The municipality of Terrasse-Vaudreuil in Quebec, Canada, has passed a bylaw formally recognising trees as living beings with inherent rights, becoming one of the first jurisdictions in the country to grant legal status to nature in this way. Local officials say the move is intended to protect the town's tree canopy from development pressures and to acknowledge trees' role in combating climate change, framing them as allies in efforts to cool the environment, absorb carbon and support biodiversity.

The measure follows a growing international "rights of nature" movement, which has previously seen rivers, forests and other natural features granted legal personhood in countries such as New Zealand, Ecuador and Bangladesh. Supporters argue the designation gives authorities stronger legal grounds to prevent unnecessary felling and to prioritise tree preservation in planning decisions, while critics have dismissed the move as largely symbolic or excessive. The bylaw applies specifically within the small Quebec town, whose leaders describe trees as central to the community's environmental resilience.