Garry Oak Survival

I live on a bluff. It's a dry area - in the summer, that is. This is an environment where Garry oaks (Quercus garryana) thrive. They can withstand a dryer microclimate than Douglas firs and other competitors.



Above, on the left, let me introduce you to the Papa Garry oak. A big tree, holding its ground on the top of the bluff.

And at my feet, little Garry oak hopefuls, enjoying the late spring sunshine. But not for long... The blacktail deer and feral goats will mow down these saplings before they get to be 8 inches tall... Every spring, it's the same story.

But not this year! A year ago, we caged a sapling with rebar and - very ugly but necessary - plastic netting. This is the only 3 year old Garry oak in the area! The rebar spikes are firmly anchored in the rocky ground, to avoid the "shouldering and shoving" of the cage by hungry goats. I will have to trod down the bluff with more cages, to add to my junior Garry oaks.

For more information about this environment, and conservations efforts to protect Garry oak ecosystems, check out the Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team.