On Monday evening ,myself and several other concerned citizens met with Mike Marcolongo the young man who discovered the clearcutting of trees done by Carson Reid Homes .We met at his mother’s farm adjacent to the Carson Reid property near Springfield Golf Course. The land in this area is unbelievably beautiful with rolling moraines,extensive wetlands, and forest.The area is home to many animals and the calls of birds and tree frogs filed the evening air with songs.
Carson Reid Homes have destroyed hundreds of trees in the Hanlon Creek watershed on the Paris Galt Moraine and a Core Natural Area. .This type of strategy by developers must stop.The City and developers must realize that speculative purchases of land especially environmentally sensitive land do not come with a guarantee .
This is also why we need a Natural Heritage Strategy with strong COMMITMENTS to the Environment.
This is why we need an Urban Forest Plan with tough RULES to discourage this practice in the first place.
I realize that the City has put a Stop Work Order on activities- but they must go further in this case .I would hope that the City the MNR and the MOE fine Carson Reid Homes heavily for this destruction to send a strong message that this wil not be tolerated. MD
June 17, 2009...11:17 am
carson reid homes tree cutting
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2 Comments
July 5, 2009 at 9:19 am
Money. The bottom line is always money. Carson Reid sees a way of getting more of it for himself by clearcutting the property to build more houses, and make, you guessed it- more money.
I don’t think any fine will ever match what he stands to make by planting square boxes on postage stamp size lots (the more lots he can get off the land, the more MONEY he makes.)
By the way, he made a mess of a house he built up in Salem (Elora). He’s going up there to spoil the countryside too. I’m no fool, I built a house from scratch, and know when I see cheap.I’m disgusted every time I go by it.
40 years in the business, and what has he learned? How to rip off the planet-the land by the Springfield Golf course this time. I’m no tree hugger, but I do understand and am passionate about the preservation and sensitive management of lands so that in the whole scope of things, we don’t destroy the enviornment we need for life to continue on this planet. We’re losing that bit by bit, because of people like Carson Reid who are selfish, money grabbers.
Absolutely, whatever ministry and government branch including our local city has power to stop this man dead in his tracks, and I think he should have to reforest the whole property with the same varieties of trees he cut down, of course at his expense for trees and labour, and nurture them along in the coming years. I’m afraid we may also have lost native wildlife in addition as their habitiat is now gone. This behavior is unforgiveable, and needs to be treated harshly.
August 24, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Definitely the surrounding environment in Guelph needs be protected by law, as another Wall Mart on top of a wetland is all we need.
However in regard to Carson Reid, I’m pretty sure that the trees that were cut down, which ensued complaints, were planted 20 years ago and were meant for harvesting. The City of Guelph had cleared permits to have the trees removed, but the trees just happened to be the backyard view of a number of expensive homes. And because Carson Reid owned the land with the trees planted on them, he seems to be the scape goat in this situation.