By Jacklyn Jolicoeur and Ryan Senechal
The Commonwealth Games Legacy Garry Oaks
This was a legacy Garry oak tree planting project to commemorate the 1994 Commonwealth Games. Two members of GOMPS -Jean-Anne Whitman, landscape architect and Willie MacGillivray, together with the Ministry of Transportation and Highways, the Provincial Capital Commission, Forestry Canada and a group of community volunteers, participated in this project.
Planting Technique and Seedling Source
All of the planting techniques were arrived at through consultation with representatives of GOMPS, Forestry Canada and a project manager, Ms. Carol Jones, Professional Agrologist and Nursery operator in North Saanich at the time. The intent was to use “the planting project to assess the growth and health of Garry oak seedlings and to evaluate the use of seedling protection tubes.”
The site preparation included stripping, burying, and tilling the sod, blanketing the site with landscape cloth, and then covering it with bark mulch to keep weeds back. As such, the site approximates a near-natural, non-irrigated habitat.
The Garry oak seedlings were “plugs” grown the year before (1993) by Rob Hagel of the Pacific Forestry Centre. On February 19, 1994, volunteers planted 211 seedlings by inserting them into holes dug through the mulch and cloth with a tablet of Bestgro fertilizer placed into the bottom of each hole. Approximately 80% of the seedlings were shielded with protective tubes.
Previous Inspections
The planting clusters were inspected during March of 1994, April of 1995, and in October 1995. The writers do not have access to the records for these inspections. In the fall of 2005, Dr Michael Meagher (retired forester and honorary member of GOMPS) recorded some key measurements and statistics for the planting clusters in the GOMPS newsletter (June 2006), which form the basis of a comparison of the Garry oak trees in 2005 and 2025 (see table below).
The Bird of Paradise Pub (visible in previous 1995 and 2005 photos) is now obscured by the Garry oak trees that are now just over 30 years old.
2025 Remeasurement
During September of 2025, two members of GOMPS (Ryan Senechal, President and Jacklyn Jolicoeur, Director visited the plantation site and recorded basic tree inventory statistics for all remaining survivors of the plantation into a mobile application. The tree data collected included the GPS coordinates, DBH (diameter at breast height), tree height, tree condition, leaf condition, and tree comments. Here is a comparison summary of the Garry oak tree data over the years.
Quadra Interchange Sept 3, 2025 Tree Inventory (.pdf)
Comparison data of Garry oak tree data:
Data collected in 2025:
The Bird of Paradise Pub (visible in previous 1995 and 2005 photos) is now obscured by the Garry oak trees that are now just over 30 years old.
Some key takeaways from the assessment
- Garry oaks require some protection and establishment care to minimize plant mortality.
- Young tree mortality primarily occurred within the first 10 years of planting.
- Canopy growth and ring growth rates are slow but faster than estimated in 2006 article).
- Narrow spacing between Garry oak trees has a considerable effect on understory biodiversity. These Garry oaks were planted at approximately 3.5 to 4 metres apart. Optimum spacing would be 10 metres.
- Shrubs and herbaceous species were lacking in the understory. Multiple stick nests were present, but the species occupying those nests could not be identified.
- The trees were crowded and crowns overlapped.
- Acorn collection should take the Garry oak tree form into consideration. The majority of trees planted demonstrated similar branch architecture. One defect that consistently appeared was forks with included bark.
Future Opportunities – Short Term
- Resurrect a sign at the Quadra Interchange to acknowledge this legacy tree planting project
- Remeasurement of the McKenzie interchange that was also planted in 1994.
- Introduce stand management to address weak branch unions, improve tree spacing and enhance understory biodiversity.
Future Opportunities – Long Term
- Resurrect the vision for the Ministry of Transport (MOT) to improve the local highway landscape with interagency cooperation amongst local governments, GOMPS and others in the volunteer environmental community. This vision would pursue enhancement to the large linear greenway along highways with Garry oak tree/meadow plantings to promote biodiversity, climate adapted natural vegetation and create improved driving experience.
- Extend planting areas and incorporate companion species. Improve access from Quadra St and incorporate seating.
Left Picture: Ryan is recording tree data using the mobile app with a GPS locator (see orange pole on the left-hand side of the Garry oak tree).
Right Picture: The young Garry oak trees have an average height of just under 6 metres.
Sources:
Jane Waters, Roadside Development Programs, Ministry of Highways and Transportation, “Ministry describes highway replanting program” Garry Oak Meadow Preservation Society Newsletter, Volume 2, Number 8, Page 4, September 1995.
Pierre d’Estrube, President GOMPS, “The Quadra Overpass Garry Oak Plantation” Garry Oak Meadow Preservation Society Newsletter, Volume 13, Number 1, Page 5, June 2006.