Terrasse-Vaudreuil, a small town in Quebec with a population of approximately 2,000, has officially recognized trees as living beings with a fundamental set of rights. On June 9, the municipality adopted a resolution to sign the Universal Declaration of Tree Rights.
The declaration, launched in 2018, aims to counter worldwide deforestation and challenge the perception of trees as mere resources for human extraction. Its stated goal is to recognize "the Tree as a sentient living being, a source of Life and a common good of humanity."
Terrasse-Vaudreuil's adoption of the declaration's principles marks the first time a public entity in North America has signed on. A 2019 petition in support of the declaration had gathered nearly 88,000 signatures.
Mayor Michel Bourdeau stated that the town is committed to building a sustainable future. He added that the recognition would be accompanied by concrete programs focused on protecting the local tree canopy, planting new trees, and raising public awareness about their importance. Bourdeau also told CBC that trees are "our biggest ally" in the fight against climate change.
The Universal Declaration of Tree Rights is founded on three principles: the Tree, as a sentient living being and source of life, is a common good of humanity; life on Earth depends on the existence of the Tree; and human beings, possessing reason and conscience, must act toward trees with fraternity and solidarity.
The initiative in Terrasse-Vaudreuil was citizen-led, inspired by the film "Des arbres et des arts" (Trees and the Arts) by Quebec filmmaker André Desrochers. The film posits that trees are living entities that communicate through underground fungal networks connected to their roots.
While the declaration asserts trees are sentient, it also distinguishes their rights from those of humans. The declaration clarifies that recognizing tree rights does not automatically equate to granting legal personhood, though legal personhood can be a mechanism for protecting natural entities.
The core idea behind recognizing trees as sentient beings is to shift the perspective away from viewing them solely as property or resources for exclusive human benefit.
Similar legal protections have been granted to other natural elements. In 2021, Quebec's Magpie River was granted legal personhood by the Innu Council of Ekuanitshit and the regional municipal council of Minganie, bestowing upon it nine rights, including freedom from pollution and the right to evolve naturally. Lake Erie in Ohio was temporarily granted legal personhood through the 2019 Lake Erie Bill of Rights, but a federal judge ruled the measure unconstitutional in 2020.
