Sub Quercu Felicitas: Place, Knowledge, and Victoria’s Garry Oaks (Quercus garryana​), 1843-2008

A Masters Thesis authored by Mathew Riddell Cavers on the history, areas of knowledge, and importance of Garry oaks to the municipalities and citizens of Greater Victoria from 1843 to 2008.

Cavers contends that "people negotiate connections to place through trees such as Garry oaks" and that the findings of his research "can help to explain the plight of the Garry oak by casting light on ambiguities and dissonances in the ways that Victoria’s diverse citizenry relates to the places they inhabit".

Download his thesis from our website by clicking here.

Coastal Oakscapes: A story in pictures about an iconic and culturally important ecosystem in evolution

Photos and stories by Shanna Baker about coastal Garry oak ecosystems, published on Hakai Magazine. "Humans had a role in shaping Garry oak ecosystems as we know them—and now in coastal British Columbia have a role in saving the few patches that remain." Photo and quote by Shanna Baker

View the article at: www.hakaimagazine.com/videos-visuals/coastal-oakscapes

Why You Should Plant Oaks

Article by Margaret Roach in the New York Times on the ecological benefits of growing oak trees: "These large, long-lived trees support more life-forms than any other trees in North America. And they’re magnificent."

View the article at: www.nytimes.com/2021/03/31/realestate/oak-trees-why-you-should-plant.html

Community Trees Matter Network

The Community Trees Matter Network are a community-led action group for respectful development and urban tree preservation and protection. Helping trees survive and thrive is their mission. If you care about trees and urban forests in your community, they would love to hear from you.

Visit their website at: creativelyunited.org/community-trees-matter-network

Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team

The Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team (GOERT) has a website with many photos, lots of information, and handbooks that can be downloaded, for example, The Garry Oak (Quercus garryana) Gardener’s Handbook. 

Be sure to visit their website located at www.goert.ca.

Habitat Acquisition Trust (HAT)

Habitat Acquisition Trust helps people understand and care for natural environments in the Capital region.  They are a non-profit, local land trust.

HAT works to protect ecosystems and habitat permanently. They do this in three ways:

• land acquisition through purchase or donation;
• conservation covenants;
• education & stewardship.

Their website it located at www.hat.bc.ca.    

Garry Oak  Ecosystems of British Columbia: An Educator’s Guide

This Educator’s Guide was developed for K-12 Educators, Community Educators, Naturalists, Park Rangers, Youth Leaders and Guides.

Teachers and community leaders will find themes and activities covering plant and animal identification, habitat needs, seasonal changes, journal writing, mapping, First Nations legends, drama, and conservation techniques.

The Guide is published by the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund's Educational Program - use this link to purchase or see their About Us>Contact Us page hctfeducation.ca to enquire about purchasing a copy from their Victoria Office.

Garry Oak  Plant Communities in British Columbia: A Guide to Identification

Complied by Wayne R. Erickson and Del Meidinger for the Research Branch, this Technical Report, reference number TR040, is published by the British Columbia Ministry of Forest and is freely available from their library. 

Here is a direct link to the report www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/pubs/Docs/Tr/Tr040.pdf. 

This 91 page field guide covers the native plant communities with a component of Garry oak (Quercus garryana) in British Columbia. It is a guide to identification of these communities, which can be applied to the woodlands, savannah, meadow, and rock outcrops within and near the zone of influence of oak canopy.