By Adam Frisk

The tag alders along the Head Lake shoreline are set to be trimmed back and thinned out in an effort to improve sightlines and aesthetics while maintaining the shoreline’s ecological integrity.

Council decided against the complete removal of the tag alders along the Head Lake shoreline, citing conflicts with the municipality’s site alteration bylaw.

“Just removing the tag alders would not be in line with the bylaw,” Karl Korpela, Chief Building Official, said during last week’s regular council meeting.

Councilors stressed that the initiative is intended as routine “tidying up” to enhance the “look of the lakeshore coming to town,” not to compromise the shoreline’s ecological function.

“The proposal was to trim not just the tag alders, but anything along the lakefront there,” councilor Pat Casey said during the meeting. “It would be trimmed off the same as cutting down any parts of the willows that are down there that are dead or the uprooted stump of an old spruce that blew down in the summer… it’s just tidying it up.”

The maintenance would also address public perception.

“In my opinion, when you come into town, it looks like we let it run wild and we’re not maintaining it,” councilor Carm Sawyer said.

There were some concerns about how trimming might affect the long-standing issue of geese using the area.

“They’ve done such a great job of keeping the geese off the grass there over the years,” Deputy Mayor Walt McKechnie said. “Trimming them down, is that going to give the geese confidence to come back up, fly in there?”

The consensus was to explore options like trimming the tag alders up like a hedge, or thinning them out so they are less bushy and allow better views of the lake.

Council passed a resolution directing staff to trim the tag alders, but with a critical caveat: the work must be guided by an arborist. Staff confirmed they either have someone with arborist qualifications on staff or would consult one to ensure the process is done correctly and credibly, minimizing ecological impact.

“If we do that once and do it right, then they can trim them every year this time of year when there’s no birds or no turtles or any other species of wildlife,” Casey said.

The work is expected to be carried out by park staff during the off-season.