Category: Victoria – Urban Forest

  • Remote Sensing: Garry Oak Species Detection Project

    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.

    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

    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.

    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

  • Climate funding Victoria’s Centennial Square and the Sequoia tree.

    Climate funding Victoria’s Centennial Square and the Sequoia tree.

    At the January 23rd Council of the Whole Meeting, Councillor Matt Dell shared his experiences of tree removal and replacement regarding the need to advance a city, thus emphasizing the need for context in urban planning. “I grew up in a farming family in the South Okanagan, where trees are cut down and replanted every… Read more

  • Council Member Motion – Urban Forest Canopy

    Council Member Motion – Urban Forest Canopy

    Council Member MotionFor the Committee of the Whole Meeting of April 3rd, 2025 COTW Video segment:https://pub-victoria.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx?Id=f613a2e9-ce96-43b6-aca8-b281afcdaf54&Agenda=Merged&lang=English&Item=23&Tab=attachments Motion (.pdf)https://pub-victoria.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=101687 BACKGROUND: A significant value for Victorians is nature, our climate, our hills, our natural green areas, and our urban forest. Section 4, Blue Green Networks of the 2025 DRAFT OCP, includes a brief description of the City’s… Read more

  • City of Victoria’s 2019-2023 LiDAR vegetation change detection analysis

    City of Victoria Tree Canopy  Using LiDAR data to Measure the City’s Tree Canopy. LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology uses laser pulses to create detailed 3D models of the environment. The City of Victoria’s Urban Forest Canopy Analysis from 2019 to 2023 was posted on Wednesday, April 02, 2025. Individual data points create point… Read more

  • Presentation to Council- Urban Forest and Natural Assets, City of Victoria

    Presentation to Council- Urban Forest and Natural Assets, City of Victoria

    Presentation: Thursday, March 13, 2025 at 6:30 P.M. Council Chambers E. Request to Address Council E.7 Urban Forest and Natural Assets (LiDAR) update for Draft OCP “Victoria 2050” Video Link: https://pub-victoria.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx?Id=22a0de46-6b14-4887-83fe-114fa79ced8d&Agenda=Merged&lang=English&Item=29&Tab=attachments Documents: The City of Victoria has collected urban tree canopy data over multiple years by to perform ongoing measurements of its urban forest canopy. The City has outsourced urban tree canopy monitoring… Read more

  • VCAN Community Mapping Project

    VCAN Community Mapping Project

    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… Read more