Dear Editor,

Langley Township residents need to stand up and voice their opinion regarding the disgraceful administration of development permits in areas that support large and diverse non-human populations. The tree-replacement policy is a sad joke.

A mature stand of trees is something that cannot be replaced with street trees planted in a row along a sidewalk.

Most of the street trees have life-spans of less than 10 years, if they make it past the first stage of establishment.

These trees are non-native species planted in a mono-cultural line-up providing none of the life giving benefits of the mature stand they were planted to replace.

The soils are scraped and trucked off, including all the soil microorganisms necessary for plant health and proper nutrient cycling.

Celeste Paley, Langley