We are a community-led action group for respectful development and urban tree preservation and protection. Helping trees survive and thrive is our mission.
If you care about trees and urban forests in your community, let us know
Click here to learn more about the Community Trees Matter Network
The Community Trees Matter Network came together out of a desire to bring more voices together in support for our urban trees and forests and to find out what resources and information we can share.
Thanks to a Greater Victoria Acting Together listening campaign hosted by the Sierra Club late this past summer, a number of us were introduced to share our interest and passion for trees. What we found was that each of us has some knowledge about trees, municipal planning processes and a desire to protect, preserve and see the planting of more trees. To avoid duplication of efforts, we have started the Community Trees Matter Network.
We have grown into a volunteer, citizen-led coalition of people who value urban trees and want to work with regional municipal authorities to ensure more is done to protect, preserve, and plant and maintain trees to ensure they survive and thrive.
In collaboration with the Creatively United for the Planet non-profit society, we host our information within the CreativelyUnited.org website. This community social sharing network allows individuals and organizations wanting to connect, share, and collaborate to post, free-of-charge, information, upcoming events, notices, stories and photos.
Our hope is that through our combined efforts we can help support projects that involve trees. We have found councils and mayors very responsive. A number of us have presented to Victoria City Council, Saanich Council and Esquimalt Council.
Victories include: Victoria council and mayor agreeing to explore other site options for the Crystal Pool project that don’t involve cutting established trees and destroying adjacent park space, plus forward movement on implementation of the 2013 Urban Forest Management Plan and tree preservation bylaw updates; support for saving mature trees on Grange Road in Saanich; and Haro Woods finally receiving more protection.
We have had interviews on the CBC, CHEK TV, plus many letters published by the Victoria News and the Times-Colonist. Creatively United has been sharing our information to their mailing list of 5,000+ people, providing updates to the website, and sharing on social media. If you are on Facebook, please follow both CreativelyUnited and TreesMatterNetwork.
Please feel free to send us your information and updates to post here. Together, anything is possible! Let’s leverage the power of our combined networks so that we can help each other.
Upzoning Proposal by City Threatens Democracy – Petition
Victoria Mayor, Lisa Helps, wants to force a vote (May 12th.) on an initiative that will seriously impact housing for homeowners and renters in Victoria long into the future. Crucially, it will involve upzoning residential areas of Victoria to allow development of up...
Worth More Standing Anthology Launch Event
Join Christine Lowther, Tofino's Poet Laureate for the launch of Worth More Standing: Poets and Activists Pay Homage to Trees Anthology. About this event The launch of Worth More Standing: Poets and Activists Pay Homage to Trees will open at 12:30 p.m. and the event...
Coastal Forestry Video
This video, written and narrated by Ken Wu, and edited by Darryl Augustine, looks at incredible forest ecosytems, including the charismatic and endangered Garry Oak and Arbutus forest ecosystems found on eastern Vancouver...
Saanich Naturescape Program
Support Nature in Your Neighbourhood Naturescape is a program and concept to protect, maintain and enhance wildlife habitat and native biodiversity. It encourages creating diversity, layers and edges and using native plants on your property and in the re-design of...
Children of the Trees
This past summer I watched two dozen cedars slowly die outside my window in False Creek. In a matter of months, they turned from green to rust, stood like candles ready to be lit on a day of mourning. I watched men climb them with chainsaws, slice them, and feed them to the wood chipper. I sat behind my glass door in vigil.
Earth Day Release – The Last Stand Premiere
The story of Fairy Creek comes to the world stage! In the summer of 2021, Canadian filmmaker Peter von Puttkamer and his crew made the trek to Fairy Creek to document the struggle and speak first-hand with the forest defenders...
Take a Stand for James Bay’s Cherry Trees
I'm hoping you can help us with this campaign. If you have admired the gorgeous cherry trees on Menzies St. near Niagara, I am sorry to tell you that a developer is going to cut them all down - in order to move the sidewalk over a few feet. And the city has given them...
City of Victoria Tree Opportunities
Join the Trees in Cities Challenge The City of Victoria is working with the community to plant 5,000 trees on public and private land in the United Nations Trees in Cities Challenge. In 2020, the City increased tree planting...
Trees Pay Decades of Dividends
There is a vestigial image of Canada – a raw and vast land of forests, lakes and mountains. Forests, most of all. At Confederation, 154 years ago, this was true for most people. Fewer than one in five lived in a city. At the start of the Second World War, close to half the population still lived in rural areas. But this changed rapidly thereafter.
Tuesdays for Trees Campaign
Tuesdays for Trees is a campaign devised by the Climate Action Research Team of Greater Victoria Acting Together. The idea is to have something happen every Tuesday to raise public awareness and pressure decision makers regarding the importance of trees and forests in...
Help Create Healing Forests
Nature heals — in more ways than one. Science shows that spending time in nature reduces stress and anxiety and boosts energy, creativity, co-ordination, problem solving and curiosity. For Earth Day, you can make MORE green spaces available to MORE people. Donate to...
Kings Park Supporters: Action Required & Important Fundraising Update
URGENT CALL TO ACTION Please call or email Saanich Council before it’s too late --> Ask that 1.75M CRD sourced funds be applied to finally Save Kings Community Nature Space. In this era of climate crisis we must save our precious green spaces, they are...
Being a Voice for the Forest: A Guide for Taking Action
As human beings we are an inseparable part of the natural world. Our existence depends on a good relationship with our non-human relatives. Unfortunately, the current model of forestry practiced in this province breaks the relationships between ourselves and nature....
Getting Back to the Garden at Fairy Creek
I came upon a child of God, he was walking along the road, And I asked him, “Where are you going?”, and this he told me, I’m going on down to Fairy Creek, I’m gonna try and save some trees, I’m gonna camp out on the land, I’m gonna try and get my soul free
Working Together Enhances Community Well-Being
We couldn't help but share this good news story that shows what is possible when people come together to take a stand for common good. Fortunately, the developer of this project had the right attitude, was open-minded and understood how their actions would impact the...
I just had the chance to view the City of Victoria Council video – hat’s off to you for bringing bright, new, constructive talks to the city about the urban forest! It was awesome to see city staff clapping, even though the Mayor had to remind them of the rules. Takes good speakers to get staff to cheer!
