By the end of the weekend, the City of Oak Harbor will have a new oak grove.

Volunteers and city staff started planting the “Centennial Oak Grove” on the former Boyer property at the north end of town early Friday morning.

A symbolic 100 Garry oak saplings and many more seedlings will be placed in the rocky earth.

Brad Gluth, city civil engineer and oak mastermind, predicted that it will take all day Friday and Saturday to get all the trees in the ground.

It’s not too late for anyone who wants to roll up their sleeves and help plant a stand of oaks. Gluth asks volunteers to bring boots and gloves.

Brian and Ellen Giles were the first volunteers on the scene Friday morning.

They are both members of the  Oak Harbor Garry Oak Society, a new group dedicated to restoring the city to its oaky glory.

It’s truly been a community project. Individuals and companies donated compost and other materials to help the young trees survive. Some people have sponsored trees — $100 donation — and there’s are still saplings available for anyone who wants to be a part of the project.

The city continues to lose one or two of the large oaks each year, most notably the landmark oak tree at the post office that the city cut for safety reasons.

More information on how to help the oaks is available at the city’s website, under “news” at www.oakharbor.org, or at the oak society’s website, www.ohgarryoaksociety.org