Oak Bay’s Grow Your Oaks program has hit 50 buyers of the initial 71 target and with Tree Appreciation Day on Sunday, the municipality is looking for more buyers.
Oak Bay launched its Grow Your Oaks program, spearheaded by the Community Association of Oak Bay, with a goal of planting 5,000 trees on private property by 2045.
It aims to enhance the Oak Bay canopy cover by 40 per cent.
“Grow Your Oaks is going really well,” said Chris Hyde-Lay, Parks Services manager. “This is the right time of year to plant and we’re hoping more people will join us for Tree Appreciation Day.”
READ MORE: Oak Bay plants new program for National Tree Day
The first tree will go in the yard of Oak Bay couple Jena Croft and Jer Walz. The program was inspired Jena’s mother Jill Croft, who cofounded the community association. Croft listed it in her will to plant Garry oaks and the association strived for 71.
Both the municipality and the community association of Oak Bay are hosting an event with for Tree Appreciation Day at Uplands Park from 10 a.m. to noon on Sunday.
Speakers will talk about the importance of trees in the community, how to protect and grow Oak Bay’s Urban Forest, how to choose the right tree for the right place, and how to plant a tree properly and band trees against pests.
There will also be a chance to transplant two-year-old seedlings and take one home for a donation.
Kids can even try tree climbing with a harness.
There will be two walks, the first led by Wylie Thomas on Garry oak ecosystems in Uplands Park at 10:30 a.m. followed by a neighbourhood tree walk with arborist Ron Carter at 11:30 a.m.
Refreshments will be provided. Meet at the Cattle Point entrance at Beach Drive.
Also of note is that the Uplands Central Meadow will be closed once again this winter to protect the endangered Garry oak ecosystem.
