Burrard View Food Forest

Burrard view food forest

545 North Slocan Street, Vancouver, BC V5K 3M6

https://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/burrard-view-park-community-garden.aspx

What Is a food forest?

A food forest is a form of stewardship used by Indigenous people both to produce food and to care for the land. Food forests are used in permaculture, a principled approach for human living that draws from Indigenous practices and wisdom. Humans design food forests to have mutually supporting layers, like the ecology of a natural forest: roots, ground cover, herbaceous plants, shrubs, trees.

Together the layers create a community of edible and medicinal plants. Food forests are a form of collective gardening that require minimal effort to maintain and can be productive year round. Imagine a group of neighbors picking apples in the fall, or kids grabbing berries on their way to school. In addition to food production, the space is designed to support community use for many purposes, including social gathering, children’s play and quiet contemplation.

WHO WE ARE

Vancouver Urban Food Forest Foundation (VUFFF) is a friendly knowledge sharing community. Our diverse volunteers work on a range of projects in decentralized, self-organizing working groups. The Burrard View Food Forest working group members are certified and experienced in permaculture design, urban forestry and organic farming, and have previously championed numerous relevant projects. Indigenous partners advise us in this work. We work closely with the Vancouver Park Board and a range of other partners.

What we do

VUFFF organizes the establishment and maintenance of food forests in public spaces. These projects are safe and inviting community spaces that welcome people from all cultures, ages, genders, and levels of experience and abilities. We offer work parties and educational events to learn about and further the practice of food forests. The Burrard View Food Forest, which is VUFFF’s inaugural project, has the honor of supporting Eagles Inspirit to provide ceremony and cultural teachings for Indigenous fathers and their allies. Due to the history of the site, the approval and start of VUFFF’s inaugural project has been five years in the making. In the meantime, we have established two other sites.

Timeline of this project

Apr 2020

VUFFF Burrard View project proposal and initial conversations with Vancouver Park Board

Community engagement incl notification and signage, public consultation, Shape Your City survey

Two sites considered: southeast and northwest corners of the park

Mar 2022

Park Board approves southeast location, pending an archaeological investigation

Apr 2024

Ground breaking ceremony. Final testing for archeological investigation. Subsequent consultation with host nations identifies a no dig zone

Sep 2024

Log placement on site

Jun 2025

Sacred fire pit installation led by Tsleil Waututh Elder Cedar Man (Fabian Williams)

Nov 2025

Ground blessing and pilot tree placement

Spring 2026

Community conversation, ceremony, and primary planting of trees, shrubs and other layers. This is an opportunity to bring forward new ideas for uses, participation, and programming. Use this link or the QR code to share your thoughts and dreams about this project:

https://tinyurl.com/bvfoodforest

Ongoing

Add in design features such as paths and tables
Organize regular work parties for maintenance and sharing of plants

Why this matters

When it comes to climate change, food security, reconciliation and overall disconnection from nature, we are all in this together. A food forest in an urban setting encourages people to see new possibilities and gain skills in food production and land care. In addition to empowering people to cultivate food and medicine, food forests are designed to improve biodiversity and water management, which empowers nature’s life systems. That is, food forests establish ecosystems that are regenerative and result in carbon sequestration. Intentional stewardship practices such as food forests are deeply rooted in indigenous cultures and contribute to reconciliation. Further, these practices offer a path to reconnect with nature, whatever your culture of origin.

In general, food forests bring far reaching benefits for climate change, food security, reconciliation and connection to nature because they seek to return to a better relationship between humans and land. That is a tall order for the modestly sized Burrard View Food Forest, which can only yield enough food to be a small portion of your diet. The project is an opportunity for community to form in pursuit of this better relationship by co-learning about native plants, food, medicines and any topic that inspires the participants. Such opportunities to bond with nature are very limited in our dense urban setting, and are vital for our mental health and well being. Many neighbors express eagerness to participate in this community capacity building effort that will include all ages and cultures. The sacred fire and carving projects of Eagles Inspirit are appreciated as reconciliation in action. While the reduced open play area has caused concern for some, we plan to help these new uses become integrated into and to benefit the neighborhood. The project is well aligned with Vancouver Park Board’s strategic directions for local food and decolonization.

All of this is important work that belongs in our public parks, and maybe even in your back yard. Join us! We welcome you in to learn alongside us and create food justice in our community as guests on the unceded land of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) and sə̓lílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.