Presentation by Ryan Senechal at the GOMPS AGM on November 17th, 2024

Summary

Garry Oak Meadow Preservation Society is a volunteer-run non-profit based in Saanich, BC that advocates for individual Garry oak and Garry oak ecosystem protection and stewardship. Mapping and analysis of the overall Garry oak ecosystem and individual trees in the Capital Regional District is out of date. LiDAR is a cost-effective, high accuracy method of forest analysis that enables measurements such as change to tree populations through intensifying land development. Our interest is in developing a new approach to map Garry oak species presence using LiDAR and machine learning. By conducting species specific detection analysis to form a species composition baseline, we can enable future analysis opportunities that are Garry oak and Garry oak ecosystem specific. This is an important contribution to a growing body of regional urban forest mapping that could influence changes in tree protection policies (e.g., enhanced existing tree protections and requirements for Garry oak replacement trees through private development), and management and planning for Garry oaks on public property.

Analysis

Our initial analysis goals are to perform Garry oak species detection within a minimum of a single municipality (City of Victoria) and eventually expand the method to survey all municipalities in the Capital Regional District. We hope to have located and calculated the overall Garry oak canopy area. Our goal is to offer the Garry oak mapping and high resolution raw LiDAR/ortho data flown for this project publicly. This data sharing will support researchers, community members and other nonprofit organizations with our Garry oak species analysis, and also enable additional novel data analysis approaches supporting Garry oaks and Garry oak ecosystems.

Presentation slides (.pdf)

Presentation by Carollyne Yardley at AGM November 17, 2024.

A conversation about the distribution of biodiversity within and between the City of Victoria's neighbourhoods.

To complement the City’s excellent inventory of all trees on public land, the Victoria Community Association Network (VCAN) has involved each neighbourhood in an inventory of Garry oaks and other elements of biodiversity on private property. Each neighbourhood developed their own approach and will be reporting back to residents on what they learned and what we have learned about the larger patterns within our urban forest.

The urban area of the City of Victoria is the Garry oak ecosystem (GOE)–– a fact often left out of discussions on the urban forest.  Objectives of the project include:

• to connect people, cultural connections to the territory, map current Garry oak distribution, enhance canopy equity.
• to directly benefit residents and wildlife, wildlife corridors for the movement and dispersal of organisms, and establish nodes of functioning.
• assist in protecting and restoring the function of sensitive ecosystems and natural areas, including habitat corridors and assist with the parks acquisition strategy (9.2 of the Official Community Plan). 
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This project was made possible by a City of Victoria "My Great Neighbourhood Grant", the volunteers, a GIC consultant, and support letters from the Sierra Club and the Rockland Neighbourhood Association who administered the grant.

​GOMPS provided a letter of support and urban forest expertise via a walking tour for participants. 

Presenatation Slides
Presentation slides by Carollyne Yardley (.pdf) (Rockland Neighbourhood)
Printed slide deck at wrap up event by Jacklyn Jolicoeur (.pdf) (James Bay Neighbourhood)

Mapping Tutorials
VCAN Mapping Tutorial (.pdf) (Cedar Shore Consulting)
Ken Wong's Organic Maps Tutorial (.pdf) (Hillside/Quadra)

Preliminary Suitable Habitat Analysis
Preliminary statistical analysis of environmental characteristics at mapped Garry Oak Tree locations (.pdf) (Cedar Shore Consulting)

Dear Developer: An Earthly Invitation template (.pdf) (March 2025)

Final Report - VCAN Community Mapping Project (.pdf) (March 2025)

​Zoom to enlarge areas on the map. The City of Victoria Garry oak tree inventory data is noted in green. Other points represent individual trees or areas where Garry oaks exist. Please note, this is not an individual Garry oak tree count and does not represent all Garry oak trees in the City of Victoria. Neighbourhoods participating in this community building project included Burnside Gorge, Downtown, Fairfield / Gonzales, Fernwood, Hillside Quadra, James Bay, North Jubilee, South Jubilee, North Park, Oaklands, Rockland, Victoria West.