
Coastal Forests of Pebble Beach
Somebody yell timberrrr! Clear cuts, plantations and mature forests – learn about Galiano’s logging history, help with hands-on forest restoration and discover how forests fight climate change as you hike among the coastal forests of Pebble Beach.
Program Overview
Availability
Year round
Location(s)
Pebble Beach Nature Reserve (District Lot 63)
Recommended Grades
Grades 4-12
Curriculum Links
- Forest ecosystems and forest succession
- Applied forestry science field skills and ecological restoration techniques
- Nature-based solutions to climate change
- First People’s knowledge of sustainable practices and concepts of interconnectedness in the environment
UN Sustainable Development Goals
- 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production
- 13 – Climate Action
- 15 – Life on Land

Program Highlights
A Walk in the Woods
Compare and contrast characteristics of a healthy, mature forest and a once clear cut, now plantation forest as you hike within them. Use all of your senses to learn how a mature forest feels during a silent and solo meditative walking stretch. Next, students become teachers in a “Teaching Train” activity, where they teach their classmates about forest layers and life stages (forest succession) as well as how forests play a vital role in carbon sequestration and climate resilience.
Forest Field Science
How do forestry professionals measure forest health? Students will gain field science skills as they analyze forest understory diversity, tree size, tree spacing and soil quality.
Tree Pull
Pull a towering tree down with your bare hands using an innovative pulley and winch system. Who said you couldn’t teach physics while helping the forest thrive? This end of the day team-effort contributes to the Conservancy’s on-going 10+ year forest thinning restoration project in a particularly dense patch of the plantation forest.
Pebble Beach Lunch Spot
Relax under the sun at Pebble Beach, aptly named for its smooth, perfect-skipping stone pebbles. When the tide is low, look for intertidal creatures in exposed sandstone channels and tidepools
Prices
Costs per group for day and overnight programs.
FAQs
How to get here, what to bring, how to prepare.
Bursaries
We can offer financial help to groups in need!
Register
Email us at bookings@galianoconservancy.ca to book!
Testimonials
I think the “Coastal Forests” program was full of hands-on learning, opportunities for informal exploration, and structured learning activities. It ran like a well-oiled machine
– Michael Speak, Woodland Elementary School Teacher
I learned a lot about the forest from the teaching train. I identified flowers I had not known the name of. I learned a lot of tree/flower names. I learned how to sustainability take down a tree.
– Anonymous, Age 18
I liked learning about the forest around us and learning about cooperation in an ecosystem.
– Elise, Age 14
I learned that there is a lot more to the forest then what’s on the surface.
– Alice, Age 13
Here are some recent field trips on the theme of forest restoration:
Galiano’s Pebble Beach Reserve Opened Up Kids’ Eyes
Coastal Forests with Garibaldi Secondary
Coastal Forests with a Snap
You may also like these other “Forest & Restoration”-themed field trips

Coastal Forests of Pebble Beach
SINGLE DAY (Grades 4-12)Somebody yell timberrrr! Clear cuts, plantations and mature forests – learn about Galiano’s logging history, help with hands-on forest restoration and discover how forests fight climate change as you hike among the coastal forests of Pebble Beach.

Native Plant Inspirations
SINGLE DAY (Grades 4-12) Experience the healing power of the forest and explore the world of native plants through touch, smell and taste. Learn how to ethically harvest wild food and medicine plants yourself and make herbal remedies to take home.