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.
The Rights of Trees, Woodlands and Forests Toolkit
The University of Sussex, UK has created a comprehensive guide to delivering rights-based protection for trees, woodlands and forests. Read more here
Trees More Valuable Standing
If in doubt as to the value of every tree left standing, please take a moment to watch and share this informative 6-minute video made by the Halifax parks department: A Tree for All Trades. This film makes clear the fact that large, mature trees are exponentially more…
Save the Garry Oaks And Tree Canopy on Lynnfield Crescent
The historic Garry Oaks on Lynnfield Crescent are more than just trees; they are living monuments to our shared heritage and an essential part of the urban canopy that enriches our community. These majestic oaks, some which have stood for over two centuries, not only…
Vast Tree Removals Set For Victoria, and Victoria’s OCP Update Means Significantly Fewer Big Trees
The following was posted on the Friends of Vancouver Island Facebook page: Friends of Vancouver Island | Tree Removal Notices Appearing Across Victoria | Facebook “Tree Removal Notices Appearing Across Victoria If you’ve been walking around Victoria lately, you…
National Tree Day 2025
Celebrated annually on September 24, National Tree Day is a holiday dedicated to recognizing the importance of trees in our lives. Initiated in 2011 by Tree Canada, this day serves as a tribute to the beauty, resilience, and crucial role of trees across Canada’s…
BC Old Growth Forest Update
Dear friends and forest protectors, The Oceanspray (or Ironwood), KÁȾEȽĆ in SENĆOŦEN, is just past its full bloom. It’s strong and enduring. Like us. Strong and enduring and just past our bloom. We are still here, still loving the forests of this land, still working…
Heat Dome Anniversary – BC’s Urban Trees Under Threat
June 23 marks the 4 th anniversary of the 2021 Heat Dome, an occurrence that most of us remember vividly. What we may not be aware of is that the Chief Coroner of BC investigated the reasons for the 619 resultant, publishing a major Report . One of its key…
Forest Ecosystem Improvement in China
I think you’ll enjoy this story on how China is improving its monoculture forest ecosystem in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. The program cost $150 million. If BC just stopped allowing old growth forests to be mowed down, we would achieve a better result…
Gene Miller: Turn Centennial Square Into A World-class Park With Sequoia, Fountain
Gene Miller is the only person we can think of who could write such a biting, funny and true article about what it would mean to Victorians if the city goes ahead with cutting down this beloved tree. “It’s worth wondering how our electeds and our urban design…
Let’s Force the City to Re-Examine Retrofitting the Crystal Pool
Replacing the Crystal Pool is a wasteful, uncreative solution to problems that could be addressed through a less costly retrofit. FINALLY, on New Year’s Eve I was able to do my one-kilometre swim again at the Crystal Pool after its 6 weeks of maintenance. I miss the…
Why I’m Voting NO in Crystal Pool Referendum
On Feb 8 the city of Victoria is asking residents to vote YES or NO to borrowing $189 million to replace Crystal Pool and for your preferred location: the current pool site in Central Park (NORTH) and right next to it over top of the Steve Nash basketball court,…
Crystal Pool Referendum — Vote YES! to a Retrofit, Vote NO! to a Replacement
Some of the reasons to say NO to the demolition of Crystal Pool: With 25% tariffs coming, the Globe & Mail (Jan 30, 2025) cautions, “Now is not the time to borrow.” To demolish the pool, the City is asking to borrow over $160 million. Building materials, such as…
Survey: Financing Conservation on Private Land in the Capital Region
Here’s an easy-to-do survey that I hope you will complete and share with your contacts. It involves rating your support for a series of statements on a 5-point scale. It comes from the Coastal Douglas-Fir Conservation Partnership and pertains to support for…
Save Harewood Plains
by Wylie Thomas, conservation biologist Please send a message to BC’s new Minister of Water, Lands, and Resource Stewardship, Randene Neill, to let her know how important it is to protect Harewood Plains in the Nanaimo area on Vancouver Island (and please cc the…
Langford Adopts Plans for Increased Tree Protection
Thanks to Mary Wagner and citizen support, Langford Council supported Wagner’s five part motion based on the Urban Forest Management Plan to help preserve and protect more of Langford’s urban canopy. Staff had a recommendation for part 1 and 2, and points…
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!
