Ryan Senechal: Removing Sequoia Would Violate City of Victoria Policies
The redesign of Victoria’s Centennial Square is moving closer toward breaking ground, and there remains a chance for sober second thought on the fate of a highly appreciated giant sequoia. We’ve been informed that the removal is to improve sightlines for public safety…
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Let The Sequoia Live!
In July, Victoria’s mayor and council voted to cut down the giant sequoia that has been a focal point of Centennial Square for past decades, as part of a planned redesign of the space. Two other large trees will also be removed. These include a healthy sweetgum, and the beautiful Shirofugen Japanese flowering cherry…
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How To Save Oodles of Precious Water!
Residents throughout BC were recently asked to start conserving water. Bowinn Ma, our new minister of emergency management and climate readiness, said water supply is already extremely low in much of the province. All of Vancouver Island is now at Drought Level 5, the... Read more
Tree removal should be last alternative
Too often, municipalities seem to think mature trees are just in the way. That needs to change, because those trees benefit public health and even save lives. Like every municipality, Saanich needs bike lanes, safe sidewalks, and up-to-date utility pipes. But were any... Read more
Urgent news for Victoria tree lovers
Dear friends of the urban forest, This Thursday, August 4th, Victoria city council is holding a public hearing about the proposed “Missing Middle” zoning change. This unprecedented change could mean a massive loss of city trees — yet with no... Read more
Opportunities to Help Protect Nature
Two opportunities to help nature are coming up soon. You may not be aware that in BC, there is less than 1% of the biggest old-growth trees left. Keeping these forests standing is among our best tools for mitigating climate change. Yet government and industry still... Read more
Controversial Developments
Focus Magazine wants people to let them know about any controversial developments in Greater Victoria. “Are you concerned about a particular development in Greater Victoria? Keep Focus posted and we’ll add it to our coverage. Email focusedit@shaw.ca or use... Read more
Book Review: The Legacy of Luna, by Julia Butterfly Hill
Feeling cooped up with the lockdown? Imagine living in a 200-ft-tall redwood tree for more than two years. Twenty years ago, Julia Butterfly Hill did just that, to draw attention to the continued clearcutting of California’s remaining redwood forests.
Read moreExperts Talk on Adapting to Climate Change
Oak Bay Parks, Recreation and Culture, the Community Association of Oak Bay and Friends of Uplands Park invite you to an Experts Talk on Adapting to Climate Change on December 2nd at 7 pm at the Monterey Community Centre, 1442 Monterey Ave, Victoria. Dr. Richard... Read more
How To Plant Trees If You Don’t Own Land
Fall is a great time to start trees from seeds or nuts. Plant them in pots you can keep in a cool place indoors. (Research the type of trees you want to start on the internet first – the methods are different for many species.
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How To Plant Trees
Fall is a great time to plant trees! In the Pacific Northwest, fall may be the best time to plant trees. They have time to develop roots before it gets cold. They also benefit from developing yet more roots in spring — before they have to start using some of... Read more
City of Victoria Announces Participation in UN’s Trees for Cities Challenge
At a time when urban forests are rapidly diminishing, the City of Victoria this year made a commitment to expanding and protecting ours, by adding $1 million to the Parks budget. It also committed $850,000 annually going forward.
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Free Trees! Garry Oaks, Bigleaf Maples & More
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago…The next best time is now.” – Chinese Proverb Fall is a great time to collect seeds and nuts that will grow into free trees. Even those of us who don’t own property can enjoy starting seedlings for others to plant in... Read more
Trees (and Shrubs) For Free!
Why not try your hand at propagating some trees and/or shrubs? Not all species are easy to grow from cuttings, but many will respond to your care and effort. When the saplings or plants are established, you can plant them in your own yard, or ask friends and family... Read more
It’s Time We Stopped Treating Soil Like Dirt – Video
This is a fantastic, lively and very informative short video on the vital importance of dirt. Basically, soil keeps us all alive, because it grows the food we eat. It can also be an important carbon sink. “Soil provides 95% of our food, helps regulate the... Read more
Free Boulevard Tree Planting in Saanich & Oak Bay
If you live in Saanich, you can get a free tree planted on your boulevard! Check out this link for more info. (If you live in Oak Bay, they have a similar program! It is not posted, but for more info on Oak Bay’s boulevard tree program, call... Read more
Tree activists call for better transparency after Humboldt Street tree removal
“It was misleading to say they had ‘broad public support’ … Ultimately, the number of people who signed the petition to save the tree, in less than three days, was more than the number of people they’d consulted with about the project over a period of two... Read more
Tree planting ‘has mind-blowing potential’ to tackle climate crisis
Planting billions of trees across the world (and preventing more deforestation) is by far the biggest and cheapest way to tackle the climate crisis, according to scientists.
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This tree has a lot of friends!
Thanks also to everyone who used or shared our template letter to the city, and to those who wrote their own letters.
Although some feel this is just one tree, we feel it is worth saving if possible. And if we can’t, we hope this outcry will encourage the City to think more carefully about plans to remove more public trees in the future…
Please tell them trees are important!
We have precious opportunities right now, to let our community know what is most important to us.
They are firming up budgets. They want to know where they should spend our money. Let’s tell them!
The Value of City Trees
Some cities really understand the value of trees. Melbourne is planning on doubling its canopy by 2050. Athens wants to plant more trees to help it deal with urban heat islands, and flash floods. Seoul recently planted more than 2000 groves and gardens.
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Letter to share re: Finnerty Road Trees
Your support is requested to save trees slated for removal on Finnerty Road. These tree are in the median (which would be removed as part of the project) and adjacent to the southbound lane (opposite side of the road from the UVic Child Care Centre, under the Hydro... Read more
Increasing Benefits of Trees
According to i-Tree, this Western Red Cedar recently cut down at 600 Foul Bay Road in Victoria, measured five feet in diameter, would have provided the following benefits this year (and each year this tree survived the benefits would have increased):
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Tree Huggers Spotted in Oak Bay
Vijaya Taylor hugs a mature Garry Oak tree in Oak Bay. She is a member of Community Trees Matter Network, which advocates for retaining mature trees, as well as increasing municipal canopies to 30 to 40 per cent. (Photo: John Taylor) Read more
Suggestions For Tree Health and Preservation
Trees perform important eco-services, such as creating oxygen, cooling the air during our increasingly long, hot summers, reducing storm water, and most importantly, they store carbon. Big trees store a lot more carbon than saplings do. Big trees do more of everything on that list than saplings do.
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Losing trees in Victoria: one mature tree equals 269 saplings
We should all be concerned about global warming. We can see the changes happening now; our summers are longer and a lot drier. But I wonder if the City cares. Because I don’t see much evidence they’re trying to save our mature trees, one of the few factors that reduce... Read more
Why Trees Matter, A Lot!
Mankind has embarked on a huge, uncontrolled experiment – we have destroyed about 80 per cent of the world’s forests. More are destroyed every minute. How long can we last without them? Instead of waiting to find out, many people are planting thousands, even millions of trees.
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All Things Trees: A Collection of Articles Worth Reading
From climate change to local developments, these links contain lots of great information about trees and keeping our forest communities green.
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Book Review: The Man Who Planted Trees: Lost Groves, Champion Trees, and an Urgent Plan to Save the Planet
Jim Robbins was incredulous when David Milarch first told him he was cloning ‘champion trees’ because angels had told him to during a near-death experience. “I thought he was joking or spinning a yarn, but he said it all with a straight face,” Robbins said.
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