Trees in Victoria

The City of Victoria Urban Forest Master Plan (February 2013) recommends that a canopy cover goal of 40% would be appropriate for cities in the Pacific Northwest. Table 1 of that document, citing a 2013 LIDAR analyses, states Victoria’s City Wide Canopy Coverage was 26%.

Victoria City Councillors approved a significant motion on April 3, 2025 to address the tree deficit we currently have in the city and included an important aspect of the Tree Masterplan that has been ignored since 2013 into the draft Official Community Plan.

However if you read a recent assessment of tree cover in Victoria it is plain to see we will not be able to reach this important goal: https://garryoakecosystem.com/2025/04/city-of-victorias-2019-2023-lidar-vegetation-change-detection-analysis/