Trees of Vancouver: A Guide to the Common and Unusual Trees of the City

Alice Kidd is an editor with The New Catalyst editorial collective in
Lillooet, B.C.

For the inhabitant of the B.C. interior, a visit to Vancouver in late
February to late April is great medicine. Thanks to a climate of mild,
wet winters and drier summers, Vancouver hosts a variety of native and
imported trees not found anywhere else in Canada. To the winter-weary
traveler used to bare branches, snow, and generally neutral monotone
landscapes, the annual burst of color in Vancouver is a heady balm.

The trees in this guidebook are organized by families, with most
species accompanied by a sketch of leaf and/or flowers and fruits.
Visitors can even track down specific trees, helped by maps of the old
Arboretum and the Crescent. Each of the species listings includes the
location of a typical tree in the city, as well as more usual
information about such topics as origin, growth habit, and uses in
landscaping.