Trees in the City: An RCS Vancouver Island Project
Trees are essential for life. They are an integral and intimate component of who we are and are embodied and embedded in how we are to live an earthly life.
Therein lies the purpose upon which Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, invited the Commonwealth Heads of Government in 2015 to establish the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy (QCC), a Commonwealth-wide collection of Indigenous forests, conserved for future generations. Canada contributed its Great Bear Rainforest to the QCC in 2016.
Inspired by the QCC, in 2019 the Royal Commonwealth Society Vancouver Island Branch (RCSVI) launched plans to offer its own extension to the QCC with an Urban Grove of Trees.
The Urban Grove of Trees will serve four purposes:
- To reinforce the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy
- To celebrate the Society’s centennial
- To honour the contribution trees provide for life, especially as a way to mitigate some of the negative effects of climate variance
- To ensure local and visiting residents a place for peace and serenity in the midst of many urbanization stress and demands
In Victoria, B.C., seven Nyssa sylvatica trees were planted in February 2021 in the Inner Harbour’s Triangle Green. The path of trees was unveiled on Commonwealth Day, 09th March 2021 and became known as the Queen’s Platinum Path.
RCS V.I., initially incorporated in 1919, plays a singular significant role supporting, not only ecological integrity, but also economical diversity and ecumenological inclusivity in the vision of Respect, Curiosity, and Service as well as the vitality of Reciprocity, Conviviality, and Sustainability.
Further information is available by emailing [email protected].
Header image: Kasey Eriksen. (CC BY-SA 2.0)