Departments > Parks, Recreation and Community Development > Parks Division > Storm Damage Tree Donation Program

"The Heart and Lungs of our Community"

Give the Gift that Grows...and Help Re-plant our Urban Forest

Trees provide a wealth of environmental and health benefits to urban areas such as Victoria. These benefits include beautifying our surroundings, providing wildlife habitat, reducing the impact of global warming and greenhouse gases on our air quality, reducing erosion and storm water runoff and increasing property values.

Recent snow and wind storms have had a devastating impact on Victoria's urban forest. In Victoria alone, over 200 trees were lost from the City's Boulevards and parks and more than 1,500 trees were seriously damaged during the storms. The long term impacts of this damage may not be known for several years.

To help regenerate Victoria's urban greenscape, the City of Victoria Parks, Recreation and Community Development Department, in cooperation with the Parks and Recreation foundation of Victoria, has launched a public fundraising campaign to involve citizens in the replanting of trees throughout the City. The 'Greenheart' Tree Donation program aims to raise funds for the replanting of over 200 trees along City boulevards and in parks city-wide.

VanCity Savings Credit Union has made a generous contribution of $2000.00 to kick off the campaign. "It is our pleasure to help with the restoration of our greenspace," said Danella Parks, Community Investment Manager for VanCity's Victoria, branch. "We hope that our contribution will encourage others to give."

"Trees are the heart and lungs of our community," said Councillor Pam Madoff, council representative to the City's Parks Advisory Committee. "They provide a wealth of environmental and health benefits to our urban landscape."

The City of Victoria's urban forest is currently over-mature with the vast majority of these trees nearing or at their expected lifespan and needing to be replaced.

Public donations will help provide the necessary resources to purchase and plant replacement trees beyond the 150 trees budgeted for in the City's already established tree planting programs. In addition to making direct improvements to Victoria's Urban Forest, all donors will receive a tax receipt, as well as recognition in Parks and Recreation Foundation of Victoria's annual report.

Citizens can make a donation in the following ways:

• In person at City Hall at #1 Centennial Square, Victoria, BC
• By phone at (250) 361-0207
• Or by sending a cheque or money order to:
  
  Parks and Recreation Foundation of Victoria
  633 Pandora Street,
  Victoria, BC,
  V8W 1N8

To begin the donation process, please complete the following form and submit it along with your payment.

• Donation Form - [PDF 1.0MB]

For more information, contact the Parks Division office by calling (250) 361-0600. Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

For more information about the Parks and Recreation Foundation of Victoria, visit: www.prfvictoria.ca

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