Category: Victoria – Urban Forest
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Dear Councillor Jeremy Caradonna: Facts Matter – Victoria’s Urban Forest
In a Facebook post on July 21, 2026, Victoria City Councillor Jeremy Caradonna highlighted the City’s climate accomplishments, including the expansion of the urban forest. Unfortunately, his summary does not accurately reflect the City’s own technical report. Councillor Caradonna wrote that Victoria’s canopy increased from 26% to 30% since 2020 (monitoring to 2023). According to Terra Remote Sensing’s… Read more
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Urban Forest Myths: Debunking the Debunkers
Summary: This article reviews common claims about urban trees and compares them with current urban forestry research. Topics include replacement planting, mature tree value, biodiversity, and the ecological role of urban forests in climate resilience. By 🐿️ Squirrel for Mayor What does the urban forest have to do with housing myths? That is a fair… Read more
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Bill 16: An Untapped Opportunity for Victoria’s Urban Forest
Much of the public discussion about housing legislation has focused on what municipalities can no longer do. Bills 44, 46, and 47 reduced local control over density and removed public hearings for many residential developments. As a result, communities across British Columbia have struggled with how to protect urban forests while accommodating growth. Yet another… Read more
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How We Learned to Talk Ourselves Out of Ecology
While having lunch with a longtime friend recently, our conversation turned to housing. He had just finished reading Gregor Craigie’s book and, before long, we were discussing density, zoning, and the future of our cities. Then he asked me something that stopped me for a moment. “Urban forest is kind of an oxymoron, isn’t it?”… Read more
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What Does It Mean to Live in an Urban Forest?
By Squirrel For Mayor Living in an urban forest isn’t just about having trees nearby or pockets of green space stitched between streets and buildings. It’s about place—and the many spaces required for life to unfold across species, seasons, and scales. In this short video, we see black-tailed deer teaching their young, a Cooper’s hawk navigating food spaces,… Read more
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Setbacks, Soil, and Survival: Why Urban Forest Protection in Victoria Starts with Space
By Squirrel for Mayor Summary: This article explores how setbacks, soil volume, and plantable space influence the long-term survival of urban trees. The article examines how development patterns affect tree retention, replacement opportunities, and the capacity of cities to sustain a healthy urban forest. Setbacks are often treated as a technical zoning detail—numbers on a… Read more
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Urban forests as essential infrastructure for climate resilience and biodiversity: A call to policymakers
Manuel Esperon-Rodriguez, Stefan Arndt, Michael Osei Asibey, Benno Andreas Augustinus, Albert Bach, Monica Ballinas, Victor L. Barradas, David N. Barton, Juergen Bauhus … See all authors First published: 06 November 2025 https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.70125 Disclaimer: The New Phytologist Foundation remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in maps and in any institutional affiliations. OPEN LETTER TO POLICYMAKERS AT THE 30TH MEETING OF THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES… Read more
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Urban Forest and Land Use Development Analysis: Rockland Neighbourhood Ryan Senechal MUFL, October 2025
AbstractThis report examines the relationship between urban forest canopy, land-use policy, and development pressures in the Rockland neighbourhood within the context of the City of Victoria’s 2025 Official Community Plan update and its 2050 urban forest canopy targets. Drawing on City datasets, LiDAR-based canopy analyses, tree inventory records, annual reports, and information obtained through Freedom… Read more
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City of Victoria – Official Community Plan 10-Year Update: Official Community Plan Bylaw, Zoning Bylaw 2018 and Zoning Regulation Bylaw Amendments
The Rockland Neighbourhood Association and the Garry Oak Meadow Preservation Society presented at the public hearing for the Official Community Plan Update on September 11, 2025. The hearing took place over the course of four hearing dates, with Mayor and Councillors voting 5 to 3 to approve the new blueprint for the City and its… Read more
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The Inconvenient Garry Oak Ecosystem: Distinguishing Native Trees from House Plants through Victoria’s Draft OCP.
Summary: This article examines how Victoria’s planning policies address the urban forest while considering the unique conservation needs of the Garry oak ecosystem. The article explores the relationship between native ecosystems, biodiversity, and municipal planning. By Squirrel for Mayor August 26, 2025 The urban area of the City of Victoria is the Garry oak (Quercus… Read more