Restoration and Garry Oaks

Question 1

What are 3 main measures for restoring GO?

Answer 1

Restore essential ecosystem characteristics

• Spatial integrity (deals w/ habitat fragmentation)
• Biotic integrity (deals w/ exotic species)
• Re-introduction of fire disturbance regime (deals w/ horizontal and vertical structure)

Question 2

What happens when fire is suppressed in GO?

Answer 2

CDF will overtop GO when fire is absent

Question 3

What are 2 types of GO systems?

Answer 3

With Fire: Savannah (Open Forest)

Without Fire: Woodland (Closed Forest)

Question 4

What percent of original GO ecosystems remain?

Answer 4

2.5%

Question 5

How many endangered or threatened plant species are harboured in GO ecosystems?

Answer 5

30 red-listed

17 blue-listed

Question 6

Where is the oldest and largest GO tree?

Answer 6

NCC property in Maple Bay

Question 7

2 Facts about the spatial integrity of GO

Answer 7

• VI is the northern extension of GO

- Victoria and Maple Bay were once prime GO woodlands and meadows

Question 8

Latin name for Garry Oak

Answer 8

Quercus garryana

Question 9

Georgia Depression

Answer 9

Grasslands of Vancouver Island and northern range of GO

Question 10

Red List in BC

Answer 10

Ecological communities, and indigenous species and subspecies that are extirpated, endangered or threatened in BC

Question 11

Blue List in BC

Answer 11

Ecological communities, and indigenous species and subspecies of special concern (formerly vulnerable) in BC

Question 12

Where are the GO ‘hotspots’ in BC?

Answer 12

Victoria, Duncan, Hornby Is., Courtenay (some), and a few small pockets in Fraser Valley area

Question 13

Restoration: if shown a historical photo, determine whether or not a system can be restored to a historical state. Why or why not?

Answer 13

May not be able to go back because of many reasons:

• Present day Stakeholders and objection
• Long-term effects including climate change
  eg. IVBRP

Question 14

Beacon Hill, 1880’s

Answer 14

• Occupied by FN for 1000s of years for Camas cultivation and settlement
• Europeans established Commonwealth Park with exotic species, bear pit, horse buggy racetrack (present day circle drive), petting zoo

Question 15

Major impact on Beacon Hill

Answer 15

Heavy cultural use for millennia first by FN then European colonizers

Question 16

Name some Native grasses that are good for Biotic Integrity (‘The Good’)

Answer 16

• Lemmon’s Needlegrass (Achnatherum lemmonii)
• California Brome (Bromus carinatus)
• Pacific Brome (Bromus pacificus)
• Alaska Brome (Bromus sitchensis)
• California Oatgrass (Danthonia californica)
• Blue Wildrye (Elymus glaucus)
• Roemer’s Fescue (Festuca roemeri)
• Alaska Oniongrass (Melica subulata)

Question 17

Name some of the bad invasive species (‘The Bad’)

Answer 17

• Colonial Bentgrass (Agrostis capillaris)
• Sweet Vernalgrass (Anthoxanthum odoratum)
• Brome species: Rip-gut (Bromus rigidus) and Soft Brome (Bromus hordeaceus)
• Early Hairgrass (Aira praecox)
• Silver Hairgrass (Aira caryophyllea)
• Hedgehog Dogtail (Cynosurus echinatus)
• Common Velvet-grass (Holcus ianatus)
• Orchard Grass (Dactylis glomerata)
• Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis)
• Barren Fescue (Vulpia bromoides)

Question 18

Name some of the ugly invasive species (‘The Ugly’)

Answer 18

• English Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
• Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius)
• Daphne (Daphne laureola)
• English Ivy (Hedera helix)

And so many more!

Question 19

What does fire disturbance prevent?

Answer 19

Prevents dominance by conifers (CDF) and promotes grasslands and GO Savannah landscapes.

Question 20

What was the frequency and severity of fire disturbance?

Answer 20

High frequency and cool burning, low severity every few years

Question 21

Who managed the historical landscape with fire?

Answer 21

FN women managed the landscape for camas production every few years in spring and fall fires.

Question 22

Moderate fire frequency

Answer 22

High-severity once every 50-100 years

Question 23

What happens to the GO in a fire regime?

Answer 23

Trees survive and oak dominated stands will occur

- GO bark is heat/fire resistant and will re-sprout in the event that the top is killed

Question 24

What happens when fire disturbance regimes are removed, and what is this called?

Answer 24

W/o periodic fire the Oak dominated savannahs and woodlands convert to CDF forests

• ie. Succession
• Presently occurring

Question 25

Coppice

Answer 25

Increased stem density due to cloning

• Seen in GO trees when cut down and roots survive
• Coppice happened with GOs b/c of Colonial logging

Question 26

What happens with fire exclusion and colonial logging?

Answer 26

• Oak stands increase in tree density
• Grassy understories decrease
• Understories replaced by invasive natives (Snowberry and Indian Plum)
• Exotic deciduous shrubs move in (Broom, Hawthorn, Blackberry)

Question 27

What method of management besides fire can help prevent long-term loss of oak dominance?

Answer 27

Selective logging of CDF will preserve deciduous oak forest dominance