From ashes to a
multigenerational oasis.

A wildfire burned this valley in 2020. Now we're bringing it back to life. Giant trees like sequoias and western redcedars, planted to stand for centuries. Meadows full of flowers and bees. A food forest and community gardens where people grow their own food. And a wild, protected creek where the salmon come home.

157 acres · Squamish Valley, BC · First trees going in this November
Plant with usSponsor a tree
The first trees

The first trees go in this November.

Jeff and Lisa are planting the very first ones themselves. Group planting days come next, and everyone on the list hears the date first.

  • WherePlanting days meet at the gate across from the Squamish Valley Campground. Park inside the gate, not on the road, and carpool from town if you can. Map
  • BringGloves, boots, warm layers and a water bottle. We bring the shovels, the trees and a portable toilet.
  • SafetyBefore every group day we check the burned trees around the planting area and mark where to plant. Kids are welcome with a grown up and stay back from the creek.
Tell me the date
The vision

Walk in a hundred years from now.

Gardens grow food every single year, tended by a group of people who have made this place part of their lives. The food is not only for people. Every hedge, meadow and orchard also feeds the animals that live here.

Flowers run everywhere for the bees. Bats, woodpeckers and owls nest in the old snags. Deer, elk and the smaller animals move through freely, because there is room for them too. And over all of it stand the giants.

Real drone photo today over the east side of the land: burned forest below the mountain The same view decades from now: layered food forest stepping down to community gardens and a greenhouse, a golden willow clearing, Cloudburst Creek, giant redwoods and wildflowers along the road
TodayThe vision

Drag the slider. The left side is a real photo from October 2026. The right side shows the same view decades from now, drawn by an AI image tool from our actual land plan: giant trees at the back, then fruit trees, then berries, then community gardens in the sun, with the creek, the willow gathering place and wildflowers along the road. It is a picture of what we are working toward, not a promise.

Bees and pollinators

Flower meadows and flowering trees from early spring to the first frost.

Bats

Bat boxes on tall poles and old snags, with insects rising from the ponds at dusk.

Woodpeckers and owls

Burned snags left standing as homes, where it is safe to keep them.

Elk, deer and ground animals

Open corridors and wild edges, so the animals already here can stay.

Salmon

Native trees shading Cloudburst Creek, a coho stream, to keep its water cool.

People

Food forests, garden plots and berry rows, with a harvest shared by everyone who helps.

The story

I have always wanted to bring a piece of dead land back to life.

Most people look at a desert, a clearcut or a burn and see a wasteland. I see unlimited potential.

Picture that same ground with water running through it, trees overhead, flowers everywhere and animals moving back in. That picture fills me up like nothing else. It is inspiring, it is heartwarming, and I have carried it around for a long time.

I started studying permaculture in my early twenties. Ever since, I have wanted to take a piece of land with nothing on it and fill it with life.

On April 15, 2020, the Magee Road wildfire ran through the Squamish Valley. It burned about 200 hectares, including roughly 80 percent of this land. What it left behind was ash, silver snags and open sky.

When these 157 acres came up for sale, everything lined up. The fire had already cleared the slate. The land sits close to home, so I can be out there tending it every week. A salmon creek runs through it, under some of the most beautiful mountains in British Columbia. The only missing piece was buying it. In October 2026, we did.

Now the planting starts, and I would love for you to be part of it.

Jeff Kirdeikis

Lives in Squamish with Lisa and their daughter Veda, about 20 minutes from the land.

Jeff, Lisa and Veda smiling in a pile of pumpkins
Jeff, Lisa and Veda. Veda will grow up with these trees.
Aerial view of Squamish Valley Road running through the burned forest, silver snags among autumn maples
The burn from above, October 2026. Silver snags left by the fire, gold maples coming back underneath.
Holding a shed elk antler found in the grass
An elk antler on our first long walk.
A living fir standing among burned snags
A fir that made it through.
From the land

What's happening out there.

Photos coming this week
November 2026The first trees go in

Jeff and Lisa plant the very first trees near the road. Photos here as soon as they are in the ground.

A combination plum tree at the nurseryOctober 10, 2026Choosing the first fruit trees

Pears, plums, saskatoons and blueberries picked out at the nursery.

Holding a shed elk antlerOctober 8, 2026An elk antler on our first long walk

Proof the elk already call this place home.

The burn from aboveOctober 2026Jade Grove is born

We take over the land and give it a name.

157Acres to bring back to life
1Coho salmon creek to shade and protect
60 mHow tall the giants we plant will grow
Year 1Of a project measured in centuries
Get involved

Five ways in. Pick yours.

Some people want their hands in the dirt. Some love the idea of regeneration and would rather help from afar. There is a place for everyone.

Hands in the dirt · start here

Come plant

The first trees go in the ground this November, and group planting days follow. Join one, get muddy, and go home having planted something that will outlive all of us.

Tell me when
For someone you love

Plant a tree for someone

A tree for a new baby, a wedding, or someone who has passed. A living tree with their name on it, growing for the next hundred years.

Plant one for someone
For growers

Grow on a free plot

Want to farm? Take a garden plot at Jade Grove for free. The only rule is that you grow with sustainable practices. What you grow is yours.

Plot details
Just watching

Follow along

Get an email now and then: planting days, the first harvests, and which animals moved in this season. No spam, and you can leave any time.

Follow along
Teachers and schools

Bring your class to plant, count birds and come back each season to see what grew. Ask about a class visit

Companies and teams

Bring your team out for a planting day, or sponsor a hedgerow or a stretch of creek. Ask about a team day

Filmmakers, photographers and writers

A burn turning into an oasis is a story that unfolds over years. Come film it, photograph it or write about it. Help tell the story

About the plots

The plain facts for growers.

When
The first plots open in spring 2027.
Size
Whatever you can grow. A small bed, a market garden, or up to an acre or two for serious growers.
Cost
Free. The only rule is sustainable growing: no synthetic pesticides or herbicides.
Water
There is no well yet. In the first season, plan on bringing water. A long term water plan comes in 2027.
Animals
Deer and elk live here and will eat an open garden overnight, so the plot area gets fenced before anyone plants.
Getting there
Upper Squamish Valley, about 20 minutes north of Squamish by car.
Ask about a plot
A cathedral of giants. Sixty metre trees, towering over gardens full of food.
The trees we plant this fall will still be growing when our great grandchildren are old.
Go deeper
How we're doing itPlanting zones, giants, elk, snags and the timelineRead the plan → For funders and partnersTargets, what we measure, public benefit and our one page summarySee the summary →
Questions people ask

The honest answers.

Who owns Jade Grove?

Our family company bought the land in October 2026. It stays one piece of land, growing food and forest.

How big is a plot?

As big as you can tend. Anything from a small bed up to an acre or two.

Why are the plots free?

Land does more good growing food than sitting empty. We want growers here. All we ask is that you grow sustainably.

If I sponsor a tree, what does it cost and what do I get?

The cost of the tree, plus $10 a year for its care. You get all of its fruit every year, a pin on our map and a photo update each year. You don't own land; you get the harvest.

Why are you doing this?

I have wanted to bring a piece of dead land back to life since I started studying permaculture in my early twenties. This land burned, it is close to home, and a salmon creek runs through it. It is the project I have been waiting for.

Is it safe for kids?

Yes, with a grown up. Before every group day we check the burned trees around the planting area, mark where to plant, and keep the creek edge off limits for kids.

Where do I park?

Inside the gate, not on Squamish Valley Road. Carpool from town if you can. There is a portable toilet on group days.

Can I visit?

For now, visits happen on planting days. Join the list and we will send dates.

Do I need any experience?

None. We will show you how to plant a tree in about five minutes.

Join us

Be part of it from the very first tree.

Tell us how you would like to be involved. We will reach out with planting dates, tree sponsorship details or plot info, whatever fits.

Plant a tree. Keep the fruit.

How would you like to be involved? Pick any.
Schools, teams, funders and storytellers