Introduction and Overview: 

Garry Oak trees, British Columbia’s only native oak species, have existed in southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands for about 8000 years.  These trees, and their associated ecosystems, thrived for millennia. However, with only about 5% land coverage compared to historic times, they are now the most endangered ecosystems in B.C.. This is especially unfortunate because they support the most plant diversity of any land-based complex in B.C.’s coastal regions.

An example of a Garry Oak tree is shown in Figure 1. Click here for examples of Garry Oak Meadow plants.

Figure 1. A Garry Oak tree (in spring (top photo)  and winter (bottom photo)) located close to the restoration site.

Starting in the Fall of 2021, a project to restore a degraded area of privately owned Garry Oak meadows, located in British Columbia’s Gulf Islands, was conceived and initiated. This website describes the project progress.

Purpose:

In addition to restoring the meadows, an aim of this project is to document restoration efforts and results, thereby providing a useful example of Garry Oak Meadow restoration by novices and encouraging others to initiate their own nature restoration project.

Note:  Hover your mouse over “The Garry Project” title located in the top menu to see links to all sections of this project.