Big Tree Registry

Photo by Alex Harris /
Raincoast Conservation Foundation.

Big Tree Registries are community-science driven initiatives that not only raise awareness about the importance of healthy trees and forests but also help identify areas of high conservation priority, providing valuable information to encourage the protection of iconic trees.

Man walking through an old growth forest.
Photo by Alex Harris.

Pender Islands Big Tree Registry

The Pender Islands Big Tree Registry, launched in September 2019, aims to raise awareness about the rare and endangered status of Coastal Douglas-fir (CDF) forests and associated ecosystems characteristic to the Gulf Islands. It is a growing database of the big trees found around North and South Pender Islands, with plans to expand to additional southern Gulf Islands in late 2021. The registry has been modelled, with permission, after the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) big tree registry.

The CDF biogeoclimatic zone is among the most biodiverse zones in the province. It is also the most degraded. It is the least-protected zone in BC with less than 1% of its forests remaining as old growth and less than 10% older than 120 years.

Contribute to the Pender Islands Big Tree Registry

Like other big tree registries, trees are nominated by community members who collect species information along with a few simple measurements including trunk diameter at breast height (DBH), height, and crown spread. Nominations are made using the iNaturalist smartphone app, a Google Form submission, or manually using a prepared datasheet (PDF) depending on the nominator’s preference. These nominations are then verified by a qualified professional working with Raincoast Conservation Foundation to ensure measurements and location information have been accurately recorded. Findings will be used to document the biodiversity on Pender Islands and data may be useful for a number of potential projects.

Measurement guidelines

For more information on how to measure big trees, including tools you will need, photography tips, safety information, and how to measure irregular trees use Raincoast’s big tree measurement guidelines. 

Measurement Guidelines (PDF)

Other registries

Find out about other registries from other regions.

Other registries

Thank you

RBC Tech for Nature logo.

Recent articles

Dr. Peter Ross gives testimony at the standing committee for the environment in Ottawa.

Raincoast scientist gives testimony to Government of Canada on the threat posed by plastic pollution

This month, a standing committee of the House of Commons on Environment and Sustainable Development invited Dr. Peter Ross to give testimony.
A Raincoast staff educates a group of youth gathered around

Learning from the land and each other

Land Healing Stewards (LHS) is Raincoast’s forest education initiative that blends place-based learning and habitat restoration, with a particular focus on Coastal Douglas-fir ecosystems of the Salish Sea. LHS was created to be a learner-guided education program that brings together local communities and creates opportunities for those often excluded from conservation spaces, all while learning…
A shoreline along the Fraser is seen at dusk, the land covered with rocks and a bridge and power lines in the background towards the horizon.

Marsh restoration projects in the Lower Fraser River; Shaughnessy Street Park

The Fraser River estuary should be a thriving ecosystem for juvenile salmon, a place to rest, feed, and grow before heading out to the ocean. Today, much of that habitat has been replaced by rip-rap, cement, and other engineered materials that offer little of what salmon actually need. This winter, our team worked to address…
A killer whale surfaces and breathes a spout into the grey dark cloud backgrounds.

Unlocking large-scale killer whale analysis

Understanding how machine learning is profoundly transforming research efficiency and accessibility.