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The Terrestrial Parks Panel

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Victoria is located within the Coastal Douglas Fir Biogeoclimatic Zone, which is only found on the southern and south-eastern fringes of Vancouver Island and the southern Gulf Islands.

The Coastal Douglas Fir Zone is home to a unique and sensitive group of ecosystems that includes beach, seaside parkland, meadow, woodland, dry forest, rock outcrop, and wetland habitats, and contains many rare plants, animals, and ecosystems.

One of the best places to see a remnant old-growth Douglas Fir forested ecosystem is on the grounds of Royal Roads University in Colwood. Some Douglas Fir trees there are over 800 years old. East Sooke Park is an excellent place to see Arbutus trees, second-growth Douglas Fir, and coastal bluffs along the ocean side trail.