I, Garry Oak

Published by Adrienne Brown on 09/30/2026 09/30/2026

I, Garry oak, am the only native oak tree in the region surrounding SḴŦAḴ | Mayne Island. In Washington, Oregon, or California I might be called the Oregon white oak or Oregon oak, but the most common name in Canada is the one botanist David Douglas gave me. He named me after Nicholas Garry (1782-1852) who was a British trader and deputy governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company. 

For thousands of years, Garry oak, or ĆEṈ¸IȽĆ in SENĆOŦEN, has been cultivated by the W̱SÁNEĆ and other Coast Salish Peoples in the region, and the Garry oak meadow landscape remains deeply connected to their cultural, environmental, and spiritual traditions. 

I grow slowly, but eventually I can get as high as100 feet.My bark is thick, gray, and has many grooves, and my branches can form an oval shape or be woven into a shared canopy with my siblings. My leaves have deep lobes on each side and are darker green on top. My flowers are catkins, and when I am 30 years old I begin to produce acorns. 

I am not grown for timber production in B.C., and although I am not considered an endangered species, I am the dominant tree in ecological communities that are under threat because of human-caused changes to the land. 

Even in the face of severe weather, I often do well, because my deep taproot finds moisture during dry summers, and my strong lateral roots resist the high winds of winter storms. The soil around me resembles those found on prairies or grasslands, with a dark surface layer which is less acidic than soil normally occurring in coniferous forests. My roots also benefit from associations with soil fungus species (mycorrhizae). 

Garry oak slideshow. Click arrows at sides of photo to advance slides.

Dove’s foot cranesbill and barnyard grass grow well around the base of my trunk, and camas, nodding onion and Shooting Star are often found in the meadows that surround me. I am happier when these areas remain open with plenty of light, because I am intolerant of shade and competition from other trees. Like Bigleaf Maple, I take up plenty of calcium, which ends up in my bark. This lets calcium-loving mosses, lichens, and liverworts grow on my trunk and branches.

Stay tuned to the next issues of the Oystercatcher to see Speaking for the Trees features on my friends red alder and grand fir.