Council for the Municipality of Bluewater has approved some changes to tree canopy of Bayfield's Main Street.
Over a year after it was removed, council has directed staff to replace the iconic willow in front of Bayfield's Little Inn with a Freeman Maple. The willow was damaged in a storm in 2025.
Last summer, the Heritage Advisory Committee (HAC) recommended monitoring the transplanted willow clippings over the winter, to see if they could be propagated for a replacement tree. However, staff said the clippings did not survive.
The Committee then directed the Public Works department to take the lead on finding a replacement, and after consultation with Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority, staff settled on the Freeman Maple.
"A Freeman Maple would provide a large, broad canopy and similar larger-scale presence to the previous willow as it matures, while providing an appropriate species for the location," read the report from Dave Kester, Manager of Public Works.
Staff said they will work on finding a tree larger than a sapling, but still practical enough for transporting.
Along with tabbing the replacement tree for 26 Main Street North, council also made a decision on how to proceed with the removal of the heritage elm tree at 19 Main Street North in front of Bayberry Shoppe.
An arborist assessment found symptoms consistent with Dutch Elm disease in the tree and recommended its removal, which approved by the HAC.
A contractor offered to remove the tree for no cost to the Municipality, provided they could keep the wood. Council voted in favour of that offer on Monday.
Staff recommended a disease-resistant American Elm as the replacement, but Councillor Bill Whetstone offered a different suggestion.
"The intent is obviously to replace the elm with an elm, and (the report) does state they're about 80 to 85 per cent better than they used to be at getting the Dutch Elm disease," he said. "What I'm suggesting is there's that 15 per cent chance it could still get the disease and we don't want to run into what we're looking at now... We do have a tulip tree in front of the library, so we'd basically have one across the road from each other and they're very beautiful this time of year."
Council voted to approve Whetstone's recommendation.
Costs for annual tree planting are included in the Roads Department operating budget.
