Quadra Hill Nature Reserve

The Quadra Hill Nature Reserve protects 47 ha of carbon-dense forests and diverse ecosystems within the Mid-Island Protected Areas Network. Intact wetland and mature (80+ year old) forest ecosystems comprise just over one third of this area. The property was acquired in part to ensure habitat connectivity between existing protected areas to the north, east, and south, creating an unbroken corridor of intact habitat extending from the Trincomali Channel across to the Strait of Georgia.  Wildlife, including Species at Risk, can now move freely across this rich landscape.

The property also has a history of industrial forestry, gravel extraction, and small-scale agriculture.  The GCA is engaged in a variety of proactive stewardship and ecological restoration activities to improve the productivity, biodiversity, and resilience of the land, transforming a former forest lot into a model for ecological recovery and nature connection.

Extreme heat and higher average temperatures brought on by climate change greatly increase the risk of forest fires.  This risk is elevated by the presence heavy fuel loads throughout the young, simplified forests that have emerged on Galiano Island following industrial forestry.

Forest restoration promotes biodiversity, enhances forest productivity, and reduces fuel loads.  Click below to learn more about restorative forestry on Quadra Hill.