s Industrial Park will end up costing township ratepayers $26,000.
In a long-standing issue, eight butternut trees have been in the way of expanding a road in the Morrisburg Industrial Park.
Butternuts – in this case one right in the way of the proposed road – are an endangered species and are subject to strict regulations by the Ministry of Natural Resources.
The municipality got approval in December to remove the trees but it has to hire a firm of nurture shoots from one of the trees to create more butternuts – a practice called “archiving” – over the next five years.
South Dundas inked that agreement Tuesday night at a cost of $15,000.
Most of the work to collect the future tree offspring was already done before winter set in.
CAO Stephen McDonald told council that, to address the cutting of the remainder of the trees, the municipality will be working with the South Nation Conservation Authority to plant 120 butternut seedlings and monitor them for three years at an additional cost of $11,000.
All this work will clear the way for completion of the Campbell Street extension sometime later this year.
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