Garry oaks (Quercus garryana) are the only native oak trees in western Canada (west of Manitoba). The species is named after Nicholas Garry, the Deputy Governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company, from 1822–1835. South of the border, or Oregon white oaks in the US. With their striking, gnarly shape and unique adaptations to the Mediterranean-like climate found in the rain shadow of the Vancouver Island, Coastal, and Olympic mountains, they have become emblematic of the ecosystems in which they are found.
These forests are unique to South Eastern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. It is believed that between one and five percent of these groves now exist in near-natural conditions. There are eight imperilled rare plant communities sustained in the Garry Oak ecosystems. There are sixty-one plant taxa at risk in Garry Oak and associated ecosystems, twelve of which are at risk globally.
https://www.goert.ca/documents/doc-Eco-Assessment-Lit-Review-2001.pdf