Nature Trails Brochure

GreenTimbers Urban Forest Park

Once home to towering 200-foot-tall trees and attracting visitors from all around, this park is known as the birthplace of current day reforestation practices in B.C. Despite public protest, the area was clear-cut in 1929. Replanting efforts began almost immediately, making it B.C.'s first forest plantation. In 1988 and 1996, Surrey residents voted to designate areas of the park as an urban forest to protect its legacy. The Green Timbers Heritage Society helped raise awareness and continues to steward the park today. You’ll find various habitats perfect for birdwatching here: wetlands, meadows, a marsh and a lake are all nestled within a second-growth forest. From osprey flying high above the lake and garter snakes slithering through the meadow, to Pacific tree frogs singing in the wetland and owls hooting from the trees, nature is never far away. Enjoy fishing at Green Timbers Lake year-round. The lake is stocked with rainbow trout multiple times a year and fishing from the shore is welcomed (provincial regulations apply). Don't forget to stop by the Surrey Nature Centre where you can borrow a fishing rod. As you walk one of the many trails, look for the large stumps that remind us of the once towering trees in the park. Explore the newest trails in the northwestern part of the park to find a glacial erratic, a large "wandering rock" that found its way here by glacial ice. The southeast section of the park is designated as an Environmentally Sensitive Area to protect its ecological value. There is no public access here.

*The park map shows both Green Timbers Urban Forest Park and Green Timbers Park.

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