Category: Victoria – Urban Forest
-
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
-
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
-
Do Tree Protection Bylaws really “protect” the urban forest since the introduction of new housing regulations and legislation?
Summary: This article explores how recent provincial housing legislation has affected the effectiveness of municipal tree protection bylaws. The article examines the interaction between development policy, tree retention, and long-term urban forest conservation. Tree Protection bylaws for the urban forest are municipal. Each municipality is slightly different, but they are all affected by provincial legislation.… Read more
-
Why is Plantable Space an important metric
As a measurement, plantable space is the leading indicator of an sustainable urban forest, while overall tree canopy measurement is a lagging indicator. A loss of plantable space reduces the opportunity for canopy at the local level, meaning at the neighbourhood level. The benefits that the trees provide and protects the whole of a city for shade, stormwater and heat reduction through evaporation.… Read more
-
Gonzales Community Green Map
In 2018, the Gonzales Neighbourhood Association (GNA) initiated a community mapping exercise in cooperation with the University of Victoria – Geography Department. Seven years later, they are proud to announce that the Community Map is finished. The 2025 map includes a proposed migration corridor that links the ocean environment found at the Gonzales Observatory with the protected… Read more
-
Remote Sensing: Garry Oak Species Detection Project
Squirrel for Mayor was at the Victoria International Airport on June 24, 2025 for the Remote Sensing: Garry Oak Species Detection Project with the Garry Oak Meadow Preservation Society and Terra Remote Sensing to launch a Bell 206B3 Jet Ranger, equipped with a Phase One IXM-100 camera for aerial data acquisition to perform Garry oak species detection… Read more
-
Index of documentation related to Centennial Square and the Sequoia
Originally posted at CRD WATCH In order to make information about Centennial Square and the Sequoia organized and easily accessible, CRDWatch.ca has made an index of documentation regarding Centennial Square and the Sequoia. The index is a stark challenge to the City of Victoria’s faulty narrative regarding the tree, which collapsed when faced with the analysis of a… Read more
-
SENSITIVE ECOSYSTEM POLICY FOR GONZALES Neighbourhood.
(PROPOSED) June 4, 2019 The Gonzales neighbourhood contains the second highest remaining forest cover in Victoria (after Rockland). Gonzales also contains intact understory and sensitive ecosystems to support a range of birds and wildlife associated with this tree cover. This is unique to Victoria as virtually the rest of the city has been altered or… Read more
-
A Rally to Save the Centennial Sequoia. June 12th at 12 noon (lunchtime rally) at Centennial Square, City of Victoria Municipal Hall
The inaugural event attended by Squirrel for Mayor was at “A Rally to Save the Centennial Sequoia,” planned by “Friends of Centennial Square,” a group of residents from the City of Victoria. The rally was aimed at protesting the City Council’s decision to remove a mature sequoia tree to facilitate a redesign of the square. Over time, the Sequoia… Read more
-
A Freedom of Information response revealed that City of Victoria staff stated in February 2024 that none of the trees in Centennial Square met the criteria for removal.
Originally posted at CRD WATCH A Freedom of Information response revealed that City of Victoria staff stated in February 2024 that none of the trees in Centennial Square met the criteria for removal.The document provides compelling evidence that counters later claims by City of Victoria councillors that the trees are unsafe. The document also underscores… Read more