By Morgan Lowrie A small town west of Montreal has decided to officially recognize trees as living beings with rights of their own, in what an environmental organization describes as a first in Quebec and Canada. A resolution adopted by Terrasse-Vaudreuil city council on June 9 declares that trees are worthy of protection, “including the right to life, to natural growth, to integrity and to regeneration.” Mayor Michel Bourdeau says Quebec filmmaker André Desrochers inspired the community to take action. He said Desrochers’ film, called “Des arbes et des arts” convinced citizens that trees are living entities that live, breathe and communicate with each other through their root systems. “A tree is like a human being,” Bourdeau said. “It breathes, it lives, it takes in water. It protects us from…
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