Oak Bay Talks Exploring Our National Treasure: The State of Garry Oak Ecosystems in Greater Victoria

Ryan Senechal is a practicing consulting arborist and urban forester with extensive experience across municipal, commercial, education, and nonprofit sectors. As a Sessional Lecturer at UBC’s Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship, he teaches Developing Green and Resilient Cities and contributes to field-based arboriculture courses in the Bachelor of Urban Forestry program.  

Carollyne Yardley is an interdisciplinary artist-researcher whose work has been exhibited across Canada and internationally, and whose research-creation publications explore multispecies relationships in urban environments. She is a Sierra Club BC Rosemary Fox Conservation Achievement Award recipient and an active community leader—co-chair of the Rockland Neighbourhood Association Land Use Committee, Director of the Garry Oak Meadow Preservation Society, and a Victoria Community Association Network representative—uniquely positioning her as a subject-matter expert in Garry oak conservation, mapping, and local land-use policy.