Report
Town of Banff Urban Forest Management Plan
Prepared for: Town of Banff Attention: Mr. Chad Townsend Environmental Services Coordinator 110 Bear Street P.O. Box 1260 Banff, Alberta T1L 1A1
Prepared in collaboration by: Tesera Systems Inc. (Prime) Trees Consulting Inc. HAB-TECH Environmental Ltd. For Trees Company Ltd.
November 5, 2008
TESERA SYSTEMS INC. Box 1078 Cochrane Alberta Canada . T4C 1B1 Phone: 1.866.698.8789 . Fax: 403.932.9395 . www.tesera.com
Town of Banff Urban Forest Management Plan i
Table of Contents
Executive Summary ...... 1 1.0 Introduction to the Plan ...... 5 1.1 The Scope...... 5 1.1.1 Areas of Interest – Subject Lands ...... 5 1.1.2 List of Potential Management Concerns...... 5 1.2 The Need...... 6 1.2.1 Public ...... 6 1.2.2 Environmental/Ecological...... 7 1.2.2.1 Ecological Summary of Banff National Park...... 7 1.2.2.2 Ecological Summary of the Town of Banff ...... 9 1.2.3 Departmental...... 10 1.3 The Purpose ...... 10 2.0 Town of Banff Urban Forest Inventory ...... 11 2.1 Detailed Description of the Town’s Urban Forest ...... 14 2.1.1 Proposed Treatment Unit #1, Bow Avenue ...... 14 2.1.2 Proposed Treatment Unit #2, Central Park ...... 14 2.1.3 Proposed Treatment Unit #3, East of Banff Ave Bridge, Along Bow River Trail ...... 16 2.1.4 Proposed Treatment Unit #4, Beside Old Cemetery/Lower Tunnel Mountain Drive...... 16 2.1.5 Proposed Treatment Unit #5, Old Cemetery...... 19 2.1.6 Proposed Treatment Unit #6, Along St. Julien Road and Otter Street...... 20 2.1.7 Proposed Treatment Unit #7, Marmot Place...... 20 2.1.8 Proposed Treatment Unit #8, From Eastern Banff Entrance on Banff Avenue to Wolf Street, Including Rotary Park, High School and Surrounding Area ...... 20 2.1.9 Proposed Treatment Unit #9, Areas Surrounding Pika Place ...... 22 2.1.10 Proposed Treatment Unit #10, Areas West of Fox Street, Behind Cougar Street and backs onto the Railway Tracks ...... 22 2.1.11 Proposed Treatment Unit #11, Green Spaces Adjacent to the Elementary School as well as the trees on the School Grounds ...... 22 2.1.12 Proposed Treatment Unit #12, Area around Recreation Centre...... 22 2.1.13 Proposed Treatment Unit #13, Banff Ave. Refreshing, Various Downtown Islands and Boulevards ...... 24 2.1.14 Proposed Treatment Unit #14, Along West Glen Ave...... 24 2.1.15 Proposed Treatment Unit #15, Bow Falls trail...... 26 2.1.16 Proposed Treatment Unit #16, Bow Falls Parking Lot ...... 28 2.1.17 Proposed Treatment Unit #17, Remaining areas West of Kootenay Avenue ...... 28 2.1.18 Proposed Treatment Unit #18, Cave Ave/Recreation Areas...... 28
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2.1.19 Proposed Treatment Unit #19, Mountain View Cemetery...... 29 2.1.20 Proposed Treatment Unit #20, at the end of Spray Avenue...... 30 2.1.21 Proposed Treatment Unit #21, Railway Ave. Across from Bus Station ...... 30 2.2 Forest Inventory Summary...... 31 2.2.1 Standing Dead Trees ...... 31 2.2.2 Chemical Damage...... 31 2.2.3 Mechanical Root/Lower Trunk Damage...... 33 2.2.4 Mountain Pine Beetle...... 34 2.2.5 Wildlife Damage...... 35 2.2.6 Tree Diseases (Cankers and Galls) ...... 35 2.2.7 Deadwood ...... 35 2.2.8 Foreign Materials ...... 35 2.2.9 Invasive Plant Species...... 36 2.3 Review of the Current FireSmart Plans/Treatments and Integrate Additional Treatments to Minimize Fire Risk ...... 39 2.4 Asset Value (i.e. cost to replace trees and/or stands)...... 39 2.5 Structure and function of the urban forest for wildlife habitat...... 40 3.0 Review of Wider Urban Forest Management Programs and Policies...... 42 4.0 UFMP - Recommendations ...... 43 4.1 Act on Current Issues within the Urban Forest...... 43 4.1.1 Proposed Treatment Unit #1, Bow Avenue ...... 43 4.1.2 Proposed Treatment Unit #2, Central Park ...... 43 4.1.3 Proposed Treatment Unit #3, East of Banff Ave Bridge, Along Bow River Trail ...... 43 4.1.4 Proposed Treatment Unit #4, Beside Old Cemetery/Lower Tunnel Mountain Drive...... 44 4.1.5 Proposed Treatment Unit #5, Old Cemetery...... 44 4.1.6 Proposed Treatment Unit #6, Along St. Julien Road and Otter Street...... 44 4.1.7 Proposed Treatment Unit #7, Marmot Place...... 44 4.1.8 Proposed Treatment Unit #8, From Eastern Banff Entrance on Banff Avenue to Wolf Street, Including Rotary Park, High School and surrounding area...... 44 4.1.9 Proposed Treatment Unit #9, Areas Surrounding Pika Place ...... 45 4.1.10 Proposed Treatment Unit #10, Areas West of Fox Street, Behind Cougar Street and backs onto the Railway Tracks ...... 45 4.1.11 Proposed Treatment Unit #11, Green Spaces Adjacent to the Elementary School as well as the trees on the School Grounds ...... 45 4.1.12 Proposed Treatment Unit #12, Area around Recreation Centre...... 46 4.1.13 Proposed Treatment Unit #13, Banff Ave. Refreshing, Various Downtown Islands and Boulevards ...... 46 4.1.14 Proposed Treatment Unit #14, Along West Glen Ave...... 46 4.1.15 Proposed Treatment Unit #15, Bow Falls trail...... 47 4.1.16 Proposed Treatment Unit #16, Bow Falls Parking Lot ...... 47
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4.1.17 Proposed Treatment Unit #17, Remaining areas West of Kootenay Avenue ...... 47 4.1.18 Proposed Treatment Unit #18, Cave Ave/Recreation Areas...... 47 4.1.19 Proposed Treatment Unit #19, Mountain View Cemetery...... 48 4.1.20 Proposed Treatment Unit #20, At the end of Spray Avenue...... 48 4.1.21 Proposed Treatment Unit #21, Railway Ave. Across from Bus Station ...... 48 4.2 Inventory Updates and Data Maintenance ...... 48 4.3 Improving Data Sharing Among Town Departments/Parks Canada ...... 49 4.4 Develop a Urban Forest Management Committee to Foster Efficient Communications and Implement the Management Plan ...... 50 4.5 Hardware and Software to Manage the Urban Forest...... 50 4.6 Protection of Large, Valuable Trees with Historic or National Interest ...... 51 4.7 Tree and Shrub Procurement and Propagation Program...... 52 4.8 Fund Raising/Awareness Opportunities...... 53 4.9 Public Education, Involvement and Communications Suggestions...... 53 4.10 Recommended Changes to Existing Policies/By-laws and/or Establishment of New Policies/By- laws 53 4.10.1 Planting and Landscape Design Guidelines...... 54 4.10.2 Pruning and Tree Maintenance Procedures...... 56 5.0 UFMP – Implementation Strategies...... 57 5.1 Removal of Unsafe/Unhealthy Trees to Protect Public Safety and Infrastructure...... 57 5.2 Minimize Fire Risk ...... 59 5.3 Maintain a Diverse Species/Age Class and Healthy Urban Forest Tree Canopy ...... 59 5.4 Address Invasive Plants ...... 60 5.5 Improve Habitat for Wildlife ...... 60 5.6 Maintenance of Aesthetics...... 60 6.0 Implementation Budget ...... 61 7.0 Bibliography ...... 78 8.0 Glossary ...... 79 9.0 Acronyms/Abbreviations...... 80
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List of Tables
Table 1. Lists of species, average dbh and heights within the Mountain View Cemetery...... 29 Table 2. Alternative Chemical De-icer ...... 33 Table 3. Potential Management Options by Parks Canada (from Whittington, 2007) ...... 40 Table 4. Option A - Year 1 Implementation Budget...... 63 Table 5. Option A - Year 2 Implementation Budget...... 64 Table 6. Option A - Year 3 Implementation Budget...... 65 Table 7. Option A - Year 4 Implementation Budget...... 66 Table 8. Option A - Year 5 Implementation Budget...... 67 Table 9. Option B - Year 1 Implementation Budget...... 68 Table 10. Option B - Year 2 Implementation Budget...... 69 Table 11. Option B - Year 3 Implementation Budget...... 70 Table 12. Option B - Year 4 Implementation Budget...... 71 Table 13. Option B - Year 5 Implementation Budget...... 72 Table 14. Option B - Year 6 Implementation Budget...... 73 Table 15. Option B - Year 7 Implementation Budget...... 74 Table 16. Option B - Year 8 Implementation Budget...... 75 Table 17. Option B - Year 9 Implementation Budget...... 76 Table 18. Option B - Year 10 Implementation Budget...... 77
List of Figures
Figure 1. Ecoregions of Banff National Park...... 8 Figure 2. Map of Town Maintained Green Spaces ...... 11 Figure 3. Single Tree Field Sampling Card ...... 12 Figure 4. Group Tree Field Sampling Card ...... 13 Figure 5. Damage to trees from trail/pathway construction...... 14 Figure 6. One of the small groupings within Central Park with the line of mature trees along the pathway and river’s edge seen in the background on the left of the picture ...... 15 Figure 7. Damage resulting from wire being placed around the trunk of the tree and not removed ...... 15 Figure 8. Small Patches of young, immature trees along the Bow River ...... 16 Figure 9. Chemical damage along the Tunnel Mountain area on Immature & Mature Douglas fir ...... 18 Figure 10. Mechanical damage of roots and lack of soil rooting media within the Douglas fir Zone...... 19 Figure 11. White Spruce with large burl at base of tree...... 20 Figure 12. Trees with Cankers on Banff Avenue...... 21 Figure 13. Trees with Lights on Banff Avenue ...... 21
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Figure 14. FireSmart Thinning by Recreation Centre and Along Powerlines ...... 23 Figure 16. High Risk Fuel Stand Across from Recreation Centre...... 24 Figure 17. Low Risk tree along Bow River ...... 25 Figure 18. Low Risk tree along Bow River ...... 25 Figure 19. High Risk tree along Bow River...... 26 Figure 20. FireSmart Treatments along Glen Avenue, with invasive weeds in the foreground ...... 27 Figure 21. FireSmart Treatments along Glen Avenue, with invasive weeds in the foreground ...... 27 Figure 22. Dead or Dying Trees in close proximity to Children’s Playground ...... 28 Figure 23. Trees along running track that died due to poor drainage ...... 29 Figure 24. Cabling In Tree...... 36 Figure 25. Location of Invasive Plants ...... 38 Figure 26. Key concepts when planting immature trees...... 54 Figure 27. Blowdown from Windstorm events impacting trails and Property ...... 57 Figure 28. Blowdown from Windstorm events impacting trails and Property ...... 58 Figure 29. Blowdown from Windstorm events impacting trails and Property ...... 58
Appendices Appendix 1a. Landscaping Recommendations Appendix 1b. Recommended Plant Materials Appendix 2a. Treatment Unit Map Appendix 2b. Treatment Unit Map Appendix 2c. Treatment Unit Map Appendix 3a. Mountain Pine Beetle Description Appendix 3b. Predicted Mountain Pine Beetle Trends for Alberta Appendix 4a. Summary of Town of Banff/Parks Canada Policies and Land Use Guidelines Appendix 4b. Wildfire Risk Zones
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Executive Summary
Given the importance of the town of Banff to Banff National Park, there is a need for a comprehensive tree management policy to ensure public safety and continued maintenance of the resources while still allowing for public enjoyment. The urban forest within the town provides benefits and values including habitat, aesthetic, spiritual, cultural, social, economic and environmental aspects. The intent of this project was to provide the Town of Banff and its residents with a thorough and practical Urban Forest Management Plan (UFMP). A comprehensive inventory of the Town’s urban forest was conducted during the summer of 2008 to determine the status of the current inventory and provide strategies for managing the urban forest into the future. Part of the project also involved determining the value of the urban forest, stating the benefits and recommending approaches and investment budgets for further management. The value of the urban forest asset within the town is $57.8 million. Given this valuation, it is very important for the Town to value and treat the urban forest as an asset. Much of the urban forest in the town consists of overmature forested patches and the management budgets to deal with the issues found in the inventory amount to approximately $1.575 million over a 5 or 10 year period, depending on the option that the Town selects. The budget provided within this plan addresses the issues found within the inventory, but does not provide estimates for communications with public, information management, etc. since these are assumed to occur within other funding envelopes. The urban forest of Banff townsite is very valuable to the town and National Park. While the Rocky Mountains themselves are the main aesthetic feature of the area, if the forests were removed, the tourism value of the park would be severely diminished. Economically, there are a number of other ways that the urban forest benefits the town: • It enhances the market value of residential properties by as much as 5-20% in some cities, where people simply prefer to live in treed neighbourhoods – this would be the same case in Banff. • It provides energy conservation, as trees can provide wind breaks in the winter, cutting heating costs, and shade in the summer, cutting air-conditioning consumption. Deciduous trees planted on the south and west sides of a house can reduce air conditioning needs by up to 10-15%. Evergreens planted on the north side act as windbreaks, can lower winter heating costs by up to 10%. From an environmental perspective, the urban forest provides: • Habitat for a variety of wildlife
• Absorption of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other pollutants from the air as well as sequesters C02 in the trees themselves while at the same time produces oxygen. • Interception of rainfall within the canopy and minimizes the higher peak flows associated with large rainfall events.
A number of activities have been identified to achieve the following strategies, including (a) Removal of Unsafe/Unhealthy Trees to Protect Public Safety and Infrastructure; (b) Minimize Fire Risk; (c) Maintain a Diverse Species/Age Class and Healthy Urban Forest Tree Canopy; (d) Address Invasive Plants; (e) Improve Habitat for Wildlife; and (f) Maintenance of Aesthetics.
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Removal of Unsafe/Unhealthy Trees to Protect Public Safety and Infrastructure: There are a large number of trees within the Town of Banff that should be removed due to being dead or unhealthy and susceptible to trunk and/or branch failure. While performing the forest inventory many of the trees to be removed were identified and a plan was developed with Town staff to prioritize enhancing the public safety via tree removal and/or pruning treatments in high value/high traffic areas. Ideally, most of the high priority treatments would occur in the first few years of the plan. Inherent in this strategy, is the concept of having a Certified Master Arborist assessing the trees within the town on an annual basis, so that the larger high value trees are maintained for as long as possible and minimizing the potential for failure. Tree failure has been shown to have impacts on infrastructure, and personal property and has even caused injury to the public. This initial UFMP is the first step in recommending issues that need to be considered when developing future forest policy for the town, and the next logical step will be to apply the same policies to private property within the Town.
Minimize Fire Risk: The fire management specialist on the UFMP team reviewed the existing Fire Management Plans developed jointly by the Town of Banff and Parks Canada and noted that the previous work was very comprehensive. Most of the fuel management practices have occurred already through FireSmart treatments. However, some of the larger forested parcels in and around the town of Banff could be improved by changing the fuel types through the introduction of more deciduous species wherever possible. Maintain a Diverse Species/Age Class and Healthy Urban Forest Tree Canopy: A number of activities are recommended to maintain a diverse species/age class mix, creating a healthy urban forest tree canopy and restore native vegetation communities that reflect long-term ecosystem states, including:
• Plant more deciduous species (large caliper trees as well as seedlings) and select the right tree for the right place. This is critically important in Banff, both for aesthetic and environmental sustainability because native trees are best adapted to local growing conditions and climate. For example, although not representative of a Montane ecosystem, the best trees for use in the sidewalk of Banff Avenue would be Black Spruce (not White Spruce) and Tamarack since both species are native, slow to mature, grow narrow and tall and thrive in areas with poor drainage. Unfortunately, neither species is available in the domestic tree market. Strategies for propagation, procurement and growing of native trees are included elsewhere in this report. • Leave snags and coarse woody debris in the stands for wildlife habitat where it does not pose a public safety issue. • Apply an annual pruning program for both deciduous and coniferous species. • Apply an annual stand tending program in areas that warrant it. • Reduce and/or eliminate the use of chemical de-icers near tree roots during the winter. • Work with Parks Canada to further develop/communicate the need to reduce/eliminate the use of non-native tree and shrub species and reduce the species that act as an attractant to wildlife in landscaping within the town. • Work with Parks Canada to develop/communicate the MPB Response plan in case MPB population builds further in and surrounding the town. • Developing a propagation program for locally adapted tree species.
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• Annual Monitoring and supervisory support from a Certified Master Arborist is recommended to ensure that planned activities will achieve the desired result. A Certified Arborist should prescribe, supervise and inspect plans and/or trees before the Town signs off on contracted services, especially on work like pruning and planting. It is important not just to spend money on trees, but to spend money well, where historic and valuable trees are concerned. Failure to develop a proper tree maintenance program in Banff will ultimately result in a significant loss of value, as tree maintenance without proper guidelines can be as harmful as no maintenance at all.
Address Invasive Plants: During the inventory, a number of invasive plant locations were noted. Invasive plant species are an issue within the Town’s urban forest, since they can compete for nutrient resources and depending on levels of invasion and spread can limit the growth of seedlings or understory species. Public education programs and bylaws related to restricting these plants from the Town of Banff need to be developed and enacted. This has not been factored into the implementation budget since an inventory of invasive species was not part of the contract. Improve Habitat for Wildlife: A number of items have already been mentioned that would benefit wildlife, including: • Planting more deciduous trees species (large caliper trees as well as seedlings), shrubs and ground cover in the understory of stands to act as sources of food and cover; and • Leave snags and coarse woody debris in the stands for wildlife habitat where it does not pose a public safety issue. In addition, a volunteer wildlife population monitoring program could be established to perform bird or other wildlife species counts during the UFMP implementation so that a measurable effect of the activities on wildlife can be tracked annually. For example, in Sqaumish, British Columbia there is the annual Bald Eagle count to establish population indicators (http://www.brackendaleeagles.com). Maintenance of Aesthetics: The maintenance of the urban forest has a profound value in terms of preserving the aesthetics and related values (e.g. property values, tourism opportunities, etc.). While much of the urban forest in the town consists of overmature forested patches, there are a number of things that have been suggested to maintain the older trees, while planting deciduous and coniferous tree and shrub species in the understory, including: • Applying an annual pruning program for both deciduous and coniferous species to improve health and vigour of trees; and • Assessing standing dead trees annually, to determine if they need to be removed. The idea here is to maintain the high value trees for as long as possible without impacting on public safety. In addition, other recommendations have been suggested within the UFMP that will ensure maintenance of the urban forest aesthetics, including: • Planting native trees that are bred to thrive in the area, based on a propagation program within 200km of Banff; • Developing planting standards that maximize the chances of survival for each tree planted; • Developing proactive MPB Response plans with Parks Canada, Alberta government and Town staff in case MPB populations start building to epidemic levels; and • Continued Forest Fire Fuel Management based on FireSmart treatments and prescribed burning.
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A number of additional recommendations were made, but strategies to address them were not developed in detail since further discussions need to occur regarding these recommendations. The recommendations included: • Frequency for Inventory Updates and Data Maintenance; • Improving Data Sharing Among Town Departments/Parks Canada; • Develop a Urban Forest Management Committee to Foster Efficient Communications and Implement the Management Plan; • Hardware and Software to Manage the Urban Forest; • Protection of Large, Valuable Trees with Historic or National Interest; • Tree and Shrub Procurement and Propagation Program; • Fund Raising/Awareness Opportunities; and • Public Education, Involvement and Communications Suggestions.
In terms of developing formal policies, regulations or bylaws, a number of examples were provided from other jurisdictions; however, it is up to the Town of Banff to discuss further appropriate regulations. There should be an adaptive management process whereby a Certified Master Arborist performs an annual assessment of trees in Banff and recommends and/or supervises, with the assistance of Banff Town staff, the treatments to occur each year.
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1.0 Introduction to the Plan This section will outline the purpose and background of the Urban Forest Management Plan (UFMP), including: • The Scope: subject lands, management concerns; • The Need: public, environmental/ecological, departmental, vision statement; and • The Purpose: describes how the plan will help the Town of Banff and its residents. 1.1 The Scope The scope of this project is identified in the subsequent sections. 1.1.1 Areas of Interest – Subject Lands The UFMP has considered the following urban forests that are managed by the Town of Banff, including: • Street/boulevard and median trees on Banff Avenue; • Town-maintained green spaces; and • Cemeteries within the town of Banff. 1.1.2 List of Potential Management Concerns During a number of meetings, the Banff Town staff identified several potential management concerns. These management concerns are not ranked by priority; rather, the scope of the plan is intended to consider each of these through the delivery of the UFMP – and associated deliverables listed in Section 1.1. The management concerns are: • Heritage trees – identify trees to be designated. A section regarding heritage trees will be provided later in the report, • Urban forest health issues including minimizing the impact of new construction on existing community trees and protection of trees within the town of Banff. Mountain pine beetle (MPB) management will also be a significant management strategy to be considered. • Tree planting & maintenance program - education and promotion to enhance urban forests, soil testing, fertilizing, cable/bracing/fencing, top-dressing, tree wells watering. • Tree removal and replacement program - damaged, dying, hazard, nuisance and diseased trees. • Tree bylaws for assessing tree replacement, enforcement, construction and development. • Inventory updates, maintenance of data/information management systems, data integrity, recommendations on useful management tools and software. • Forest fire interface management – FireSmart. • Town procedures for managing tree damage caused by major storm events. • Review compatibility of other Town community plans with urban forest components. • Wildlife habitat issues, ungulate browsing, wildlife corridors, riparian areas. • Management and control of desirable/undesirable plants.
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1.2 The Need There is a demonstrated need for an UFMP for the Town of Banff. The Town of Banff wants to remain a world class destination for tourism and part of its appeal is the visual experiences associated with its urban forest. Parks Canada’s goal within Banff National Park is to manage the Park using ecosystem management strategies. This UFMP will provide the first step for a rationalization between Parks Canada’s objectives and the Town of Banff’s objectives. The Plan will include an inventory of the existing urban forest, valuation of the forest, annual urban forest management plan (UFMP) budget as well as suggest elements to be considered for tree management/protection bylaws for the Town to implement as necessary. 1.2.1 Public The town of Banff is an integral component of Banff National Park (BNP) and continues to be the focal point for tourism within Canada’s oldest and most heavily visited National Park. The town receives an estimated 80% of the Parks 3.6 million annual visitors (2004 Parks Canada data), and offers them a wide range of services. The town is also home to approximately 8,800 permanent residents (2007 Municipal Census). Given the importance of the town of Banff to Banff National Park, there is a need for a comprehensive tree, wildlife and fuel management policy to ensure public safety and continued maintenance of the resources while still allowing for public enjoyment. The urban forest within the town provides benefits and values including spiritual, cultural, social, economic and environmental aspects. The urban forest provides a place for people to relax and enjoy their surroundings. It provides venues for hiking, skiing, and an appreciation for nature and other outdoor activities. Trees and natural areas have been shown to promote psychological well being. For example, studies have shown that hospital patients with a window view of a green canopy recover more quickly. The Banff urban forest is very valuable to the town. While the Rocky Mountains themselves are the main aesthetic feature of the area, if the forests were removed, the value of the park would be severely diminished. Banff, and the surrounding ecosystems, have a unique aesthetic value that is priceless and cannot be re-created easily (at least within a few hundred years). Economically, there are a number of ways that the urban forest benefits the town: • It provides a unique aesthetic for the tourism industry, and people from all over the world come to Banff. • It provides energy conservation, as trees can provide wind breaks in the winter, cutting heating costs, and shade in the summer, cutting air-conditioning consumption. Deciduous trees planted on the south and west sides of a house can reduce air conditioning needs by up to 10-15%. Evergreens planted on the north side act as windbreaks, can lower winter heating costs by up to 10%. • It enhances the market value of residential properties by as much as 5-20% in some cities, where people simply prefer to live in treed neighbourhoods – this would be the same case in Banff. From an environmental aspect the urban forest provides: • Habitat for wildlife (section 2.5).
• Absorption of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other pollutants from the air as well as sequesters C02 in the trees themselves while at the same time produces oxygen.
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• Interception of rainfall within the canopy and minimizes the higher peak flows associated with large rainfall events. The above discussion regarding urban forest benefits is adapted from the International Society of Arboriculture, www.isaprairie.com and can be found on the website http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/tree_benefits.aspx. These and additional values can be further evaluated using software applications that will be recommended in section 4.5.
1.2.2 Environmental/Ecological 1.2.2.1 Ecological Summary of Banff National Park Banff National Park is divided into units based on vegetation, landforms and soil. This system of land classification is used to identify and inventory similar regions within the park in order to better manage the park ecosystems. The park is classified into ecoregions (Figure 1), which are further divided into ecosections and ecosites. There are three ecoregions in the park: montane, subalpine, and alpine. This information has been taken from the latest BNP Management Plan (Parks Canada, 2007).
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Figure 1. Ecoregions of Banff National Park
Map of the ecoregions of Banff National Park © Parks Canada
Montane Ecoregion
The montane zone is the smallest ecoregion in Banff National Park making up only 3% of the total area of the park. It occurs at lower elevations between 1,350 to 1,500 metres above sea level (ASL) on north- facing slopes, rising to 1,650 metres ASL on steep south-facing slopes. The vegetation of the montane ecoregion is characterized by forests of Douglas fir, trembling aspen and lodgepole pine with patches of grasslands on dry sites. White spruce, balsam poplar and shrub meadows occur on wetter sites.
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Vegetation is actively managed in the montane ecoregion using prescribed burning to maintain the open forests and grasslands that occur in this ecoregion. Ungulate populations, particularly elk, are managed to prevent overbrowsing and damage to aspen stands and shrubs.
Subalpine Ecoregion
The subalpine ecoregion lies between the montane and the treeless alpine ecoregions. It is commonly subdivided into upper and lower subalpine regions. The lower subalpine region covers about 27% of the park and is mainly vegetated with dense forests of lodgepole pine, Englemann spruce and subalpine fir.
The upper subalpine region makes up 26% of the park area. It is primarily forested by Englemann spruce and subalpine fir, interspersed with dwarf-shrub meadows, and avalanche path communities. The boundary between upper and lower subalpine regions is at about 2000 metres ASL. Prescribed burning is used to maintain and restore vegetation in this ecosystem.
Alpine Ecoregion
The alpine ecoregion occurs above the treeline and covers 44% of the park. Of this area, about 6% is covered by alpine meadows and shrubs. The remaining 38% of the park is unvegetated rock, talus, moraines, snow, ice and water. There is no active management of vegetation in the alpine ecoregion.
1.2.2.2 Ecological Summary of the Town of Banff There has been a vast amount of research performed within Banff National Park, focused on wildlife, fire and ecosystem management. This research has occurred on lands predominantly outside the townsite. As this scientific research has enhanced the understanding of the Park’s ecology, it is clear that the town and associated facilities are located on some of the most biologically diverse lands in the park. The town of Banff is situated within the montane ecoregion, the scarcest ecoregion within the park, which occupies 3% of Banff National Park (Figure 1). While the town is confined to an area of approximately 4 square kilometres, from a wildlife perspective it is located in a strategic position at the confluence of the Bow, Cascade and Spray River valleys and Forty Mile Creek. The forested areas within the town are primarily mature to over-mature coniferous comprising a mixture of spruce and pine. There is also a combination of deciduous trees within the forested stands however the number of deciduous trees are rapidly declining due to removal for public safety reasons, storm damage, disease and general aging issues. The town has implemented projects to address some of the issues related to its urban forest, including: • The Banff Refreshing project, which planted a mix of tree species that are native to Banff National Park; and • Numerous fuel management projects have been implemented by both the Town and Parks Canada. These plans will be mentioned in subsequent sections of this report. In addition, the Central Park project converted the mature/over-mature spruce forest near the Banff Museum to a large area of grass interspersed with small groupings of immature native saplings. As previously mentioned, Parks Canada in cooperation with the Town of Banff is responsible for ensuring that the land within the town is managed in a sustainable way, using ecosystem management principles. Currently a population of deer and elk remain in the town site due to a reduction in predation
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and an abundant food source (grazing on grasses and browsing of young trees). Numerous studies have shown that the deer and elk populations within Banff National Park are higher than ever, due in part to this lack of predation. Part of the strategy for managing wildlife populations (specifically deer and elk) within the town site should involve trying to minimize the wildlife populations and food attractants within town (e.g. deer and elk). The riparian areas along the Bow River have also experienced change since the mid-1920’s as active fire suppression was implemented within the park and town boundaries. The once prominent, early- successional, deciduous species (willow, aspen, etc.) that were common along the Bow River and its tributaries have been supplanted with late successional, climax coniferous species (spruce). The lack of fire has also minimized the occurrence of species diversity within the understory forested stands around the town. Parks Canada and the Town of Banff are committed to developing strategies/practices that will bring the urban forest within the town of Banff back to a pre-settlement or more “natural” state. For example, prescribed burning treatments have occurred and will continue to occur within areas on the town outskirts. Within the town, in areas where prescribed burning is deemed to be too dangerous to the public, fuel management treatments have occurred and will continue to occur. Additionally, establishment of understorey species within some zones through planting will also allow for increased species diversity and ensure that the resource is replenished over time. The Town of Banff and Parks Canada are also trying to promote the use of native species, wherever possible, and have released a brochure listing native species as a suggested landscaping tool. Additionally, The Town’s Land Use Bylaw requires the use of native plant species as part of any new development or redevelopment. Parks Canada and the Town of Banff have developed a comprehensive list of recommended plants including deciduous trees and shrubs (Appendices 1a and 1b). 1.2.3 Departmental The Town has expressed a number of needs to be included in this Plan, including: • Developing an inventory of the existing urban forest; • Developing/suggesting requirements for tree maintenance activities; • Developing tree maintenance/protection requirements to be incorporated into Town bylaws; • Developing a list of priority activities to be implemented by the Town; • Developing annual budgets for urban forest management activities; and • Developing a list of suggested equipment needs for on-going maintenance of the urban forest asset.
1.3 The Purpose The importance of the UFMP to the town of Banff, staff and public is that it will provide strategic and operational direction to the successful management of the Town’s urban forest asset. Management directions will fit within the overall ecosystem management principles to be coordinated by Parks Canada and Town of Banff representatives. The UFMP will also provide the Town of Banff with support for continued planning, monetary and resource allocations to ensure effective management of the urban forest and public safety.
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2.0 Town of Banff Urban Forest Inventory The town of Banff lands that were assessed in the urban forest inventory are listed in Figure 2.
Figure 2. Map of Town Maintained Green Spaces
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Legend To wn of Ba nff B ou nd ary Town Maintained Green Space Mountain View Cemetery Streets Old Banff Cemetery Hydrography
Scale: 1:18,000 Revision: 1 Date: Sept 29, 2008
00.2 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6 Kilometers Source: Y:\Projects\Active\815_Banff_UFMP\gis\ \maps\Town_Maintained_Green_Spaces_ 29092008_portrait.mxd ³ While every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of this map, Tesera Systems Inc. and its consultants will not be liable for loss or damage resultsing from its use.
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A number of characteristics for “single trees” and “group trees” were collected in order to develop the inventory. For the single tree cards, attributes such as GPS position, species, height, diameter at 1.3m (also known as diameter at breast height (dbh)), health and risk indices were collected. The group tree cards collected many of the same attributes, just formatted differently. If there were trees within the group tree stands that required separate assessments due to increased risk to the public, then these specific trees were evaluated using the single tree card. A sample of the “single tree” field card used for the data collection is listed in Figure 3, and a sample of the “group tree” field card is listed in Figure 4.
Figure 3. Single Tree Field Sampling Card
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Figure 4. Group Tree Field Sampling Card
During the inventory work, the data collection methodology was adjusted to accommodate the high number of trees in the single tree category that had to be assessed. Rather than establish a GPS point for each tree, trees were grouped in like-species/diameter groupings and these groupings were referenced with a GPS point. The field work was undertaken in July and August of 2008 and was timed to allow for: • Better, more efficient assessment of deciduous trees since the amount of crown area occupied by foliage is a good indicator of vigour and overall tree health; and • Easier detection of pine trees that were recently attacked by MPB.
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The field team consisted of Arborists (including a Master Arborist), FireSmart and forestry information management specialists. 2.1 Detailed Description of the Town’s Urban Forest The entire Banff town site is within the montane ecosystem, which is described in section 1.2.2. To facilitate a more detailed description of the town’s urban forest, the forested areas have been organized into “treatment units” (i.e. specific geographic areas) of homogeneous forest (Appendices 2a, 2b, 2c). Within these areas, actions will also be prescribed based on the observations from the detailed forest inventory. The proposed treatment area breakdowns were based on a combination of similar stands and the proposed treatments within the areas. In addition, the proposed treatment area names were referenced based on street names to make it clearer to and easier to implement the strategies from an operational sense. 2.1.1 Proposed Treatment Unit #1, Bow Avenue The Bow Avenue treatment unit is a narrow polygon adjacent to Bow Ave. and the Bow River. The area consists of spruce with minor components of deciduous species (trembling aspen, balsam poplar). The area receives a lot of foot traffic (50+ people/hour during the summer months) on the Bow River Trail as well as vehicle traffic on Bow Avenue. There are a number of trees that are dead or show signs of decreased vigour due to old age, resource competition from other trees (in the case of some of the smaller trees), damage from trail building (Figure 5) and chemical de-icer damage. There are also a number of trees that showed signs of mechanical damage from vehicle traffic parking too close to the trees and wire being placed around the bole of the trees.
Figure 5. Damage to trees from trail/pathway construction
2.1.2 Proposed Treatment Unit #2, Central Park In Central Park, much of the previous mature canopy was removed and replaced with young immature deciduous and coniferous trees in the centre of the park. A row of mature trees remains along the Bow River Trail on the outer border of the park (Figure 6). The area is a high-use, high value zone. There are a number of trees that are dead or show signs of decreased vigour due to old age, resource competition from other trees, damage from trail building and chemical damage likely from de-icers used during the winter. There are also a number of trees that showed signs of mechanical damage from vehicle traffic parking too close to the trees and wire being placed around the bole of the trees (Figure 7). Groups of smaller, younger trees on the banks of the Bow River could also be thinned (i.e. small patches of high
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density trees) to allow for less competition and provide better growing conditions for the remaining trees (Figure 8). Figure 6. One of the small groupings within Central Park with the line of mature trees along the pathway and river’s edge seen in the background on the left of the picture
Figure 7. Damage resulting from wire being placed around the trunk of the tree and not removed
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Figure 8. Small Patches of young, immature trees along the Bow River
2.1.3 Proposed Treatment Unit #3, East of Banff Ave Bridge, Along Bow River Trail This area is adjacent to some of the most expensive homes in the town. Given the right conditions, some of the larger trees adjacent to these properties pose a risk of failure and would cause damage to the properties. Additionally, the Bow River Trail bisects the unit which is used as a main route for tourists and residents walking along the Bow River. The area is composed of larger, individual mature trees of various species (Douglas fir, white spruce, lodgepole pine and trembling aspen) at various spacing along the northern side of the Bow River Trail. On the southern side of the Bow River Trail, is a stand of trees with a density of approximately 800 stems/ha. Most of the dominant trees in this area range from 18-23 metres tall. The stand has very little understory vegetation although there were some mature suppressed trees throughout the stand that ranged from 10-15 metres tall. There is also a riparian zone, anywhere from 0-10 metres back from the riverbank where a heavier concentration of deciduous species (trembling aspen, balsam poplar, willow) and grasses have become established. The trees within the riparian zone are mostly immature with a few mature trees interspersed further from the river. There are a number of trees that are dead or show signs of decreased vigour due to old age along the pathway, adjacent to houses and in the stand on the southern side of the Bow River Trail. Signs of damage (possibly due to chemical de-icer) along pathways were noted, but the damage was fairly limited and isolated to along the trails and where snow removal crews have probably piled snow in the past. 2.1.4 Proposed Treatment Unit #4, Beside Old Cemetery/Lower Tunnel Mountain Drive This area runs south from St.Julien Way, on the east side of the old cemetery, along the upper portion of Tunnel Mountain Drive towards the sharp viewpoint corner on Tunnel Mountain Drive. To the west the stands are predominantly lodgepole pine with some mix of white spruce and switching to predominantly
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interior Douglas fir stands in the eastern part of the unit along the cliff face below the road and on the hill above the road. The trees in the area range from 15-22 metres tall and 15-60 cm dbh. There were a number of issues noted in this area during the inventory: 1) A “visually apparent” lack of understory species diversity, chemical de-icer damage noted within Douglas fir zone along the cliff face of the Bow River below and above the Tunnel Mountain Drive. Figure 9 shows chemical damage on immature trees along the road side, chemical damage on mature trees as well as chemical damage on the grasses at the base of the mature trees; 2) Mechanical damage on roots and lack of soil for a rooting medium on the cliff face and Tunnel Mountain Drive hillside (Figure 10); 3) MPB within the areas comprised of lodgepole pine. Additionally, through personal communications, there has been inference that there were endemic populations of Douglas fir Beetle (DFB) which may have impacted some of the larger fir trees. However, there was no evidence of past DFB during the detailed surveys (e.g. no frass at the base of the trees, no exit holes from the bark, or galleries under the bark). There may be endemic DFB populations outside the town boundary but evidence of DFB was not noticed during the forest inventory.
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Figure 9. Chemical damage along the Tunnel Mountain area on Immature & Mature Douglas fir
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Figure 10. Mechanical damage of roots and lack of soil rooting media within the Douglas fir Zone
2.1.5 Proposed Treatment Unit #5, Old Cemetery The old Banff cemetery has a number of older, more mature white and Colorado spruce and deciduous species (trembling aspen, honeysuckle, maydays, mountain ash) and pole stage (younger mature) lodgepole pine. The trees planted within the old Banff cemetery were planted by individuals and not by the Town of Banff although the town now manages the trees within the cemetery. Given the high heritage values within the cemetery (e.g. head stones, etc.) and other infrastructure, the ongoing maintenance of the area is a high priority for the Town. The issues that were noted were: 1) Deadwood on trees; and 2) Minor amounts of damage to trees likely due to chemical de-icers. There were a number of trees with burls (Figure 11). Trees with burls are interesting oddities; they may frequently grow much more slowly and die sooner, but rarely cause tree failures. The causes of burls are unknown, but they are most often seen on pines, spruce and maples in Canada. Burls do not contain infectious organisms and are composed of lignified wood.
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Figure 11. White Spruce with large burl at base of tree
2.1.6 Proposed Treatment Unit #6, Along St. Julien Road and Otter Street This treatment area is primarily composed of lodgepole pine species on the steeper, drier slopes heading east on St. Julien Road and later on Otter Street. During the forest inventory, multiple instances of MPB attacked trees were identified. Much of the area is on steep slopes that may make treatments within this area difficult. There were also areas where Douglas fir and white spruce were established, typically on wetter, more level microsites. 2.1.7 Proposed Treatment Unit #7, Marmot Place The trees, within an elongated island on the cul-de-sac of Marmot Place, consist of a few large balsam poplar trees (+20 metres tall) with some co-dominant white spruce trees. There were indications that the trees may have a disease such as Dipodia canker and Valsa-type (or Leucostoma) canker and issues with compaction within the rooting zones. 2.1.8 Proposed Treatment Unit #8, From Eastern Banff Entrance on Banff Avenue to Wolf Street, Including Rotary Park, High School and Surrounding Area This area is one of the first images that visitors have when entering the townsite and contains many businesses and store fronts. This area ranges from the intersection of Marmot Crescent and Banff Ave. all the way to Wolf Street. Within this area there are mostly balsam poplar and white spruce with a few other deciduous ornamentals such as white birch, maydays, etc. During the forest inventory it was noted that many of the poplars in the area had severe diseases such as Dipodia canker and Valsa-type (or Leucostoma) canker as shown in Figure 12. The poplars within this area are more susceptible to diseases and stress due to the lack of rooting volume and space preventing root growth. Weaker trees can be
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infected by insects and diseases. Spruce trees in the area also had some deadwood that will need to be removed at some point. Figure 12. Trees with Cankers on Banff Avenue
Additionally, it was noted that string lights were on some of the trees surrounding store-fronts and businesses and that in some instances the string lights were girdling the trees at the attachment points (Figure 13). Figure 13. Trees with Lights on Banff Avenue
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2.1.9 Proposed Treatment Unit #9, Areas Surrounding Pika Place The areas surrounding Pika Place are mostly coniferous stands consisting primarily of white spruce with a very minor component (less than 1%) of deciduous species. The average tree ranges in height from 16.5- 22 metres and dbh of 20-32 cm. Some of these areas have already been treated with FireSmart protocols however other areas still need to be treated (e.g. areas that back onto the railway tracks behind Marmot Place and areas across from Marmot Place). There were trees that could pose a hazard around the “Tot Lot” located off Cougar Street. Also, within this area (GPS point A087) is the largest and most valuable spruce tree that was sampled during the forest inventory. It is against the railway tracks, along Marmot Crescent behind some of the condos. It is an overall healthy, white spruce tree that is 103.5cm dbh and 30m tall, and was the largest tree measured in the inventory. 2.1.10 Proposed Treatment Unit #10, Areas West of Fox Street, Behind Cougar Street and backs onto the Railway Tracks This area consists primarily of white spruce with a very minor component (less than 1%) of deciduous species. The average tree ranges in height from 19-23 m and dbh of 25-30 cm. There’s a small creek that bisects the green space and runs beside the trail, with most of the forested area being on the north side of the creek. Some of this area has already been treated with FireSmart protocols. 2.1.11 Proposed Treatment Unit #11, Green Spaces Adjacent to the Elementary School as well as the trees on the School Grounds This area consists of the elementary school and green spaces surrounding the school. The trees on or beside the school grounds are mostly balsam poplar and/or northwest poplar (both mature and immature) ranging in size from 11-18m tall and 15-30cm dbh. There is also a day care across the street which has some larger mature poplar that should be assessed further for hazard potential. Backing onto the railway tracks is a stand of predominantly mature white spruce 30-42.5 cm dbh and 15-18m tall interspersed with some deciduous that has been treated using FireSmart protocols. 2.1.12 Proposed Treatment Unit #12, Area around Recreation Centre The area around the recreation centre consists of mature white spruce with a minor component of a balsam poplar in the understory. This area has previously been previously thinned as part of FireSmart to approximately 650-700 stems/ha. Previous treatments have removed trees from under the high voltage powerlines that run through the area and are the power supply for Lake Louise (Figure 14). The understory has been largely removed and there are some slash piles left from the thinning treatment.
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Figure 14. FireSmart Thinning by Recreation Centre and Along Powerlines
It should be noted that, while outside the town boundary, the stands west of the recreation area (i.e. across the Mount Norquay Rd.) where the Fenland Trail is located represent one of the highest ranked forest fire fuel indices in terms of wildfire threat and spread (Figure 15). Parks Canada had plans to perform a prescribed burn in the Fenlands area a few years ago but faced public pressure which canceled the project. After meeting with Parks Canada staff regarding the fire management work in the town, the Fire Management Specialists (from the UFMP team and Parks Canada) feel that this area is a high risk to the town and the area should be treated.
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Figure 15. High Risk Fuel Stand Across from Recreation Centre
2.1.13 Proposed Treatment Unit #13, Banff Ave. Refreshing, Various Downtown Islands and Boulevards In May of 2008 the landscaping aspects of the Banff Refreshing project had been completed along Banff Avenue. The project resulted in ~175 immature native trees 1.5m to 3m tall (white spruce, white birch and trembling aspen) being planted along the town’s main street in a number of planting beds from Wolf Street to Buffalo Street. During the inventory work in July, Town staff asked the team to assess the trees since they were already showing signs of stress (e.g. dropping or curling of needles, foliage changing color, etc.). The trees were assessed by the Certified Master Arborist on the team and there were some potential concerns raised which would limit the useful lifespan of the trees or will require on-going annual maintenance. Guidelines for planting trees in urban settings will be provided within this report in section 4.10.1. Other areas assessed within the downtown core are highlighted on the map in Appendix 2b as Unit 13. Within these areas there is a mix of species, both native and non-native and of various age ranges. Each of these green spaces was assessed and recommended treatments are noted for each green space in the database as well as section 4.1. 2.1.14 Proposed Treatment Unit #14, Along West Glen Ave. This is a narrow strip of trees, mostly white spruce between Glen Ave. and the Bow River. The Bow Falls Trail runs through this area and there is a high user base for activities on this trail including walking, running, biking, horseback riding, etc. Damage was observed on a number of trees along the pathways, mostly to roots and trunks of the trees (Figure 16).
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Figure 16. Low Risk tree along Bow River
Figure 17 shows a number of trees that are on the edge of the river and do not represent a high public hazard since if they fail, they will fall into the river. However, Figure 18 shows some trees which are a higher potential risk to people. Figure 17. Low Risk tree along Bow River
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Figure 18. High Risk tree along Bow River
2.1.15 Proposed Treatment Unit #15, Bow Falls trail The large area between Glen Ave. and the Bow River which includes the Bow Falls Trail has been treated using FireSmart protocols on approximately 75% of the area. It has an open understory and is adequately spaced with very little understory growth (Figure 19 and Figure 20). It’s composed of white spruce and lodgepole pine on average 17-25m tall and 25-50cm in dbh. The Bow Falls Trail runs through the area and is a high to medium use trail (i.e. 30-50+ people per hour in the summer). Past practices such as use of chemical de-icer have caused damage to trees and these areas were primarily along the River Avenue road and low lying areas where spring run-off accumulated. There will be more discussion regarding chemical damage in section 2.2.2 and section 4.0 of this report.
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Figure 19. FireSmart Treatments along Glen Avenue, with invasive weeds in the foreground
Figure 20. FireSmart Treatments along Glen Avenue, with invasive weeds in the foreground
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2.1.16 Proposed Treatment Unit #16, Bow Falls Parking Lot The area surrounding the Bow Falls parking lot is a high vehicle and foot traffic location. The trees in this area are primarily mature white spruce with some deciduous within the parking lot medians. The area receives a lot of road de-icer run-off from the road surface in the winter and that damage is evident in the white spruce in the area surrounding the parking lot and at points within the timber to the north approximately 100 metres. Chemical damage is also evident in many deciduous trees and shrubs here, and is highly likely to have caused or contributed to the death of several trees around the parking lot. 2.1.17 Proposed Treatment Unit #17, Remaining areas West of Kootenay Avenue The areas labeled on the map as unit 17 in Appendix 2b are a mix of mature white spruce/lodgepole pine stands with some scattered Douglas fir and deciduous species such as balsam poplar and trembling aspen. These green spaces are located within dense residential areas so there is a greater danger to public safety and property damage if there is a tree failure. MPB host trees were noted in each of the green spaces in this area. There were also a lot of dead trees that should be removed to minimize the chance of impacting public safety, especially considering past windstorm events in the area. Figure 21 shows a number (~30) trees around a children’s playground that are dead/dying due to MPB and have a high likelihood of failure. Figure 21. Dead or Dying Trees in close proximity to Children’s Playground
2.1.18 Proposed Treatment Unit #18, Cave Ave/Recreation Areas This area is located primarily along Cave Ave. and includes the recreational fields (soccer, baseball, running track) as well as playgrounds, day parks and bike parks. The northeast forested section is
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comprised of a white spruce overstory and a co-dominant understory of deciduous species. There are also individual trees spaced a number of metres apart around infrastructure such as buildings and fences. The southern section along Cave Ave. is composed of white spruce that have been partially thinned (FireSmart) however the area along Cave Ave. needs some attention due to water table issues. Issues with water drainage have killed ~400 white spruce trees between the running track and the Cave & Basin trail (Figure 22). Figure 22. Trees along running track that died due to poor drainage
2.1.19 Proposed Treatment Unit #19, Mountain View Cemetery The Mountain View Cemetery is relatively new and does not have many issues. There are a variety of native and non-native tree species within the area (Table 1). Table 1. Lists of species, average dbh and heights within the Mountain View Cemetery
Average Average Species dbh (cm) height (m) Amur Maple 5 2 Balsam Poplar 30 12 Colorado Spruce 30 8 Elm 20 5 Japanese Tree Lilac 10 4 Lodgepole Pine 30 16 Mayday 30 4 Mountain Ash 10 4 Mugo Pine 10 5 Ohio Buckeye 8 3 Paper Birch 20 10
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Average Average Species dbh (cm) height (m) Schubert Chokecherry 10 4 Scots Pine 10 7 Siberian Larch 20 8 Snowbird Hawthorn 10 4 Swedish Aspen 20 7 Trembling Aspen 30 12 White Spruce 30 8
From discussions with Town of Banff staff, this area has not received much attention in terms of tree maintenance over the last few years, so there may be some work required, especially along the outer edge of the cemetery where there are a couple of forest stands. 2.1.20 Proposed Treatment Unit #20, at the end of Spray Avenue This small area is situated at the end of Spray Avenue just off the Spray River Loop Trail. The area is 80% lodgepole pine with 20% white spruce. The trees are mature and the area has been thinned as part of the FireSmart program. Given that this area is within forested lands that are the responsibility of Parks Canada, the suggested action on this parcel is to mirror the activities performed by Parks Canada – in other words, no action besides annual monitoring is required. 2.1.21 Proposed Treatment Unit #21, Railway Ave. Across from Bus Station These are small tree groupings at the corner of Railway Street intersections and along Railway Street. The trees in these areas are largely white spruce (immature and mature) as well as some balsam poplar of various ages. The trees are mostly situated as individual trees with grasses (lawn) underneath and no understory species. There is one small stand of less than 10 mature white spruce (approximately 20 m tall and 40-50 cm dbh) with some tall understory shrubs and immature white spruce on the south side of Railway Street. Additionally, across the street on the north side of Railway Street are a row of heritage willow trees near the Railway station. According to a local historian (and also mentioned in the Draft 2003 Banff Train Station Heritage Plan), the willows at the CPR station are non-native golden or Russian and were planted in 1936 to commemorate a visit by King George V and Queen Elizabeth. The plantings may also have been part of a national program of train station beautification sponsored by either the CPR or federal govt. These trees were not counted as part of the inventory since they are on land owned by CPR and are not currently a Town maintained green space; however, these trees were mentioned in a number of meetings so recommendations have been made in section 4.6 of this report regarding how to preserve these trees for as long as possible, and how to establish regeneration underneath them.
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2.2 Forest Inventory Summary During the forest inventory, parameters that indicate the health and vigour of trees were recorded. Items that were noted included: • Apparent or suspected damage to the roots, trunk and tree branches (includes mechanical damage, disease, animal damage or insect attacks); • Apparent or suspected damage from chemicals (e.g. salt damage); • General issues with respect to incorrect placement or planting; and • Recommended treatments for trees were provided. In general, many of the trees and stands within the town are in the mature/over-mature age group (i.e. greater than 80 years old). The mature and overmature trees should be assessed annually since not every old or large tree is unsafe, and even completely dead trees can pose no hazard. For example, a recently killed Douglas fir anchored in solid rock may be fine left standing for years before it becomes a hazard. Large trees are valuable as long as they are in good condition and should be retained as long as possible. There was very little reforestation occurring within the understory of the stands and, therefore, ways to increase the regeneration within these stands will be provided in the recommendations section. Issues which were noted in the survey are summarized in the following subsections. 2.2.1 Standing Dead Trees There were a large number of standing dead trees noted that were along existing high use trails and within playground areas. Due to these trees being in high use areas and having a high/extreme likelihood of failure, it is recommended that these trees be removed as soon as possible. The removal program would be reviewed with the Town of Banff staff to prioritize areas from highest concern to lowest concern. It is recommended that most of the work occur during the winter to minimize disturbance impacts to soils, habitat, etc. Trees that the team thought should be removed have been identified in the field using a fluorescent green paint dot on the trunk of the tree – typically on the side towards the pathway/trail. Standing dead trees that pose low risk to public or property – especially those with large dbh - are important as nesting and foraging habitat for a number of birds (woodpeckers) and mammal species. Where possible these trees will be retained for habitat requirements. 2.2.2 Chemical Damage Chemical damage was noticed primarily on trees adjacent to roads and walkways as well as areas “downstream” of these sites. The locations where the most severe damage was noted were on the road up to the Banff Centre above Bow Falls, the road down to the Bow Falls viewing area on the perimeter of the Bow Falls parking lot, and alongside the road next to the river. These areas are listed in section 2.1 along with pictures of chemical damage.
The scientific mechanism of how road salt and road chemicals damages plants, particularly coniferous trees, is well known and well documented in the scientific literature (Hudler, G.W., 1980; Chong, C. and G.P. Lumis. 1990; Environment Canada, 2001). Chloride chemicals affect two main parts of the tree: the leaves (or needles) and the roots. The chemicals cause lesions, stippling and necrosis on the surface of the leaves, usually on the side facing the street, which becomes noticeable at the end of winter. Early in the spring, growth may be slow, stunted, or non-existent. The color of new foliage, if any, may be yellowish, stunted, or a paler green than normal. Late summer or after the first really dry, hot spell, more severe damage symptoms may be noticed. The roots are impacted by the chemical which literally suck the moisture out of the tree. The characteristic symptoms of chemical damage on conifers include
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yellowing of foliage, especially on the side of trees facing the road. Severe chemical injury symptoms include death of whole branches, tops of trees and whole trees, manifested by orangey, reddish or bronze discoloration, followed by browning, and finally, after the tree has been dead a period of time, (one or two years in some cases) the complete loss of foliage. This pattern is similar to insect attack, but unlike an insect attack, chemical damage is not accompanied by insect frass, bore holes, resin blistering, and the presence of insects. The signs of insect infestation are not evident on any of the trees with suspected chemical damage and the vast majority of trees are white spruce, Douglas fir, and even poplars and shrubs, forbs, and grasses along the roadsides of the affected areas. Figure 9 illustrates some examples of chemical damage on trees and grasses along Tunnel Mountain Drive.
It is also well known that all chemical de-icers have the potential to harm roadside vegetation, when used excessively, when low volume rooting areas exist, or when de-icers have been used and insufficient precipitation occurs to keep elevated chloride ions from reaching damaging levels in the soil. Douglas fir and white spruce are usually rated on the more sensitive or most sensitive ends of scales used to gauge susceptibility of coniferous trees to injury from salt (Hudler G.W., 1980; Chong and Lumis, 1990; Forest Practices Branch Website, 2008). Areas around Banff where chemical damage has been most notable have been areas that have lower rooting volumes including dry, rocky crevasses on the side of mountains or between a paved road and a bike path/walking trail. Additionally these areas, specifically the trees on the hillside and cliff along Tunnel Mountain Drive do not receive high amounts of precipitation. Chemicals are transported in a number of ways, pellets bouncing off the road surface when applied, when applied in liquid form or during melting run-off can occur, and wind (http://environment.transportation.org/environmental_issues/construct_maint_prac/compendium/manual/ 8_1.aspx). In the case of Banff and the Tunnel Mountain area in particular, there are large updrafts along the Tunnel Mountain road when a westerly wind blows up from the falls below. This updraft could theoretically carry fine spray contaminated with the road deicers many hundreds of feet away. To scientifically corroborate this theory would require additional research. Salt indexes, which measure chloride ions regardless of whether sodium chloride, magnesium or calcium chloride was used, in these exceptionally difficult places for trees to grow could conceivably also rise to lethal levels much more quickly than areas where tree roots can access large soil volumes, where high salt ion concentrations are more easily diluted and buffered by organic matter in the soil.
A number of recommendations have been provided by the Certified Master Arborist. • A more thorough examination of the larger high-value Douglas fir trees to further substantiate the cause of death and ensure that the recommended treatment to save the rest of the Douglas fir trees is the correct treatment option to proceed with. This would include a post-mortem dissection and laboratory (microscope) analysis to prove/disprove chemical damage is the issue. Also required is more research into the impact the chemicals had on the soil, since there is a possibility that road de-icing chemicals have caused some other type of soil environmental damage, such as destroying the mycorhizae that were keeping the Douglas fir alive on that cliff face. Once the post-mortem is performed then further treatment options can be investigated. • If an irrigation treatment is deemed appropriate from the above post-mortem, then it can be used to leach away accumulated salt and de-icers. Up to seven times the amount normally used to water trees will usually work. For example, 25mm of water over the rootzone of a tree is a good watering, so applying 17.5 cm will leach away most chloride ion soil contaminants. Such a large amount, however, is not practical to apply at one time since all the soil may wash away, especially in rocky cracks and crevasses, so care must be taken when manually applying water by
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means of a tanker type truck and pump. The runoff from the irrigation, for the first two applications in the spring, should be vacuumed up and disposed of according to environmental guidelines. Periodic irrigation through out the summer, twice per month, if no sufficient precipitation occurs, will prevent soils from drying out to damaging levels. • Use of de-icer is necessary in certain locations for safety and vegetation management purposes, and the Town should investigate the following alternative chemical de-icers listed in Table 2.
Table 2. Alternative Chemical De-icer
Minimal Temperature De-icer Type Relative Cost Environmental Impacts Requirements
Calcium Magnesium -3oC to -5oC 20x more than rock (+) Less Toxic – if used sparingly Acetate (CMA) salt
Potassium Acetate -30oC to -60oC 8x more than rock salt (+) Less Toxic – biodegrades, but lowers (KAc) oxygen levels in bodies of water
Calcium Chloride -31oC 3x more than rock salt (+) Lower rate of application (CaCl) (+) no cyanide (-) Chloride impact
Magnesium Chloride -15oC 5x more than rock salt (+) no cyanide (MgCl) (-) Chloride impact
Potassium Chloride -11oC 2.5x more than rock (+) no cyanide (KCl) salt (-) Slightly higher rate of application (-) Chloride impact – contains 17-56% more chloride ions than other “chloride-based” de-icers
Urea (Nitrogen-based -4oC to -7oC 5x more than rock salt (+) Less Corrosive salts) (-) Slightly higher rate of application (-) Adds needless nutrients – can be harmful to plants & waterbodies
Sand Minimal melting effect ~ $3 for a 20kg bag (+) Improves traction (-) Accumulates in streets and streams
Sodium Chloride -10oC ~ $5 for a 20kg bag (-) Contains cyanide (NaCl), aka rock salt (-) Chloride impact
• Town of Banff staff could measure and monitor the chemical within the soil throughout the year to determine appropriate irrigation timings by using portable Electrical Conductivity (EC) soil metres. This device measures (chloride) ion concentrations in soil. Staff could be trained in its use and the results should be corroborated by a soil testing laboratory. Eventually when staff are proficient measuring the chemicals in the soil, the amount of soil sampling could be reduced. 2.2.3 Mechanical Root/Lower Trunk Damage A number of trees, including high value heritage trees have experienced mechanical damage due to their location on trails/pathways (Figure 5). Given the value of the trees in Banff and the Town’s efforts to maintain the trees, more consideration should be given to proper location of paths to reduce negative impacts on trees. The mechanical damage typically occurred during pathway construction but also is
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probably repeated each year during maintenance of trails in the winter. Above ground mechanical damage can lead to weakening at the base of the tree over time and can result in tree failure. Additionally, root zones for the trees become compacted during construction or use of the pathway regardless of pathway surfacing. The compaction results in limited growth within the rooting zone and can limit growth and even kill roots within the rooting zone thereby leaving the tree prone to blow-down. It is recommended that during development of future pathways/trails that the trees be given more consideration and the pathways moved to accommodate trees considering the high value relative to the pathway/trail. 2.2.4 Mountain Pine Beetle The mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) is a member of the bark beetle family, and is the most damaging insect pest of pine trees in western North America. The adult beetles are black and small, just 5-7 mm long, while the larvae look like small maggots under the bark. Appendix 3a highlights the MPB lifecycle. Modern fire suppression has resulted in large areas of pine forests with over-mature trees, which are more susceptible to beetle attack. In the past, most of Alberta has been outside the mountain pine beetle's normal range of distribution due to the harsh winter conditions. However, with the recent milder winters, these beetles have been more successful in parts of Alberta. Most species of bark beetles are strong flyers. Though not common, mountain pine beetles can potentially disperse over great distances if the winds are in their favour. In 2006, the province experienced a large influx of beetle from British Columbia due to wind. They were widely dispersed across north-western regions were they are not commonly found. There have been historical outbreaks in southern Alberta when population levels were high in B.C. and Montana in areas near the Alberta borders. The most recent outbreak occurred in the late 1970s to the mid-1980s. Beetle populations have been on the rise in Alberta since 2000. Appendix 3b shows the MPB population growth projections in Alberta. While the projections within Banff National Park are not shown on the map, it is reasonable to assume that there would be some population build-up in the park. This is supported by the MPB populations found in the town’s urban forest as well as mentioned within the Fire and Vegetation Management Information Bulletins, http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ab/banff/natcul/natcul22_E.asp. Alberta Sustainable Resource Development is working co-operatively with Community Development, Parks Canada, BC Ministry of Forests, Municipalities, forest industry, and other concerned stakeholders to ensure all values at risk are considered when managing the beetles. Municipal grants can be obtained from the Alberta Government to detect and control infestations, see http://www.srd.alberta.ca/forests/pdf/2007_MPB_municipality_program_guidelines.pdf for more information. While it’s recognized that MPB is a natural occurrence – one must also consider the values that could potentially be lost if MPB spread to epidemic proportions in areas surrounding the townsite. Given the potential impact of MPB to the town of Banff, Parks Canada, provincial and municipal staff should meet to discuss strategies for continued MPB management.
Instances of trees having been attacked by MPB were identified in the survey. These trees, depending on location and number, may pose a risk to public safety (trunk/branch failure or blowdown) and also a fire risk. Treatment options to reduce the spread of MPB and reduce risk to public safety within the town would mainly include cutting and burning the trees. Other options, such as removing larger tracts of host species (i.e. pine) via prescribed fire or harvesting exist but would likely not be feasible within the town limits due to proximity to infrastructure and buildings, etc. It is recommended that the pine component of the urban forest be monitored each year for MPB activity and infected trees should be removed.
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2.2.5 Wildlife Damage The inventory also noted trees that were damaged due to wildlife, specifically browsing by elk and deer. The trees that were impacted were typically immature deciduous (e.g. balsam poplar and trembling aspen, etc.) however conifers (e.g. white spruce) were also browsed at some locations. The Town of Banff staff have tried to minimize this browsing by erecting fencing around individual immature trees as well as groups of immature trees and shrubs. The UFMP team recommends a number of options to minimize browsing: • Fencing – The position of the fencing is very important, since during the inventory it was noted that trees where the fencing was too close to a tree, in the case of a few sidewalk applications, were more heavily browsed. The fencing should be positioned at least 4-6 feet (~1.5 – 2 metres) from the immature trees/shrubs. The bottom of the fence does not have to be placed to the ground, but should not be more than 2.5-3 feet above the ground. The top of the fence should be approximately 6-8 feet from the ground. To be more efficient in the fencing program, larger groups of immature trees should be fenced rather than implement fencing around individual trees. The fencing program also needs to be coordinated with the planting and landscaping program to ensure that trees are planted in areas where they have a maximum chance of survival (i.e. have enough rooting volume, the appropriate species is selected for a given area, etc.) and there is room to erect fencing to protect the trees from browsing. • Select shrubs and trees that can withstand the impacts of browsing and have the characteristics that symbolize Banff. Currently, these trees and shrubs species may not be found in large enough quantities to be used within Banff, however a propagation program is being recommended in subsequent sections that would enable planting in the future. • Town staff should continue to work with Parks Canada to come up with ways to minimize the amount of wildlife, specifically elk and deer within the town. 2.2.6 Tree Diseases (Cankers and Galls) There were a number of more severe tree diseases noted during the forest inventory. Most notable were the severe Dipodia canker and Valsa-type (or Leucostoma) canker as shown in Figure 12 on poplar trees along Banff Avenue. These should be assessed annually, pruned or replaced as necessary. 2.2.7 Deadwood There were numerous cases where there was deadwood within the tree crown, both in deciduous and coniferous trees. Tree pruning is recommended in these cases to remove deadwood and diseased sections to improve the health and aesthetic of the trees. It also enhances public safety in the vicinity the tree. A pruning treatment program should be developed and performed annually.
2.2.8 Foreign Materials A number of foreign materials were found on trees, which may impact the health, including wire mesh (Figure 7), nails & screws in the case of displaying signs, lighting and cabling (Figure 22). Figure 23 is just an example of these foreign materials which are distributed throughout the town, and the database makes specific reference to trees with the foreign materials on them.
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Figure 23. Cabling In Tree
These objects can have a detrimental impact to a tree and in most cases the longer the objects are in contact with the tree, the risk to the tree becoming injured increases. For example, wire mesh, cabling and lighting can girdle a tree depending on how tight the object is applied to the tree (i.e. if there is a lot of rubbing against the bark, and if the object is left there for multiple growing seasons). Any object capable of girdling the tree should be removed. Lights in the form of Christmas lights should only be installed during the Christmas season and alternated in attachment patterns for each season to minimize accidental girdling. 2.2.9 Invasive Plant Species During the inventory, invasive plant species were noted in a number of locations. While this was not specifically part of the contract, it was thought that it would be appropriate for the Town to know the locations so they can effectively deal with this issue. Invasive plant species are an issue within the town’s urban forest, since they can compete for nutrient resources and depending on levels of invasion and spread can limit the growth of seedlings or understory species. Generally, there were invasive plants noticed within the landscaping work in Central Park as well as along Glen Ave. and Tunnel Mountain Drive.
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Figure 24 shows the approximate locations identified during the inventory; however, a more detailed survey is recommended by weed specialists to correctly identify, map and provide treatment recommendations for the Town to consider. Since this was not part of the contract, we did not include this element in the UFMP implementation plan or budget but this was discussed with the Town of Banff Grounds staff and they indicated that a separate budget was available for this.
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Figure 24. Location of Invasive Plants
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Source: Y:\Projects\Active\815_Banff_UFMP \gis\\maps\Invasive_Plants_05102008_portrait.mxd
³ While every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of this map, Tesera Systems Inc. and its consultants will not be liable for loss or damage resultsing from its use.
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2.3 Review of the Current FireSmart Plans/Treatments and Integrate Additional Treatments to Minimize Fire Risk FireSmart planning and implementation within Banff has been ongoing for several years. To date, comprehensive plans for FireSmart initiatives, tactical response and emergency management have been developed and are in various stages of completion. Town FireSmart planning has been developed in conjunction with Banff National Park wildfire management objectives and a good working relationship exists between the two agencies. Inventory work conducted during the development of this plan indicated some concern still exists within the large conifer stands with the town limits. While these stands have received FireSmart treatment, there is still the potential of the stands to support crown fires due to heavy stands of predominately large, even aged white spruce. The FireSmart strategy is being used to reduce the risk of crown fire and fire brand acceptance from becoming a wildfire in these stands by thinning and pruning, to open stands to promote surface fire versus crown fire, and to support safe access by suppression forces. This strategy is a common treatment for stands that are evident in the Town of Banff; however, due to very high property values surrounding these stands, further steps should be taken to reduce crown fire risk. To enhance current treatments, we are recommending that deciduous tree species (poplar, willow, birch) be introduced in stand openings to further reduce potential crown fire risk. Introduction of these native species can be accomplished by planting cuttings or seedlings in stand openings when conducting FireSmart or stand management activities to create a more mixed forest and better accomplish FireSmart objectives. The secondary observation during inventory work was the proximity of several powerlines to heavy conifer forest. This has been identified by the Town of Banff Fire Department as an issue that requires immediate attention. Initial discussions with Fortis Alberta have indicated a willingness to work with the Town to address this issue. 2.4 Asset Value (i.e. cost to replace trees and/or stands) The valuation of the Town’s urban forest was calculated using the trunk appraisal methodology which has been customarily used and accepted within other urban forest plans in other jurisdictions in Alberta, Canada and North America (Council of Tree & Landscape Appraisers. 2000). The value that was determined is $57.8 million. Using this method, an average white spruce (30 cm dbh) tree is worth $4000-$8000 depending on condition and there were a number of larger trees greater than 70 cm dbh which had an average value of $43,000-$61,000. Also, the Douglas fir were valued at higher levels than white spruce, where an average 40 cm dbh Douglas fir was worth $12,000-$14,000 and a larger 95 cm dbh Douglas fir was worth an average of $100,000 depending on condition. The calculations can be found within the inventory database that will be submitted as a deliverable of this project. Although these values may come as a surprise to some, consider that in many parts of Europe, the U.K. and Australia, tree valuation methodology used there would value these trees up to ten times higher, especially for native trees of national and historical significance. Given this valuation, it is very important for the Town to value the urban forest as an asset and start treating it as such. It is also very important that the urban forest be maintained and in some cases restored to reduce risks to the public, retain value for tourism opportunities and enable enhanced control of wildlife populations within the town so that wildlife does not adversely affect ecosystems. Policies need to be created and enacted to protect and manage trees as well as invasive weeds in the town and BNP.
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2.5 Structure and function of the urban forest for wildlife habitat The Banff Community Plan: Environmental Overview (2007) indicated that “Parks Canada’s research has shown that vegetation in Banff National Park is exhibiting a decline in aspen, willow, open conifer, young pine and grassland eco-sites as a result of fire suppression, overgrazing by unnaturally high populations of ungulates, and direct loss through development. Changes in the structure of these forest and grassland communities will lead to a decline in diversity and value as wildlife habitat.” This is especially true within the Banff townsite where there has been an increase of ungulates in the area. During the last decade, Parks Canada and the Town have implemented numerous management actions to restore ecological processes and reduce human-wildlife conflicts in the montane area surrounding Banff townsite (Whittington, 2007). The activities included restoration of wildlife corridors, human use management education, prescribed burning and implementation of the Elk Management Strategy (1999). The actions have resulted in many successes including improved habitat quality within wildlife corridors, aspen and willow regeneration in portions of Bow Valley and reduced elk-human conflicts; however, challenges remain, such as reducing elk and deer populations near and within the townsite. The elk population around the townsite has doubled from 93 to 204 animals in the last three years and there is a high potential for browsing of plants and elk-human conflict. Additionally, elf calving within the town provides an attractant to bears and other carnivores and there is potential for increased bear-human conflicts. Parks Canada will be using adaptive management approaches to address these issues to develop: • Short-term actions to reduce elk densities around the Banff townsite; and • Long-term actions to regulate ungulate populations naturally via predators. Some of the potential actions were discussed in the 2007 Montane Ecosystem Workshop and are listed in Table 3. Table 3. Potential Management Options by Parks Canada (from Whittington, 2007)
Potential Management Action Term
Continued elk aversive conditioning Long-term
Elk cull Short-term
Annual elk hunt to make elk more wary of people Short – Long term
Elk birth control Short – Long term
Reduction of human use in wildlife corridors Short – Long term
Reduce levels of human use in some area near the townsite to Short – Long term allow carnivores better access to elk
Fence townsite Long-term
Fence patches of high quality elk habitat around the townsite Long-term
Install semi-permanent fences at some underpasses to keep the Long-term elk north of the Trans Canada Highway
Incorporate the use of shock collars to prevent elk from using Short – Long term habitat patches within the townsite
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The following discussion is based primarily on Marzluff and Ewing (2001), but has been adapted for the Town of Banff. With respect to other wildlife (e.g. birds and smaller mammals) the larger patches of urban forest surrounding the Banff townsite is very important in providing overall habitat as well as interior forest conditions that some species require. Snags and decayed Coarse Woody Debris (CWD) is an important habitat component for many species of wildlife and can be used for nesting sites or food sources depending on the species. Snags should be retained in stands where there are no issues with respect to public safety. Although FireSmart treatments have removed most of the CWD in the understory some of this volume should be retained in future treatments, where feasible from a fire and public safety standpoint, to provide nesting and food sources for smaller wildlife species. Additionally, birds and small mammals will benefit from planting of native deciduous and coniferous species in the understory. The increased diversity of trees/shrub/ground species within the understory provides increased food, cover and nesting opportunities. It also can inhabit the establishment of invasive plant species. Human use of natural areas, even passive activities such as walking on nature trails, has an effect on wildlife. This is especially evident in urban areas where use may be relatively intense. Human intrusion is usually incompatible with maximum use of forest by wildlife where wildlife use is a management priority, such as core forest areas. Careful trail design, the use of techniques to focus pedestrian flow and the identification of, and fencing for, exclusion areas can all be considered in mitigating human use.
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3.0 Review of Wider Urban Forest Management Programs and Policies Currently, there is not a formalized urban forest management program or policies in place for the Town of Banff. The management of the urban forest has been handled in an ad-hoc fashion over the years, therefore the regulations and policies concerning tree care and maintenance, species recommended for use within the Town and overall management objectives reside in multiple documents, policies and regulations. The individual reports were reviewed by Town of Banff staff and the summaries provided for inclusion in this report are included in Appendix 4a.
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4.0 UFMP - Recommendations Given that this is the initial UFMP for the Town of Banff, there are few operational practices and policies in place for management and protection of the urban forest. The purpose of this report is to provide a comprehensive set of strategies to manage and protect the urban forest while maintaining the high scenic and tourism values that Parks Canada and the Town of Banff represent. The report presents a number of recommendations which will need to be prioritized by the Town of Banff.
4.1 Act on Current Issues within the Urban Forest The assessment of the urban forest (that resulted from the detailed forest inventory) identified a number of issues with the forest inventory. A listing of proposed treatments for each treatment unit is listed below. 4.1.1 Proposed Treatment Unit #1, Bow Avenue • Removal of trees that are dead or show signs of weakened trunks and vigor. • Stump grinding along the pathway and roadway for visual and safety purposes. Root excavation is not required. • Pruning to remove large deadwood within trees to improve health, aesthetics and safety. • Planting of 30 large caliper trees or a combination of trees and native shrubs to compensate for tree losses. • Chemical damage mitigation measures 4.1.2 Proposed Treatment Unit #2, Central Park • Removal of trees that are dead or show signs of weakened trunks and vigor. • Stump grinding along the pathway and roadway for visual and safety purposes. Root excavation is not required. • Chemical damage mitigation measures. 4.1.3 Proposed Treatment Unit #3, East of Banff Ave Bridge, Along Bow River Trail • Removal of trees that are dead or show signs of weakened trunks and vigor. • Stump grinding along the pathway and roadway for visual and safety purposes. Root excavation is not required. • Pruning of trees selected by consultant to improve tree health and to ensure public safety. • Plant large caliper trees or a combination of trees and native shrubs to compensate for tree losses on the north side of the Bow River Trail. On the south side of the Bow River Trail, plant seedlings and small deciduous cuttings within the already established stands along the river to increase the diversity within the understory. • Chemical damage mitigation measures. • The plant propagation program could use seed collection or cuttings from some shrubs along riverbank.
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4.1.4 Proposed Treatment Unit #4, Beside Old Cemetery/Lower Tunnel Mountain Drive • Removal of trees that are dead or show signs of weakened trunks, vigor and MPB activity. Some of the dead Douglas fir trees can be retained if no hazard and still solid. A consultant (external) would be needed. • Plant large caliper trees or a combination of trees and native shrubs to compensate for tree losses within the interior Douglas fir zone. In the rest of the unit, planting of coniferous seedlings or cuttings would suffice. • Pruning of some of the larger Douglas fir trees as selected by consultant to try to enhance health of the tree and preserve these large and extremely valuable, high profile trees for as long as possible. • Chemical damage mitigation measures. 4.1.5 Proposed Treatment Unit #5, Old Cemetery The old cemetery does not have many issues. The following treatments can occur within the cemetery as needed: • Removal of trees that are dead or show signs of weakened trunks and vigor. The trees are at an advanced age and show signs of decline due to a reduction in rooting soil volume. There are not many trees to remove in this area. • Stump grinding along the pathways and roadway for visual and safety purposes. Root excavation is not required. • Plant large caliper trees or a combination of trees and native shrubs to compensate for tree losses. • Chemical damage mitigation measures. 4.1.6 Proposed Treatment Unit #6, Along St. Julien Road and Otter Street • Perform stand thinning (where possible) and remove trees that are dead or show signs of weakened trunks/vigor and MPB activity. • Plant coniferous and deciduous seedlings or cuttings. There are numerous natural seedlings (coniferous and deciduous) in the area that could be used as a seedling source although seedlings/trees from the propagation program could also be used as they become available. 4.1.7 Proposed Treatment Unit #7, Marmot Place • Removal of large poplar trees that have been assessed by consultant to show signs of disease, weakened trunks, vigor. • Plant large caliper trees or a combination of trees and native shrubs to compensate for tree losses. 4.1.8 Proposed Treatment Unit #8, From Eastern Banff Entrance on Banff Avenue to Wolf Street, Including Rotary Park, High School and surrounding area • Remove string lights from the trees, as prolonged periods of this type of lighting on trees/tree branches can cause girdling.
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• Removal of trees that show signs of weakened trunks, vigor and disease as assessed by the Certified Master Arborist. Many of the poplar trees along Banff Ave. would have to be removed. • Stump grinding along the pathways and roadway for visual and safety purposes. Root excavation is required in some locations to allow for replanting. Root excavation would be facilitated by using a hydro-vac system. • Pruning would be recommended to remove deadwood on spruce within Rotary Park and Balsam poplar along Banff Ave. • Plant large caliper trees or a combination of trees and native shrubs to compensate for tree losses. Since there will be some large tree removals, planting of some larger trees is suggested. 4.1.9 Proposed Treatment Unit #9, Areas Surrounding Pika Place • Removal of trees that show signs of weakened trunks and vigor and are close to infrastructure/houses, especially around the “Tot Lot”. • Pruning would be recommended on the white spruce on the peripheral boundaries of the green spaces and by “Tot Lot” to enhance health and strengthen trees. • Stand thinning is necessary, in the areas that were not previously treated using FireSmart protocals. • Plant coniferous and deciduous seedlings or cuttings. There are numerous natural seedlings (coniferous and deciduous) in the area that could be used as a seedling source although seedlings/trees from the propagation program could also be used as they become available. • Within this area (point A087) is the largest and most valuable spruce tree that was sampled during the forest inventory. It is against the railway tracks, along Marmot Crescent behind some of the condos. It wasn’t known whether this tree was officially in one of the Town’s official green spaces and their responsibility but it was thought that this tree should be recognized and actions taken to ensure that it is managed properly. 4.1.10 Proposed Treatment Unit #10, Areas West of Fox Street, Behind Cougar Street and backs onto the Railway Tracks • Removal of trees that show signs of weakened trunks and vigor and are close to infrastructure/houses and trails. • Pruning would be recommended on the white spruce on the peripheral boundaries of the green spaces. • Plant coniferous and deciduous seedlings or cuttings. There are numerous natural seedlings (coniferous and deciduous) in the area that could be used as a seedling source. Seedlings from the propagation program could also be used as they become available. 4.1.11 Proposed Treatment Unit #11, Green Spaces Adjacent to the Elementary School as well as the trees on the School Grounds • Removal of trees that show signs of weakened trunks and vigor and are close to infrastructure/houses and trails. • Pruning would be recommended on the white spruce on the peripheral boundaries of the green spaces to improve health and appearance.
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• Plant coniferous and deciduous seedlings or cuttings. There are numerous natural seedlings (coniferous and deciduous) in the area that could be used as a seedling source. Seedlings from the propagation program could also be used as they become available. 4.1.12 Proposed Treatment Unit #12, Area around Recreation Centre • Stand thinning is required in some areas and should be performed as necessary. • Plant coniferous and deciduous seedlings or cuttings. There are numerous natural seedlings (coniferous and deciduous) in the area that could be used as a seedling source although seedlings/trees from the propagation program could also be used as they become available. 4.1.13 Proposed Treatment Unit #13, Banff Ave. Refreshing, Various Downtown Islands and Boulevards Generally, many of the trees planted during the summer of 2008 as part of the Banff Refreshing project along Banff Avenue were planted too close to infrastructure, such as overhead lighting and pedestrian traffic thoroughfares so will require annual assessments with respect to pruning treatments. There were also issues with how the trees were planted. Trees were planted too close and in some cases too deep to allow for proper growth and these trees will need to be assessed annually to determine which trees should be removed. • Removal of trees that show signs of weakened trunks and vigor should be removed promptly given the population base using this area and the risks to public safety. The trees have been assessed during the forest inventory and trees to be removed have been noted. However, on the remaining larger trees that pose a risk, additional testing such as pull-testing by a Certified Master Arborist should be performed annually. • Stump grinding along the sidewalks and roadway for visual and safety purposes. • Pruning would be recommended to minimize the impacts of the trees on the lighting, overhead wires, traffic and pedestrians. • Plant large caliper trees or a combination of trees and native shrubs to compensate for tree losses. The best trees for use in the sidewalk of Banff Avenue would be Black Spruce (not White Spruce) and Tamarack since both species are native, slow to mature, grow narrow and tall and thrive in areas with poor drainage. Unfortunately, neither species is available in the domestic tree market. Strategies for propagation, procurement and growing of native trees are included elsewhere in this report. Larger trees were sampled elsewhere in the downtown that may be replanted with larger caliper specimens. • Chemical damage mitigation measures. 4.1.14 Proposed Treatment Unit #14, Along West Glen Ave. • Hazard tree removal is recommended for some trees. There are trees within this section that are dead and dying and were assessed as to whether they pose a risk to public safety and noted for removal. • Stump grinding along the pathways and roadway for visual and safety purposes. • Pruning would be recommended to increase health of the trees by the removing deadwood and any associated diseases.
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• Plant large caliper trees or a combination of trees and native shrubs to compensate for tree losses. • Chemical Damage Mitigation measures. 4.1.15 Proposed Treatment Unit #15, Bow Falls trail • Hazard tree removal is recommended for some trees. There are trees within this section that are dead and dying and were assessed as to whether they pose a risk to public safety and noted for removal. • Pruning would be recommended to increase health of the trees by the removing deadwood and any associated diseases. • Two types of planting programs would exist here, plant large caliper trees or a combination of trees and native shrubs to compensate for tree losses and we would also plant coniferous and deciduous seedlings or cuttings. There are numerous natural seedlings (coniferous and deciduous) in the Banff area that could be used as a seedling source. 4.1.16 Proposed Treatment Unit #16, Bow Falls Parking Lot • Hazard tree removal is recommended for some trees. There are trees within this section that are dead and dying and were assessed as to whether they pose a risk to public safety and noted for removal. • Stump grinding along the pathways and roadway for visual and safety purposes. • Pruning would be recommended to increase health of the trees by the removing deadwood and any associated diseases. • Plant large caliper trees or a combination of trees and native shrubs to compensate for tree losses. • Chemical damage mitigation measures. 4.1.17 Proposed Treatment Unit #17, Remaining areas West of Kootenay Avenue • There are trees within this section that are dead and dying and were assessed as to whether they pose a risk to public safety and noted for removal. Particular attention should be made to the Playgrounds in the area (e.g. by Middle Springs Drive, Valley View Tot Lot, Park Ave. Playground) as there were instances where trees surrounding and within the playground were dead and or dying and had a high likelihood of failure. • Pruning would be recommended to increase health of the trees by the removing deadwood and any associated diseases. • Two types of planting programs would exist here, plant large caliper trees or a combination of trees and native shrubs to compensate for tree losses and we would also plant coniferous and deciduous seedlings or cuttings to introduce species diversity. There are numerous natural seedlings (coniferous and deciduous) in the Banff area that could be used as a seedling source. 4.1.18 Proposed Treatment Unit #18, Cave Ave/Recreation Areas • Removal of trees that are dead or show signs of weakened trunks and vigor, especially along the south side of the recreation field between the track and the Cave & Basin Trail.
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• Plant large caliper trees or a combination of trees and native shrubs to compensate for tree losses in groupings around the recreation field. Additionally within the forested stands, seedlings could be planted to diversify the stands understory structure. These seedlings could be coniferous and deciduous seedlings or cuttings to introduce species diversity. There are numerous natural seedlings (coniferous and deciduous) in the Banff area that could be used as a seedling source. • Pruning would be recommended to increase health of the trees by the removing deadwood and any associated diseases. 4.1.19 Proposed Treatment Unit #19, Mountain View Cemetery • Removal of trees that are dead or show signs of weakened trunks and vigor. A few edge trees are dead or at an advanced age and show signs of decline. • Stump grinding along the pathways and roadway for visual and safety purposes. Root excavation is not required. • Plant large caliper trees or a combination of trees and native shrubs to compensate for tree losses. • Pruning would be recommended to increase health of the trees by the removing deadwood and any associated diseases, and to provide clearances from park benches, etc. 4.1.20 Proposed Treatment Unit #20, At the end of Spray Avenue • No treatments necessary at this time, monitor only 4.1.21 Proposed Treatment Unit #21, Railway Ave. Across from Bus Station • Removal of trees that are dead or show signs of weakened trunks and vigor. Some trees within this area have been marked for removal by the assessment team. • Plant large caliper trees or a combination of trees and native shrubs to compensate for tree losses. • Pruning would be recommended to increase health of the trees by the removing deadwood and any associated diseases. • The Town of Banff should try to secure the protection and responsibility for maintaining the row of Heritage Willow trees near the Railway station, as these have great historical value, having alleged to have been planted in 1936 to commemorate a visit by King George V and Queen Elizabeth. Propagation of these trees, being willows, would be relatively easy. These trees were not counted as part of the inventory since they were not in a Town maintained green space. However these trees were mentioned in a number of meetings so recommendations have been made in section 4.6 regarding how to preserve these trees for as long as possible and how to establish regeneration underneath them.
4.2 Inventory Updates and Data Maintenance The initial inventory for this project recorded data for individual tree groupings and larger forested stands. The inventory was performed for the green spaces that are maintained by the Town of Banff and for trees along Banff Avenue (Figure 2). The existing inventory has been recorded using Global Positioning Systems (GPS) to reference trees within a database and Geographic Information System (GIS).
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In terms of inventory updates and data maintenance, it is recommended that the urban forest inventory be assessed, monitored and updated annually for trees that require maintenance or removal. This assessment should be performed by a Certified Master Arborist, while the prescribed activities could be performed by a team of arborists, qualified trades people, etc. Additionally, any infrastructure projects that the Town may be currently implementing or planning (i.e. that deal with removal of planting of shrubs/trees) should be reviewed by a Certified Master Arborist to ensure that • The correct trees/shrubs are planted in best locations for the species and considering growing conditions, • Pruning is performed to increase the health and vitality of the trees, • Removal of trees is performed in a manner not to impact surrounding trees or values and where possible. Removal of trees for infrastructure project should be considered as a last resort and the Master Arborist may be able to suggest ways to save the trees rather than removing them. This inventory should also be cross-referenced and updated with activities, such as construction projects, to ensure that trees that were removed or are planted are included in the inventory. A detailed inventory should be completed every 10 years to identify changes in the tree growth. As more funding becomes available, individual tree tagging is recommended for high value trees. This individual tree tagging will allow for enhanced inventory/maintenance tracking. This process could be expanded to include boulevard, median and trees within central park if the Town sees this as valuable. 4.3 Improving Data Sharing Among Town Departments/Parks Canada Having timely access to data is essential to developing efficient planning schemes. Currently, data resides at both Parks Canada and Town of Banff offices and may not be readily available to personnel managing the assets and making decisions. Data access and sharing between departments within the Town of Banff is also an issue that should be addressed to provide efficient decision-making and ensure that everyone is working with the same datasets. In order to alleviate these issues, a web-portal is recommended. This would allow Town staff and Parks Canada staff to review, update and compile datasets in one location and allow for enhanced transparency in the planning for Parks Canada and the Town. This would also provide easier and timely access to data for personnel responsible for emergency services (in an emergency preparedness context). The roles and responsibilities of data custodianship between the Town of Banff and Parks Canada also needs to be addressed. Currently, data from 3rd party contractors may only be available in hardcopy or pdf format, and not provided in a format that can be readily loaded into the GIS environment. Requiring all parties to provide data in CAD or GIS formats (that can be easily imported into the GIS) yields the following benefits: • More timely review and sharing of the data by Town staff (through the above recommended web- portal) which will lead to better management decisions with respect to the Town’s assets. • Less duplication in data capture. Potential duplication in data capture was noted for this project in the following areas: • Landscape and Banff Refreshing plans had positions where trees were to be located which could have been used in this project. Even if the existing plans were based on planned and not “as- built” (locations of trees after development) the points could have been incorporated into the GPS units and validated.
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• Planned activities such as the Pedestrian Bridge crossing could have been incorporated into the GPS units. This could have minimized the inventory costs, since trees that are planned to be removed would not have been recorded. 4.4 Develop a Urban Forest Management Committee to Foster Efficient Communications and Implement the Management Plan It was noted in a number of discussions with Town staff that communications between departments and Parks Canada could be improved. The web-portal initiative in section 4.3 starts this process of data sharing, but additionally a committee needs to be established to implement and direct UFMP activities. Ideally, the committee would have representation from each of the main departments within the Town and Parks Canada staff. Additionally, budgets that are currently used towards some form of urban forest maintenance within each of the departments (e.g. for FireSmart treatments, etc.) could be re-aligned to fall within the UFMP budget. 4.5 Hardware and Software to Manage the Urban Forest The primary software needed to assist in managing the urban forest is GIS software. The Town currently has ESRI ArcGIS software. Additional options such as ArcSDE and SQL would assist in efficient data provisioning for all the Town departments that may need access to the data. Additional equipment that may be required if the Town performs the work in-house includes: • A GPS unit with data entry functionality to assist with the annual updates. An example of a GPS system that could be used is Trimble GeoExplorer 2005 XH to provide accurate positioning (within 40cm) of the feature to be captured. • Equipment to measure heights, this could include a Vertex or just a 50 metre tape, Sunnto clinometer, and calculator. The vertex is a more efficient means of collecting height, distance and slope angle data. • Equipment to measure diameters of trees, this would typically be a diameter tape. Other software applications that can be used to evaluate and measure the urban forest with respect to additional values are: • i-Tree (http://www.itreetools.org) developed by the US Forest Service; and • CITYgreen developed by the Society of American Foresters (http://www.americanforests.org/productsandpubs/citygreen). This is an ArcGIS extension so the ESRI platform is required. These programs have been used in other cities and municipalities to estimate the value of the urban forest with respect to: • Water quality (including storm water runoff reporting); • Air pollution removed from the air by trees; • Total carbon stored and net carbon annually sequestered by the urban forest; • Detailed tree reporting and growth modeling (to detail projected growth over time); • Effects of trees on building energy use and consequent effects on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants;
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• Alternate treatment scenario modelling; • Potential impact of pests such as Gypsy Moth, Emerald Ash Borer, or Asian Long-horned Beetle; and • Evaluating the costs and values of an urban forest (i.e. improving the return on investment by determining which trees maximize canopy cover and provide the benefits that are important communities, perform economic evaluations of tree performance using annual budget and expenditure data, etc.). All these elements can help determine the management needs of the street tree resource to foster and perpetuate a healthy municipal forest and gain public support by demonstrating the value of trees to the quality of life in the Town of Banff. Recent orthophotos could also be used to further validate the Town of Banff’s GIS datasets and provide a number of different feature footprint estimates, such as buildings (with different classifications), roads, trails, treed green spaces, non-treed green spaces, recreation features such as bike parks, etc. The estimates for the above equipment have not been itemized in the implementation budget since it was assumed that assessments, inventory updates and treatment activities would be performed by 3rd party consultants and would be included in the approximate costing identified in the implementation budget in section 6.0. 4.6 Protection of Large, Valuable Trees with Historic or National Interest Now that the Town of Banff has an objective evaluation and inventory of the trees for which is it is responsible, it is much easier to quantify these trees as valuable assets to the community. In general, the larger the tree (i.e. assuming it is in good condition) the more valuable it is to the community. Heritage trees, (i.e. those that possess historical significance along with great age or stature), should be similarly protected and steps taken to preserve and to propagate. Trees growing on “private” property, over a certain size or age, could be also be included in any future contemplated tree protection by law. During the inventory a number of trees were suggested for nomination as a “Heritage” tree. Typically a “Heritage Tree” refers to trees of particular interest by virtue of such qualities as age, size, location, species, or connection to historical figures, places or events. Heritage trees can also be a grove, shelterbelt, or an arboretum. Therefore, numerous trees within the town could be recognized as a “Heritage Tree”. In other parts of the world, Scotland for example, Heritage Trees attract considerable tourist attention, and this could also act as a benefit for Banff. During the inventory, we noted any historical or heritage value, which allows a higher species rating (110%), but that is our estimation and independent from the official Heritage Tree Nomination process. Some trees which we believe could possibly obtain heritage tree status are: • The Willow grove along the CPR Train Station property on Railway Avenue; • The spruce around the Whyte Museum; • The larger trees within the cemeteries; • The largest spruce that was found during the inventory; • The Douglas fir along Tunnel Mountain Drive; and • Some of the larger spruce trees along Bow Avenue.
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Specifically, the willow grove near the train station was planted in 1936 to commemorate a visit by King George V and Queen Elizabeth and although this area is not part of the green spaces managed by the Town, the Town should ensure that these trees are well cared for in the future. Being willows, these trees are easily propagated from cuttings taken early in the spring or from seed if any of the trees are female. Cuttings can be planted and established for the eventual replacement of these trees, or used elsewhere, or resold to the public. A new book, Heritage Trees of Alberta, published by the Heritage Tree Foundation of Canada, will serve to promote the topic of heritage trees among the general population and tourists from other countries. The Heritage Trees of Alberta is an ongoing project and many of the trees identified in this report should be nominated. Many trees growing on “private” lands in the town could also qualify. For more information refer to the website www.heritagetreefoundation.com. 4.7 Tree and Shrub Procurement and Propagation Program Trees and shrubs for planting in Banff have not always been readily available, hardy or appropriate for the area. Stringent guidelines and regulations exist for collecting plants and seed from National Parks where plant materials for propagation cannot be gathered without a “Restricted Activities Special Permit”. The intent of this regulation is not being fully achieved since the Town of Banff, developers and private citizens are free to plant whatever they like. Fortunately this has not resulted in the introduction of alien invasive species on a large scale, although certain shrubs such as cotoneaster and caragana can, and have, become established in places (as described in section 2.2.9). The occasional exotic specimen can be a welcome addition to any community’s urban forest, but it is not the kind of forest or the kinds of trees people come to expect in Banff. Over the past century, horticultural research on the Prairies involved finding plants, trees and shrubs that would grow here from other parts of the world instead of exploring ways to improve our native trees and shrubs. Currently, sourcing native trees and shrubs to be planted in Banff will be a challenge. As the native flora in the proximity of the town of Banff is some of the most beautiful in the world and so well adapted to the site, we are strongly recommending that the Town of Banff take action to ensure supply availability. The minimum requirement to ensure the ability to propagate native trees and shrubs is the collection of seed and cuttings from appropriate plants at the appropriate times of the year. Because seeds on woody plants, especially trees, is not always available every year, this needs to be a multi-year, ongoing program. Initially, professional and experienced seed collectors should be used until staff could be trained or, perhaps, a woody plant technical specialist could be hired by the Town. Ideally, the professional seed collectors would have access to greenhouses or tree nurseries and could then grow plants on a contract basis deliverable to the Town after a few years. Alternatively, the Town of Banff could do this internally, but the land required for a nursery and accessing the funds required for hiring staff, purchase equipment and finding qualified staff may prove to be difficult. We believe that there are sufficient funds in our strategic 5 to 10 year budgets to at least establish a pilot procurement and woody plant propagation program. There is also a major marketing opportunity for the Town, which would tie in with a new “Community Tree Foundation” or a “Heritage Trees of Banff Preservation Society”. Funding for procurement, propagation, planting, technical services such as inventories, surveys etc. can also be accessed by the Town through other private foundations such as Tree Canada and presumably other government departments.
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4.8 Fund Raising/Awareness Opportunities The Town could consider developing a Heritage Trees of Banff “walking tour” and forming a “Community Trees of Banff Society” to help raise funds for tree preservation and planting in the town. Having a storefront, kiosk, or “Urban Forest Centre” would also increase the profile of the Banff urban forest where information and books about forests, nature, trees and seeds or plants can be purchased, and donations could be received. To develop the propagation program to enable royalties from plant varieties based in Banff, the new varieties would have to be registered with the Canadian Ornamental Plant Foundation (http://www.copf.org/plantintro.asp) which is a relatively modest investment. Ideally to administer this, an arm's length Banff Community Tree Society could be formed (societies can also access Provincial lottery monies and federal grants) as a vehicle for fundraising and marketing Banff's trees for the benefit of Banff's Urban Forests and Community Trees. Otherwise, the Town becomes an economic player in the nursery industry, which would take a considerably larger investment (land, buildings, greenhouses, staff). Either way, returns on investment would be conditional upon number of units sold, and like any economic venture, there aren't any guarantees. The campaign for native plants in Australia really took off when the federal government began supporting it. There is no such federal funding for support of our urban forests in Canada, or within our National Parks but Banff would be the perfect place to start. Given that part of the UFMP is to propagate some species it’s a minimal investment to register some varieties and slowly promote them to see if there is interest from the Tourism sector in moving forward. Such marketing campaigns have been extremely successful in other parts of the world, especially Australia. Many different plants have been collected near the Banff area in the past and have already been successfully marketed in other places, some examples are: “Prince-of-Wales” Juniper, from the ranch near Morley, “Wilton’s” juniper, from the Old Man River, “Jumping Pound” Pincherry, from the creek of the same name, “Banff” Dwarf Kentucky Bluegrass from the Banff Springs golf course, and ‘Paskapoo” dwarf Balsam Poplar, from west of Calgary. 4.9 Public Education, Involvement and Communications Suggestions The Town of Banff staff has put a high value on public support of their urban forest management initiatives. They have held many meetings and consultations regarding the future development of town of Banff. An urban forest management web-portal linked to the Town of Banff website could be used to maintain transparency and enhance public involvement and communications. In terms of public involvement programs to enhance urban forest management activities, the Town could develop and promote a number of programs such as: • “Adopt a tree(s)” on Town owned land; • a “Memorial Tree” program not just as memorials, but as a way of marking a special anniversary, a birth, a birthday, or leaving a bit of yourself behind in Banff after a really special vacation, etc. • The Heritage Tree Walking Tour, mentioned above in section 4.8. 4.10 Recommended Changes to Existing Policies/By-laws and/or Establishment of New Policies/By-laws Urban Forestry Policies and Bylaws have been developed in many jurisdictions, from large cities to small towns or municipalities. Rather than re-create policies the UFMP team suggests that the Tree Protection policies and bylaws from other jurisdictions be used as a guide. The website,
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http://haltonhelps.org/Tree%20Protection%20Measures%20in%20other%20Municipalities.htm, provides a number of jurisdictions that have policies and bylaws in place. It is suggested that members of the UFMP Team work with Town of Banff staff to develop bylaws, policies and regulations for the Town. These measures should be based on an adaptive management framework, whereby the urban forest, treatments and the impacts of treatments are annually monitored and adjusted to achieve desired future urban forest conditions. This adjustment process can be based on required adjustments in treatments, new information such as techniques or technology, etc. Additional considerations that need to be incorporated into the policies and bylaws include:
4.10.1 Planting and Landscape Design Guidelines Tree Planting Best Management Practices are available from the Prairie Chapter International Society of Arboriculture, www.isaprairie.com. In general, Figure 25 describes planting standards as prescribed by the International Society of Arboriculture. The planting standards are outlined in more detail at http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/tree_planting.aspx.
Figure 25. Key concepts when planting immature trees
In addition to these planting standards, the following principles of landscape design with respect to planting trees in Urban Areas should be adhered to as prescribed by Urban, 2008. 1. Plant the Best Places for Trees First – A few metres may separate large differences in tree growth potential. There is no aesthetic, structural or functional benefit to a dead tree in a sidewalk, an empty planting hole, or a tree that quickly outgrows its location and becomes a nuisance. It is best to concentrate planting in places where a natural soil profile already exists and there is plenty of room to grow.
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2. Design Larger Planting Spaces – Making a planting space slightly bigger could have huge benefits to tree establishment and longevity. However, this rarely occurs in situations where the primary element in the landscape design is pavement or sidewalk, as the hardscape is the primary focus of the design. Use of promising new technology for increasing tree rooting volume such as Silva Cells, joined tree trenches and structural soils are great improvements, but simply designing landscapes for trees in mind, with larger planting spaces, would result in a more sustainable tree infrastructure for the future. 3. Try to Preserve Existing Soil Assets – The goal within Banff should be to minimize soil disturbance in new developments and re-use soils. This is a less destructive to the environment and less costly since bringing soil into the town for planting is prohibitive and impractical due to costs. Existing organic matter from tree clearing can be re-used as mulch or soil amendment, trees can also be re-used on-site as lumber for raised soil beds for planting new trees, fence posts, board walks, stairs and so forth. 4. Improve Both Soil and Drainage - Avoid making “tree bath tubs” since trees in poorly drained soils and having too much water around the roots will quickly rot and die. Too much water is as lethal as insufficient water. Raise planting heights by making use of raised beds in areas with heavy clay subsoil and no drainage. 5. Respect the Base of the Tree - Avoid paving the area that will become occupied by a tree’s future trunk flare. Trees planted in Banff, especially spruce, have a large bell-shaped buttress at maturity, often more than one metre in diameter. Planting a spruce in a space less than one meter often ensures the tree’s premature demise. New developments (buildings, trails, paving, etc.) too close to a tree’s root flare (base) often severely injures the trees and initiates widespread decay problems. Additionally, washing or rinsing environmental contaminants such as road salt or de- icing chemicals into a tree’s the root zone can poisons and can kill a tree, especially where the root zone is restricted (e.g. a crack in solid rock, or trees growing between two paved surfaces). 6. Make Space for Roots - Trees must either grow, adapt or die. When a tree outgrows its rooting volume, as in a sidewalk planting pit, it must grow roots underneath the paving or it will die. New techniques such as the use of structural soils and Silva Cells, and joining planting pits under sidewalks continue to address this problem. 7. Select the Right Tree for the Right Place – This is critically important in Banff, both for aesthetic and environmental sustainability because native trees are best adapted to local growing conditions and climate. The best trees for use in the sidewalk of Banff Avenue would be Black Spruce (not White Spruce) and Tamarack since both species are native, slow to mature, grow narrow and tall and thrive in areas with poor drainage. Unfortunately, neither species is available in the domestic tree market. Strategies for propagation, procurement and growing of native trees are included elsewhere in this report. 8. Establish Reasonable Tree and Soil Budgets - This report is intended to educate managers within the Town of Banff (Administration and Council) of the value, both structural and functional, of the urban forest. The most cost-effective solution to urban forest management is to plant fewer trees well and chose species and locations that will maximize the chance for survival than to plant many trees poorly because a dead tree or dying tree or a tree that is doomed to be replaced again and again is a very poor investment. Similarly, to maintain the trees, adequate and proper supervision must be budgeted for. Tying final contract approvals and final payments to inspections is a good way to achieve quality results. 9. Create Detailed Tree and Soil Construction Documents – Detailed drawings of the mature tree and how it fits the existing or proposed infrastructure, including the root systems, specifications for root ball size to fit tree size at planting time, soil specifications, and specifying as many of the
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variable details as possible that are unique to that project, along with frequent inspections, are the necessary components in a successful landscape construction. 10. Develop a Tree Maintenance Program - All urban environments depend on maintenance to sustain them. In an extraordinary place like Banff, with its natural beauty and majestic setting, tree maintenance is the most important element that is critical to the long term success and viability of Banff’s green infrastructure. Even a simple concept, such as erecting temporary wildlife fences to protect new plantings from damage from browsing or rutting deer and elk, is a critical maintenance design element without which the failure of the planting would be inevitable. If houses and condominiums, bike paths, roads and any commercial developments are to be built in close proximity to existing forests and associated wildlife, then additional attention to an effective tree maintenance program is required to ensure public safety and protect values in the area. Failure to develop a proper tree maintenance program in Banff will ultimately result in a significant loss of value, as tree maintenance without proper guidelines can be as harmful as no maintenance at all.
4.10.2 Pruning and Tree Maintenance Procedures In designing a pruning program for the Town, the UFMP team recommends that the pruning standards from Gilman and Lilly, 2002; and American National Standards Institute 2001, be used. However, even though standards will be put into place there should still be ongoing supervision of contractors by either designated Town officials with experience and qualifications, or by an outside consultant, preferably an experienced International Society of Arboriculture Board Certified Master Arborist. Ideally, the consultant and/or the Town’s Arborist Designate would write the specifications and prescribe treatment areas for pruning and other maintenance areas, supervise the contract, and inspect for quality throughout the duration of the contracts. A long-term relationship with the consultant would, therefore, be advantageous to the Town.
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5.0 UFMP – Implementation Strategies This section will briefly highlight strategies that have been developed as part of the Town of Banff UFMP. These strategies initially will focus on improving the condition of Banff’s urban forest through a substantial investment in tree maintenance activities. Additional strategies concerning information management, data sharing and community involvement can be incorporated as time and funding permits. 5.1 Removal of Unsafe/Unhealthy Trees to Protect Public Safety and Infrastructure There are a large number of trees within the Town of Banff that should be removed due to being dead or unhealthy and susceptible to trunk and/or branch failure. While performing the forest inventory many of the trees to be removed were identified with a green dot and noted in the field cards and GPS units. We recommend that the general locations provided in the treatment maps (Appendices 2a to 2c) be prioritized for removal based on frequency of public use and potential for damage to infrastructure if a failure occurs. Ideally, most of the high priority removals should occur in the first few years of the plan. The intent of annual surveys is to assess a trees current condition to minimize any public safety issues and damage to infrastructure and property during wind/environmental events. Figure 26 to Figure 28 show the impacts to property during a windstorm in November 2007.
Figure 26. Blowdown from Windstorm events impacting trails and Property
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Figure 27. Blowdown from Windstorm events impacting trails and Property
Figure 28. Blowdown from Windstorm events impacting trails and Property
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This was also an unfortunate event that occurred on April 15 of 2008, where a nanny and family of four were walking along pathways at the Banff Springs Golf Course when high winds uprooted a tree. The falling tree struck and badly injured the nanny and slightly injured the family's four-year-old boy. The woman was airlifted to a Calgary hospital where she later died of her injuries, while the boy was treated and then released from a local hospital (Canadian Press, 2008). While this is not on Town maintained property but on private land, private landowners should be required to perform the same tree maintenance standards that the Town is required to perform. Bylaws should be developed based on the Town policies resulting from this report. 5.2 Minimize Fire Risk The fire management specialist on the UFMP team reviewed the existing Fire Management Plans developed jointly by the Town of Banff and Parks Canada and noted that the previous work was very comprehensive. Most of the fuel management practices have occurred already through FireSmart treatments. However, some of the larger forested parcels in and around the town of Banff could be improved by changing the fuel types through the introduction of more deciduous species wherever possible. 5.3 Maintain a Diverse Species/Age Class and Healthy Urban Forest Tree Canopy A number of activities will be used to maintain a diverse species/age class mix, creating a healthy urban forest tree canopy and restore native vegetation communities that reflect long-term ecosystem states, including:
• Planting more deciduous species (large caliper trees as well as seedlings). • Leave snags and coarse woody debris in the stands for wildlife habitat where it does not pose a public safety issue. • Applying an annual pruning program for both deciduous and coniferous species. • Applying an annual stand tending program in areas that warrant it. • Reducing and/or eliminating the use of chemical de-icers during the winter. • Work with Parks Canada to develop/communicate the need to reduce/eliminate the use of non- native tree and shrub species and reduce the species that act as an attractant to wildlife in landscaping within the town. • Work with Parks Canada to develop/communicate the MPB Response plan in case MPB population builds to epidemic levels surrounding the town. • Developing a propagation program. • Annual Monitoring and supervisory support from a Certified Master Arborist is recommended prior to implementing further development within the town to ensure that planned activities will achieve the desired result. A Certified Arborist can perform the work but a Certified Master Arborist should prescribe, supervise and inspect plans and/or trees before the Town signs off, especially on work like pruning and planting. It is important not just to spend money on trees, but to spend money well, where historic and valuable trees are concerned.
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5.4 Address Invasive Plants During the inventory, a number of invasive plant locations were noted. Public education programs and bylaws related to restricting these plants from the Town of Banff need to be developed and enacted. This has not been factored into the implementation budget since an inventory of invasive species was not part of the contract. Invasive plant species are an issue within the Town’s urban forest, since they can compete for nutrient resources and depending on levels of invasion and spread can limit the growth of seedlings or understory species.
5.5 Improve Habitat for Wildlife A number of items have already been mentioned that would benefit wildlife, including: • Planting more deciduous trees species (large caliper trees as well as seedlings), shrubs and ground cover in the understory of stands to act as sources of food and cover; and • Leave snags and coarse woody debris in the stands for wildlife habitat where it does not pose a public safety issue. In addition, a volunteer wildlife population monitoring program could be established to perform bird or other wildlife species counts during the UFMP implementation so that a measurable effect of the activities on wildlife can be tracked annually. For example, in Sqaumish, British Columbia there is the annual Bald Eagle count to establish population indicators (http://www.brackendaleeagles.com).
5.6 Maintenance of Aesthetics The maintenance of the urban forest has a profound value in terms of preserving the aesthetics and related values (e.g. property values, tourism opportunities, etc.). While much of the urban forest around the town consists of overmature forested patches, there are a number of things that have been suggested to maintain the older trees, while planting deciduous and coniferous tree and shrub species in the understory, including: • Applying an annual pruning program for both deciduous and coniferous species to improve health and vigour of trees; and • Assessing standing dead trees annually, to determine if they need to be removed. The idea here is to maintain the high value trees for as long as possible without impacting on public safety. In addition, other recommendations have been suggested within the UFMP that will ensure maintenance of the urban forest aesthetics, including: • Planting native trees that are bred to thrive in the area, based on a propagation program within 200km of Banff; • Developing planting standards that maximize the chances of survival for each tree planted; • Developing proactive MPB Response plans with Parks Canada, Alberta government and Town staff in case MPB populations start building to epidemic levels; and • Continued Forest Fire Fuel Management based on FireSmart treatments and prescribed burning.
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6.0 Implementation Budget The proposed treatments for the Town of Banff have been identified on a series of maps, Appendices 2a to 2c with the descriptions of treatments listed in section 4.1. The approximate costs to implement the proposed treatments have been calculated at $1.575 million, which is 2.7 % of the total value of the urban forest asset. Based on discussions with Banff staff two costing options are provided: Option A is the total estimated budget required for the work in the next 5-years (if all activities are performed) This is the option recommended by the UFMP team and will provide for an easier implementation and management of the UFMP (i.e. treatment areas and activities would be performed within an entire zone each year), getting to a “managed” state sooner where annual costs associated with Town of Banff staff supervision and planning would be reduced after 5 years. The details regarding each year’s implementation budget can be found in Table 4 to Table 8. Option B was requested from the Town of Banff whereby the costs for the UFMP would be spread over 10-years rather than 5-years as initially requested in the original Request for Proposal (RFP), in order to reduce the annual expenditures. A meeting was held on September 24th, 2008 to review priority areas and discuss ways to reduce costs. The details regarding each year’s implementation budget can be found in Table 9 to Table 18. The areas to be prioritized for treatment are: • Areas adjacent to playgrounds within Banff and the daycare centre in treatment area #11. • Treatment Areas 1, 2, 3, 13, 14, 15, and 16 along the Bow River would also be prioritized since these areas receive the highest usage in the town. • Sections of treatment area #17 , where 50 metre zones along each side of the area would be treated first before the rest of the zone to ensure damage to private property/Town of Banff infrastructure would be minimized if there was weather event such as a wind storm. • Treatment areas #5 and #19, the two cemeteries, would also be prioritized since these areas are high value areas. • Sections of treatment area #4 where the Douglas fir are growing would also receive priority over other areas. The rest of the area would be treated later in the planning schedule. For both options, the estimates assumed that companies would be coming from major centers (i.e. Calgary). This assumes that the work would be performed by a professional tree and/or landscape company with at least one Certified Arborist and associated staff and would include specialized vehicles and equipment. Some examples and assumptions used in developing the costing for various items are as follows: • Tree removal costs depend on how close trees are to existing infrastructure and the type of equipment needed for the area. If a tree is close to infrastructure such as buildings, power lines, etc. then a bucket truck and climbers may be required to remove a tree section by section. If removing a number of trees in one of the larger stands then a powersaw and directional felling techniques with a small skidder to remove the trees could be utilized. The costs provided for hazard tree removal are costs based on typical arborist crew rates and procedures. • Stump grinding, not including root excavation = $200/stump • Pruning includes removal of deadwood to improve tree health, aesthetics and safety = $1700/day and includes 3 person crew, with climbers and/or aerial truck.
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• Hydro–vac for chemical (salt) mitigation/removal assumes $2400/day for spruce clean-up with hydro-vac and a number of visits per year (depending on site) with water truck to keep soil moisture levels adequate (cost varies for irrigation depending on site and number of visits) but the day rate would be $1600/day for irrigation work. It also includes a soil and mulching crew at $1600/day, soil testing or tissue testing for salt at $500-$1000 for each sample. This implementation budget also does not specifically include any public meetings, communication materials, etc. which was assumed to be provided by the Town of Banff’s communications department. A priority ranking was provided based on the inventory data and where there is the most risk to public safety and potential to damage infrastructure, however it is recommended that each year the treatment priority areas are re-confirmed based on revised information from the Town’s grounds staff. Additionally, if local arborists or trades people are able to assist the Town in managing the urban forest then these resources should be considered to reduce costs to the Town of Banff, provided that a Master Arborist is still providing support and guidance in the planning of activities.
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Table 4. Option A - Year 1 Implementation Budget
Year 1
Consulting & Plant Material Total Costs Per Geographic Area Dead/Hazard Tree Stump Grinding or Road Salt Mitigation Pruning Stand Thinning Planting Management, Propagation and Geographic Area Removal Root Excavation (hydro-vac + irrigation) Supervision Procurement
1. Bow Avenue 5,100.00 1,200.00 5,100.00 - 3,000.00 14,200.00 4,200.00 1,600.00 29,300.00 2. Central Park 3,400.00 1,000.00 3,400.00 - - 2,400.00 1,600.00 - 8,400.00 3. East of Banff Ave. Bridge, Along Bow River Trail 8,500.00 2,400.00 3,400.00 - 5,000.00 - 800.00 1,200.00 12,800.00 4. Beside Old Cemetary/Tunnel Mountain Road 8,500.00 - 1,700.00 - 5,000.00 25,000.00 1,600.00 1,600.00 34,900.00 5. Old cemetery 1,700.00 400.00 5,100.00 - 2,000.00 - 400.00 1,600.00 9,500.00 6. Along St. Julien Road & Otter Street - - - 8,500.00 - - 1,600.00 200.00 10,300.00 7. Marmot Place 3,400.00 800.00 1,700.00 - 1,500.00 - 200.00 200.00 4,400.00
8. Banff Entrance on Banff Avenue to Wolf Street, Including Rotary Park, High School and surrounding area 8,500.00 21,000.00 1,700.00 - 21,000.00 10,000.00 1,600.00 5,000.00 60,300.00 9. Areas surrounding Pica Place 8,500.00 - 1,700.00 5,100.00 - - 1,600.00 200.00 8,600.00 10. Areas West of Fox Street, Behind Cougar Street and backs onto the Railway Tracks 8,500.00 1,200.00 1,700.00 - - - 1,600.00 200.00 4,700.00 11., Green Spaces Adjacent to the Elementary School as well as the trees on the School Grounds 5,100.00 - 1,700.00 5,100.00 2,000.00 - 1,600.00 800.00 11,200.00 12. Area around Recreation Centre - - - 5,100.00 - - 800.00 200.00 6,100.00 13. Banff Ave. Refreshing, Various Downtown Islands and Blvds 5,100.00 1,600.00 3,400.00 - 7,000.00 4,800.00 1,600.00 5,000.00 23,400.00 14. Along West Glen Ave. 5,100.00 800.00 - - 2,000.00 2,400.00 800.00 400.00 6,400.00 15. Bow Falls trail 8,500.00 - 3,400.00 5,100.00 18,000.00 2,400.00 1,600.00 1,600.00 32,100.00 16. Bow Falls Parking lots 8,500.00 1,200.00 5,100.00 - 6,000.00 6,000.00 1,600.00 1,600.00 21,500.00 17. Remaining areas West of Kootenay avenue 8,500.00 - 5,100.00 - 10,000.00 6,000.00 2,000.00 1,600.00 24,700.00 18. Cave Ave/Recreation Areas 8,500.00 - - - 6,000.00 - 800.00 1,600.00 8,400.00 19. Mountain View Cemetary 1,700.00 400.00 5,100.00 - 2,000.00 - 400.00 800.00 8,700.00 20. At the end of Spray Avenue ------21. Railway Ave. Across from Bus Station 1,700.00 - 5,100.00 - 2,000.00 - 400.00 1,600.00 9,100.00 Total 108,800.00 32,000.00 54,400.00 28,900.00 92,500.00 73,200.00 26,800.00 27,000.00 443,600.00
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Table 5. Option A - Year 2 Implementation Budget
Year 2
Consulting & Plant Material Total Costs Per Geographic Area Dead/Hazard Tree Stump Grinding or Road Salt Mitigation Pruning Stand Thinning Planting Management, Propagation and Geographic Area Removal Root Excavation (hydro-vac + irrigation) Supervision Procurement
1. Bow Avenue 3,400.00 1,200.00 3,400.00 - 3,000.00 14,200.00 3,200.00 1,600.00 30,000.00 2. Central Park 3,400.00 1,000.00 3,400.00 - - 2,400.00 1,600.00 - 11,800.00 3. East of Banff Ave. Bridge, Along Bow River Trail 3,400.00 1,000.00 1,700.00 - 5,000.00 - 400.00 1,200.00 12,700.00 4. Beside Old Cemetary/Tunnel Mountain Road 5,100.00 - 1,700.00 - 5,000.00 25,000.00 1,600.00 1,600.00 40,000.00 5. Old cemetery 1,700.00 400.00 1,700.00 - 2,000.00 - 400.00 400.00 6,600.00 6. Along St. Julien Road & Otter Street - - - 5,100.00 - - 1,600.00 200.00 6,900.00 7. Marmot Place ------200.00 200.00
8. Banff Entrance on Banff Avenue to Wolf Street, Including Rotary Park, High School and surrounding area 5,100.00 15,000.00 1,700.00 - 15,000.00 10,000.00 1,600.00 5,000.00 53,400.00 9. Areas surrounding Pica Place 8,500.00 - 1,700.00 - - - 1,600.00 200.00 12,000.00 10. Areas West of Fox Street, Behind Cougar Street and backs onto the Railway Tracks 5,100.00 1,200.00 1,700.00 - - - 1,600.00 200.00 9,800.00 11., Green Spaces Adjacent to the Elementary School as well as the trees on the School Grounds 5,100.00 - 3,400.00 5,100.00 - - 2,000.00 800.00 16,400.00 12. Area around Recreation Centre - - - - 2,000.00 - 800.00 200.00 3,000.00 13. Banff Ave. Refreshing, Various Downtown Islands and Blvds 4,200.00 1,600.00 3,400.00 - 7,000.00 4,800.00 1,600.00 5,000.00 27,600.00 14. Along West Glen Ave. - - 1,700.00 - 2,000.00 2,400.00 800.00 400.00 7,300.00 15. Bow Falls trail 8,500.00 - 3,400.00 5,100.00 2,000.00 2,400.00 1,600.00 200.00 23,200.00 16. Bow Falls Parking lots 5,100.00 800.00 1,700.00 - 2,000.00 6,000.00 1,600.00 400.00 17,600.00 17. Remaining areas West of Kootenay avenue 8,500.00 - 1,700.00 - 2,000.00 6,000.00 2,000.00 400.00 20,600.00 18. Cave Ave/Recreation Areas 5,100.00 - 1,700.00 - - - 800.00 400.00 8,000.00 19. Mountain View Cemetary 1,700.00 400.00 1,700.00 - 2,000.00 - 400.00 800.00 7,000.00 20. At the end of Spray Avenue ------21. Railway Ave. Across from Bus Station ------Total 73,900.00 22,600.00 35,700.00 15,300.00 49,000.00 73,200.00 25,200.00 19,200.00 314,100.00
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Table 6. Option A - Year 3 Implementation Budget
Year 3
Consulting & Plant Material Total Costs Per Geographic Area Dead/Hazard Tree Stump Grinding or Road Salt Mitigation Pruning Stand Thinning Planting Management, Propagation and Geographic Area Removal Root Excavation (hydro-vac + irrigation) Supervision Procurement
1. Bow Avenue 3,400.00 1,200.00 3,400.00 - 3,000.00 14,200.00 3,200.00 1,600.00 30,000.00 2. Central Park 3,400.00 1,000.00 3,400.00 - - 2,400.00 1,600.00 - 11,800.00 3. East of Banff Ave. Bridge, Along Bow River Trail 3,400.00 1,000.00 1,700.00 - 1,200.00 - 400.00 1,200.00 8,900.00 4. Beside Old Cemetary/Tunnel Mountain Road 5,100.00 - 1,700.00 - 5,000.00 25,000.00 1,600.00 1,600.00 40,000.00 5. Old cemetery 1,700.00 400.00 1,700.00 - 2,000.00 - 400.00 400.00 6,600.00 6. Along St. Julien Road & Otter Street - - - 5,100.00 - - 1,600.00 200.00 6,900.00 7. Marmot Place 1,700.00 400.00 - - 800.00 - 200.00 200.00 3,300.00
8. Banff Entrance on Banff Avenue to Wolf Street, Including Rotary Park, High School and surrounding area 1,700.00 6,000.00 1,700.00 - 6,000.00 10,000.00 1,600.00 5,000.00 32,000.00 9. Areas surrounding Pica Place 8,500.00 - 1,700.00 - 2,000.00 - 1,600.00 200.00 14,000.00 10. Areas West of Fox Street, Behind Cougar Street and backs onto the Railway Tracks 5,100.00 - 1,700.00 - 2,000.00 - 1,600.00 200.00 10,600.00 11., Green Spaces Adjacent to the Elementary School as well as the trees on the School Grounds 5,100.00 - 1,700.00 - 4,000.00 - 1,600.00 800.00 13,200.00 12. Area around Recreation Centre ------800.00 200.00 1,000.00 13. Banff Ave. Refreshing, Various Downtown Islands and Blvds 4,200.00 1,600.00 3,400.00 - 7,000.00 4,800.00 1,600.00 5,000.00 27,600.00 14. Along West Glen Ave. - - 1,700.00 - 2,000.00 2,400.00 800.00 400.00 7,300.00 15. Bow Falls trail 8,500.00 - 3,400.00 - - 2,400.00 1,600.00 - 15,900.00 16. Bow Falls Parking lots 3,400.00 400.00 1,700.00 - - 6,000.00 1,600.00 400.00 13,500.00 17. Remaining areas West of Kootenay avenue 8,500.00 - 1,700.00 - - 6,000.00 2,000.00 200.00 18,400.00 18. Cave Ave/Recreation Areas 3,400.00 - 1,700.00 - 2,000.00 - 800.00 400.00 8,300.00 19. Mountain View Cemetary - - 1,700.00 - 2,000.00 - 400.00 800.00 4,900.00 20. At the end of Spray Avenue ------21. Railway Ave. Across from Bus Station ------Total 67,100.00 12,000.00 34,000.00 5,100.00 39,000.00 73,200.00 25,000.00 18,800.00 274,200.00
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Table 7. Option A - Year 4 Implementation Budget
Year 4
Consulting & Plant Material Total Costs Per Geographic Area Dead/Hazard Tree Stump Grinding or Road Salt Mitigation Pruning Stand Thinning Planting Management, Propagation and Geographic Area Removal Root Excavation (hydro-vac + irrigation) Supervision Procurement
1. Bow Avenue 3,400.00 1,200.00 3,400.00 - 3,000.00 14,200.00 3,200.00 1,600.00 30,000.00 2. Central Park 3,400.00 1,000.00 3,400.00 - - 2,400.00 1,600.00 - 11,800.00 3. East of Banff Ave. Bridge, Along Bow River Trail 3,400.00 1,000.00 1,700.00 - - - 400.00 1,200.00 7,700.00 4. Beside Old Cemetary/Tunnel Mountain Road 5,100.00 - 1,700.00 - 5,000.00 25,000.00 1,600.00 1,600.00 40,000.00 5. Old cemetery 1,700.00 400.00 5,100.00 - 2,000.00 - 400.00 400.00 10,000.00 6. Along St. Julien Road & Otter Street - - - 2,000.00 - 1,600.00 200.00 3,800.00 7. Marmot Place - - 1,700.00 - - - - 200.00 1,900.00
8. Banff Entrance on Banff Avenue to Wolf Street, Including Rotary Park, High School and surrounding area 1,700.00 6,000.00 1,700.00 - 6,000.00 10,000.00 1,600.00 5,000.00 32,000.00 9. Areas surrounding Pica Place 8,500.00 - 1,700.00 - 2,000.00 - 1,600.00 200.00 14,000.00 10. Areas West of Fox Street, Behind Cougar Street and backs onto the Railway Tracks 5,100.00 - 1,700.00 - 2,000.00 - 1,600.00 200.00 10,600.00 11., Green Spaces Adjacent to the Elementary School as well as the trees on the School Grounds 5,100.00 - 3,400.00 - 2,000.00 - 2,000.00 800.00 13,300.00 12. Area around Recreation Centre - - - - 0 - 800.00 200.00 1,000.00 13. Banff Ave. Refreshing, Various Downtown Islands and Blvds 4,200.00 1,600.00 3,400.00 - 7,000.00 4,800.00 1,600.00 5,000.00 27,600.00 14. Along West Glen Ave. - - 1,700.00 - 2,000.00 2,400.00 800.00 400.00 7,300.00 15. Bow Falls trail 8,500.00 - 3,400.00 - - 2,400.00 1,600.00 - 15,900.00 16. Bow Falls Parking lots 1,700.00 400.00 1,700.00 - - 6,000.00 1,600.00 400.00 11,800.00 17. Remaining areas West of Kootenay avenue 8,500.00 - 1,700.00 - - 6,000.00 2,000.00 200.00 18,400.00 18. Cave Ave/Recreation Areas 1,700.00 - 1,700.00 - - - 800.00 400.00 4,600.00 19. Mountain View Cemetary - - 1,700.00 - 2,000.00 - 400.00 800.00 4,900.00 20. At the end of Spray Avenue ------21. Railway Ave. Across from Bus Station ------Total 62,000.00 11,600.00 40,800.00 - 35,000.00 73,200.00 25,200.00 18,800.00 266,600.00
Tesera Systems Inc. Box 1078 Cochrane AB Canada T4C 1B1 • Phone: 403.932.0445 • Fax: 403.932.9395 • www.tesera.com Town of Banff Urban Forest Management Plan 67
Table 8. Option A - Year 5 Implementation Budget
Year 5
Consulting & Plant Material Total Costs Per Geographic Area Dead/Hazard Tree Stump Grinding or Road Salt Mitigation Pruning Stand Thinning Planting Management, Propagation and Geographic Area Removal Root Excavation (hydro-vac + irrigation) Supervision Procurement
1. Bow Avenue 3,400.00 1,200.00 3,400.00 - 3,000.00 14,200.00 3,200.00 1,600.00 30,000.00 2. Central Park 3,400.00 1,000.00 3,400.00 - - 2,400.00 1,600.00 - 11,800.00 3. East of Banff Ave. Bridge, Along Bow River Trail 3,400.00 1,000.00 1,700.00 - - - 400.00 1,200.00 7,700.00 4. Beside Old Cemetary/Tunnel Mountain Road 5,100.00 - 1,700.00 - 5,000.00 25,000.00 1,600.00 1,600.00 40,000.00 5. Old cemetery 1,700.00 400.00 1,700.00 - 2,000.00 - 400.00 400.00 6,600.00 6. Along St. Julien Road & Otter Street - - - 2,000.00 1,600.00 200.00 3,800.00 7. Marmot Place ------200.00 200.00
8. Banff Entrance on Banff Avenue to Wolf Street, Including Rotary Park, High School and surrounding area 1,700.00 6,000.00 1,700.00 - 6,000.00 10,000.00 1,600.00 5,000.00 32,000.00 9. Areas surrounding Pica Place 8,500.00 - 1,700.00 - - - 1,600.00 200.00 12,000.00 10. Areas West of Fox Street, Behind Cougar Street and backs onto the Railway Tracks 5,100.00 - 1,700.00 - - - 1,600.00 200.00 8,600.00 11., Green Spaces Adjacent to the Elementary School as well as the trees on the School Grounds 5,100.00 - 1,700.00 - 2,000.00 - 1,600.00 800.00 11,200.00 12. Area around Recreation Centre - - - 5,100.00 2,000.00 - 800.00 200.00 8,100.00 13. Banff Ave. Refreshing, Various Downtown Islands and Blvds 4,200.00 1,600.00 3,400.00 - 7,000.00 4,800.00 1,600.00 5,000.00 27,600.00 14. Along West Glen Ave. 5,100.00 800.00 - - 2,000.00 2,400.00 800.00 400.00 11,500.00 15. Bow Falls trail 8,500.00 - 3,400.00 - 2,000.00 2,400.00 1,600.00 200.00 18,100.00 16. Bow Falls Parking lots 1,700.00 400.00 1,700.00 - 4,000.00 6,000.00 1,600.00 400.00 15,800.00 17. Remaining areas West of Kootenay avenue 8,500.00 - 1,700.00 - 2,000.00 6,000.00 2,000.00 200.00 20,400.00 18. Cave Ave/Recreation Areas 1,700.00 - - - - - 800.00 400.00 2,900.00 19. Mountain View Cemetary 1,700.00 400.00 1,700.00 - 2,000.00 - 400.00 800.00 7,000.00 20. At the end of Spray Avenue ------21. Railway Ave. Across from Bus Station - - 1,700.00 - - - - - 1,700.00 Total 68,800.00 12,800.00 32,300.00 5,100.00 41,000.00 73,200.00 24,800.00 19,000.00 277,000.00
Tesera Systems Inc. Box 1078 Cochrane AB Canada T4C 1B1 • Phone: 403.932.0445 • Fax: 403.932.9395 • www.tesera.com Town of Banff Urban Forest Management Plan 68
Table 9. Option B - Year 1 Implementation Budget
Year 1
Consulting & Plant Material Total Costs Per Geographic Area Dead/Hazard Tree Stump Grinding or Road Salt Mitigation Pruning Stand Thinning Planting Management, Propagation and Geographic Area Removal Root Excavation (hydro-vac + irrigation) Supervision Procurement
1. Bow Avenue 5,100.00 1,200.00 5,100.00 - 3,000.00 14,200.00 4,200.00 800.00 33,600.00 2. Central Park 3,400.00 1,000.00 3,400.00 - - 2,400.00 800.00 - 11,000.00 3. East of Banff Ave. Bridge, Along Bow River Trail 8,500.00 2,400.00 3,400.00 - 5,000.00 - 800.00 600.00 20,700.00 4. Beside Old Cemetary/Tunnel Mountain Road 8,500.00 - 1,700.00 - 5,000.00 25,000.00 1,600.00 800.00 42,600.00 5. Old cemetery 1,700.00 400.00 5,100.00 - 2,000.00 - 400.00 800.00 10,400.00 6. Along St. Julien Road & Otter Street - - - 5,100.00 - - 800.00 100.00 6,000.00 7. Marmot Place 3,400.00 800.00 1,700.00 - - - 200.00 100.00 6,200.00
8. Banff Entrance on Banff Avenue to Wolf Street, Including Rotary Park, High School and surrounding area 8,500.00 21,000.00 1,700.00 - 21,000.00 10,000.00 800.00 2,500.00 65,500.00 9. Areas surrounding Pica Place 8,500.00 - 1,700.00 5,100.00 - - 800.00 100.00 16,200.00 10. Areas West of Fox Street, Behind Cougar Street and backs onto the Railway Tracks 8,500.00 1,800.00 #REF! - - - 800.00 100.00 #REF! 11., Green Spaces Adjacent to the Elementary School as well as the trees on the School Grounds 5,100.00 - 3,400.00 5,100.00 2,000.00 - 800.00 400.00 16,800.00 12. Area around Recreation Centre ------400.00 100.00 500.00 13. Banff Ave. Refreshing, Various Downtown Islands and Blvds 5,100.00 2,400.00 3,400.00 - 7,000.00 4,800.00 800.00 2,500.00 26,000.00 14. Along West Glen Ave. 5,100.00 800.00 - - - 2,400.00 400.00 200.00 8,900.00 15. Bow Falls trail 8,500.00 - 3,400.00 3,400.00 10,000.00 2,400.00 800.00 200.00 28,700.00 16. Bow Falls Parking lots 8,500.00 1,200.00 5,100.00 - 6,000.00 6,000.00 800.00 800.00 28,400.00 17. Remaining areas West of Kootenay avenue 5,100.00 - 5,100.00 - 5,000.00 6,000.00 1,000.00 800.00 23,000.00 18. Cave Ave/Recreation Areas ------400.00 800.00 1,200.00 19. Mountain View Cemetary 1,700.00 400.00 5,100.00 - 2,000.00 - 200.00 400.00 9,800.00 20. At the end of Spray Avenue ------21. Railway Ave. Across from Bus Station 1,700.00 - 5,100.00 - 1,000.00 - 200.00 400.00 8,400.00 Total 96,900.00 33,400.00 56,100.00 18,700.00 69,000.00 73,200.00 17,000.00 12,500.00 376,800.00
Tesera Systems Inc. Box 1078 Cochrane AB Canada T4C 1B1 • Phone: 403.932.0445 • Fax: 403.932.9395 • www.tesera.com Town of Banff Urban Forest Management Plan 69
Table 10. Option B - Year 2 Implementation Budget
Year 2
Consulting & Plant Material Total Costs Per Geographic Area Dead/Hazard Tree Stump Grinding or Road Salt Mitigation Pruning Stand Thinning Planting Management, Propagation and Geographic Area Removal Root Excavation (hydro-vac + irrigation) Supervision Procurement
1. Bow Avenue 3,400.00 1,200.00 5,100.00 - 3,000.00 14,200.00 1,600.00 800.00 29,300.00 2. Central Park 3,400.00 1,000.00 3,400.00 - - 2,400.00 800.00 - 11,000.00 3. East of Banff Ave. Bridge, Along Bow River Trail 3,400.00 1,000.00 1,700.00 - 5,000.00 - 400.00 600.00 12,100.00 4. Beside Old Cemetary/Tunnel Mountain Road 5,100.00 - 1,700.00 - 5,000.00 25,000.00 1,600.00 800.00 39,200.00 5. Old cemetery 1,700.00 400.00 1,700.00 - - - 400.00 800.00 5,000.00 6. Along St. Julien Road & Otter Street ------800.00 100.00 900.00 7. Marmot Place ------100.00 100.00
8. Banff Entrance on Banff Avenue to Wolf Street, Including Rotary Park, High School and surrounding area 5,100.00 15,000.00 - - 15,000.00 10,000.00 800.00 2,500.00 48,400.00 9. Areas surrounding Pica Place 8,500.00 - - - - - 800.00 100.00 9,400.00 10. Areas West of Fox Street, Behind Cougar Street and backs onto the Railway Tracks 5,100.00 400.00 - - - - 800.00 100.00 6,400.00 11., Green Spaces Adjacent to the Elementary School as well as the trees on the School Grounds 5,100.00 - 3,400.00 - - - 800.00 400.00 9,700.00 12. Area around Recreation Centre - - - 5,100.00 2,000.00 - 400.00 100.00 7,600.00 13. Banff Ave. Refreshing, Various Downtown Islands and Blvds 4,200.00 1,600.00 3,400.00 - - 4,800.00 800.00 2,500.00 17,300.00 14. Along West Glen Ave. - - 1,700.00 - 2,000.00 2,400.00 400.00 200.00 6,700.00 15. Bow Falls trail 8,500.00 - 3,400.00 1,700.00 - 2,400.00 800.00 200.00 17,000.00 16. Bow Falls Parking lots 5,100.00 400.00 1,700.00 - 2,000.00 6,000.00 800.00 800.00 16,800.00 17. Remaining areas West of Kootenay avenue 5,100.00 - 1,700.00 - - 6,000.00 1,000.00 800.00 14,600.00 18. Cave Ave/Recreation Areas 5,100.00 - - - 2,000.00 - 400.00 800.00 8,300.00 19. Mountain View Cemetary 1,700.00 400.00 1,700.00 - - - 200.00 400.00 4,400.00 20. At the end of Spray Avenue ------21. Railway Ave. Across from Bus Station ------400.00 400.00 Total 70,500.00 21,400.00 30,600.00 6,800.00 36,000.00 73,200.00 13,600.00 12,500.00 264,600.00
Tesera Systems Inc. Box 1078 Cochrane AB Canada T4C 1B1 • Phone: 403.932.0445 • Fax: 403.932.9395 • www.tesera.com Town of Banff Urban Forest Management Plan 70
Table 11. Option B - Year 3 Implementation Budget
Year 3
Consulting & Plant Material Total Costs Per Geographic Area Dead/Hazard Tree Stump Grinding or Road Salt Mitigation Pruning Stand Thinning Planting Management, Propagation and Geographic Area Removal Root Excavation (hydro-vac + irrigation) Supervision Procurement
1. Bow Avenue 3,400.00 1,200.00 3,400.00 - 3,000.00 14,200.00 1,600.00 800.00 27,600.00 2. Central Park 3,400.00 1,000.00 3,400.00 - - 2,400.00 800.00 - 11,000.00 3. East of Banff Ave. Bridge, Along Bow River Trail 3,400.00 1,000.00 - - 1,200.00 - 400.00 600.00 6,600.00 4. Beside Old Cemetary/Tunnel Mountain Road - - - - - 25,000.00 800.00 800.00 26,600.00 5. Old cemetery - - 1,700.00 - 2,000.00 - 200.00 400.00 4,300.00 6. Along St. Julien Road & Otter Street ------800.00 100.00 900.00 7. Marmot Place 1,700.00 ------100.00 1,800.00
8. Banff Entrance on Banff Avenue to Wolf Street, Including Rotary Park, High School and surrounding area - - - - 6,000.00 10,000.00 800.00 2,500.00 19,300.00 9. Areas surrounding Pica Place 4,200.00 - - - 2,000.00 - 800.00 100.00 7,100.00 10. Areas West of Fox Street, Behind Cougar Street and backs onto the Railway Tracks - - - - 2,000.00 - 800.00 100.00 2,900.00 11., Green Spaces Adjacent to the Elementary School as well as the trees on the School Grounds 5,100.00 - - - - - 800.00 400.00 6,300.00 12. Area around Recreation Centre ------400.00 100.00 500.00 13. Banff Ave. Refreshing, Various Downtown Islands and Blvds 4,200.00 1,600.00 - - 7,000.00 4,800.00 800.00 2,500.00 20,900.00 14. Along West Glen Ave. - - 1,700.00 - - 2,400.00 400.00 200.00 4,700.00 15. Bow Falls trail 4,200.00 - - - - 2,400.00 800.00 200.00 7,600.00 16. Bow Falls Parking lots 3,400.00 400.00 - - - 6,000.00 800.00 400.00 11,000.00 17. Remaining areas West of Kootenay avenue 5,100.00 - - - - 6,000.00 1,000.00 400.00 12,500.00 18. Cave Ave/Recreation Areas ------400.00 400.00 800.00 19. Mountain View Cemetary ------200.00 400.00 600.00 20. At the end of Spray Avenue ------21. Railway Ave. Across from Bus Station ------400.00 400.00 Total 38,100.00 5,200.00 10,200.00 - 23,200.00 73,200.00 12,600.00 10,900.00 173,400.00
Tesera Systems Inc. Box 1078 Cochrane AB Canada T4C 1B1 • Phone: 403.932.0445 • Fax: 403.932.9395 • www.tesera.com Town of Banff Urban Forest Management Plan 71
Table 12. Option B - Year 4 Implementation Budget
Year 4
Consulting & Plant Material Total Costs Per Geographic Area Dead/Hazard Tree Stump Grinding or Road Salt Mitigation Pruning Stand Thinning Planting Management, Propagation and Geographic Area Removal Root Excavation (hydro-vac + irrigation) Supervision Procurement
1. Bow Avenue 3,400.00 1,200.00 - - 3,000.00 14,200.00 1,600.00 800.00 24,200.00 2. Central Park 3,400.00 1,000.00 1,700.00 - - 2,400.00 800.00 - 9,300.00 3. East of Banff Ave. Bridge, Along Bow River Trail 3,400.00 1,000.00 - - - - 400.00 600.00 5,400.00 4. Beside Old Cemetary/Tunnel Mountain Road 5,100.00 - - - - 25,000.00 800.00 800.00 31,700.00 5. Old cemetery ------200.00 400.00 600.00 6. Along St. Julien Road & Otter Street - - - 5,100.00 2,000.00 - 800.00 100.00 8,000.00 7. Marmot Place ------100.00 100.00
8. Banff Entrance on Banff Avenue to Wolf Street, Including Rotary Park, High School and surrounding area - - 1,700.00 - 6,000.00 10,000.00 800.00 2,500.00 21,000.00 9. Areas surrounding Pica Place 4,200.00 - 1,700.00 - - - 800.00 100.00 6,800.00 10. Areas West of Fox Street, Behind Cougar Street and backs onto the Railway Tracks - - 1,700.00 - - - 800.00 100.00 2,600.00 11., Green Spaces Adjacent to the Elementary School as well as the trees on the School Grounds ------800.00 400.00 1,200.00 12. Area around Recreation Centre ------400.00 100.00 500.00 13. Banff Ave. Refreshing, Various Downtown Islands and Blvds - - 1,700.00 - - 4,800.00 800.00 2,500.00 9,800.00 14. Along West Glen Ave. - - 1,700.00 - 2,000.00 2,400.00 400.00 200.00 6,700.00 15. Bow Falls trail 4,200.00 - 3,400.00 - 8,000.00 2,400.00 800.00 200.00 19,000.00 16. Bow Falls Parking lots 1,700.00 400.00 1,700.00 - - 6,000.00 800.00 400.00 11,000.00 17. Remaining areas West of Kootenay avenue 4,200.00 - 1,700.00 - 5,000.00 6,000.00 1,000.00 200.00 18,100.00 18. Cave Ave/Recreation Areas 5,100.00 - 1,700.00 - 3,000.00 - 400.00 400.00 10,600.00 19. Mountain View Cemetary - - 1,700.00 - 2,000.00 - 200.00 400.00 4,300.00 20. At the end of Spray Avenue ------21. Railway Ave. Across from Bus Station ------400.00 400.00 Total 34,700.00 3,600.00 20,400.00 5,100.00 31,000.00 73,200.00 12,600.00 10,700.00 191,300.00
Tesera Systems Inc. Box 1078 Cochrane AB Canada T4C 1B1 • Phone: 403.932.0445 • Fax: 403.932.9395 • www.tesera.com Town of Banff Urban Forest Management Plan 72
Table 13. Option B - Year 5 Implementation Budget
Year 5
Consulting & Plant Material Total Costs Per Geographic Area Dead/Hazard Tree Stump Grinding or Road Salt Mitigation Pruning Stand Thinning Planting Management, Propagation and Geographic Area Removal Root Excavation (hydro-vac + irrigation) Supervision Procurement
1. Bow Avenue 3,400.00 1,200.00 - - 3,000.00 14,200.00 1,600.00 800.00 24,200.00 2. Central Park 3,400.00 1,000.00 - - - 2,400.00 800.00 - 7,600.00 3. East of Banff Ave. Bridge, Along Bow River Trail 3,400.00 1,000.00 1,700.00 - - - 400.00 600.00 7,100.00 4. Beside Old Cemetary/Tunnel Mountain Road - - - - 5,000.00 25,000.00 800.00 800.00 31,600.00 5. Old cemetery 1,700.00 400.00 - - 2,000.00 - 200.00 200.00 4,500.00 6. Along St. Julien Road & Otter Street ------800.00 100.00 900.00 7. Marmot Place ------100.00 100.00
8. Banff Entrance on Banff Avenue to Wolf Street, Including Rotary Park, High School and surrounding area - - - - 6,000.00 10,000.00 800.00 2,500.00 19,300.00 9. Areas surrounding Pica Place 4,200.00 - - - - - 800.00 100.00 5,100.00 10. Areas West of Fox Street, Behind Cougar Street and backs onto the Railway Tracks ------800.00 100.00 900.00 11., Green Spaces Adjacent to the Elementary School as well as the trees on the School Grounds - - - - 4,000.00 - 800.00 400.00 5,200.00 12. Area around Recreation Centre ------400.00 100.00 500.00 13. Banff Ave. Refreshing, Various Downtown Islands and Blvds - - - - 7,000.00 4,800.00 800.00 2,500.00 15,100.00 14. Along West Glen Ave. 3,400.00 400.00 - - - 2,400.00 400.00 200.00 6,800.00 15. Bow Falls trail 4,200.00 - - - - 2,400.00 800.00 200.00 7,600.00 16. Bow Falls Parking lots 1,700.00 400.00 - - - 6,000.00 800.00 200.00 9,100.00 17. Remaining areas West of Kootenay avenue 4,200.00 - - - - 6,000.00 1,000.00 200.00 11,400.00 18. Cave Ave/Recreation Areas ------400.00 200.00 600.00 19. Mountain View Cemetary ------200.00 400.00 600.00 20. At the end of Spray Avenue ------21. Railway Ave. Across from Bus Station ------Total 29,600.00 4,400.00 1,700.00 - 27,000.00 73,200.00 12,600.00 9,700.00 158,200.00
Tesera Systems Inc. Box 1078 Cochrane AB Canada T4C 1B1 • Phone: 403.932.0445 • Fax: 403.932.9395 • www.tesera.com Town of Banff Urban Forest Management Plan 73
Table 14. Option B - Year 6 Implementation Budget
Year 6
Consulting & Plant Material Total Costs Per Geographic Area Dead/Hazard Tree Stump Grinding or Road Salt Mitigation Pruning Stand Thinning Planting Management, Propagation and Geographic Area Removal Root Excavation (hydro-vac + irrigation) Supervision Procurement
1. Bow Avenue - - 1,700.00 - - - 1,600.00 800.00 4,100.00 2. Central Park - - 1,700.00 - - - 800.00 - 2,500.00 3. East of Banff Ave. Bridge, Along Bow River Trail ------600.00 600.00 4. Beside Old Cemetary/Tunnel Mountain Road - - 1,700.00 - - - 800.00 800.00 3,300.00 5. Old cemetery - - 5,100.00 - - - 200.00 200.00 5,500.00 6. Along St. Julien Road & Otter Street ------800.00 100.00 900.00 7. Marmot Place 1,700.00 400.00 1,700.00 - 1,500.00 - 200.00 100.00 5,600.00
8. Banff Entrance on Banff Avenue to Wolf Street, Including Rotary Park, High School and surrounding area 1,700.00 6,000.00 1,700.00 - - - 800.00 2,500.00 12,700.00 9. Areas surrounding Pica Place 4,200.00 - 1,700.00 - - - 800.00 100.00 6,800.00 10. Areas West of Fox Street, Behind Cougar Street and backs onto the Railway Tracks 5,100.00 200.00 1,700.00 - - - 800.00 100.00 7,900.00 11., Green Spaces Adjacent to the Elementary School as well as the trees on the School Grounds 5,100.00 - 3,400.00 5,100.00 - - 800.00 400.00 14,800.00 12. Area around Recreation Centre - - - 5,100.00 2,000.00 - 400.00 100.00 7,600.00 13. Banff Ave. Refreshing, Various Downtown Islands and Blvds 4,200.00 1,600.00 3,400.00 - - - 800.00 2,500.00 12,500.00 14. Along West Glen Ave. 1,700.00 - 1,700.00 - 2,000.00 - 400.00 200.00 6,000.00 15. Bow Falls trail 4,200.00 - - 3,400.00 - - 800.00 200.00 8,600.00 16. Bow Falls Parking lots - 400.00 - - 4,000.00 - 800.00 200.00 5,400.00 17. Remaining areas West of Kootenay avenue 4,200.00 - - - - - 1,000.00 200.00 5,400.00 18. Cave Ave/Recreation Areas 5,100.00 - - - - - 400.00 200.00 5,700.00 19. Mountain View Cemetary 1,700.00 400.00 1,700.00 - - - 200.00 400.00 4,400.00 20. At the end of Spray Avenue ------21. Railway Ave. Across from Bus Station - - 1,700.00 - 1,000.00 - 200.00 - 2,900.00 Total 38,900.00 9,000.00 28,900.00 13,600.00 10,500.00 - 12,600.00 9,700.00 123,200.00
Tesera Systems Inc. Box 1078 Cochrane AB Canada T4C 1B1 • Phone: 403.932.0445 • Fax: 403.932.9395 • www.tesera.com Town of Banff Urban Forest Management Plan 74
Table 15. Option B - Year 7 Implementation Budget
Year 7
Consulting & Plant Material Total Costs Per Geographic Area Dead/Hazard Tree Stump Grinding or Road Salt Mitigation Pruning Stand Thinning Planting Management, Propagation and Geographic Area Removal Root Excavation (hydro-vac + irrigation) Supervision Procurement
1. Bow Avenue ------1,600.00 800.00 2,400.00 2. Central Park ------800.00 - 800.00 3. East of Banff Ave. Bridge, Along Bow River Trail - - 1,700.00 - - - - 600.00 2,300.00 4. Beside Old Cemetary/Tunnel Mountain Road 5,100.00 - 1,700.00 - 5,000.00 - 400.00 800.00 13,000.00 5. Old cemetery 1,700.00 400.00 1,700.00 - 2,000.00 - - 200.00 6,000.00 6. Along St. Julien Road & Otter Street - - - 5,100.00 - - 800.00 100.00 6,000.00 7. Marmot Place ------100.00 100.00
8. Banff Entrance on Banff Avenue to Wolf Street, Including Rotary Park, High School and surrounding area 1,700.00 6,000.00 - - - - 800.00 2,500.00 11,000.00 9. Areas surrounding Pica Place 3,400.00 - - - - - 800.00 100.00 4,300.00 10. Areas West of Fox Street, Behind Cougar Street and backs onto the Railway Tracks 5,100.00 200.00 - - - - 800.00 100.00 6,200.00 11., Green Spaces Adjacent to the Elementary School as well as the trees on the School Grounds 5,100.00 - - - - - 800.00 400.00 6,300.00 12. Area around Recreation Centre ------400.00 100.00 500.00 13. Banff Ave. Refreshing, Various Downtown Islands and Blvds 4,200.00 800.00 - - 7,000.00 - 800.00 2,500.00 15,300.00 14. Along West Glen Ave. ------400.00 200.00 600.00 15. Bow Falls trail 3,400.00 - 3,400.00 1,700.00 2,000.00 - 800.00 200.00 11,500.00 16. Bow Falls Parking lots - - 1,700.00 - - - 800.00 200.00 2,700.00 17. Remaining areas West of Kootenay avenue 4,200.00 - 1,700.00 - 2,000.00 - 1,000.00 - 8,900.00 18. Cave Ave/Recreation Areas - - 1,700.00 - 2,000.00 - 400.00 200.00 4,300.00 19. Mountain View Cemetary - - - - 3,000.00 - 200.00 400.00 3,600.00 20. At the end of Spray Avenue ------21. Railway Ave. Across from Bus Station ------Total 33,900.00 7,400.00 13,600.00 6,800.00 23,000.00 - 11,600.00 9,500.00 105,800.00
Tesera Systems Inc. Box 1078 Cochrane AB Canada T4C 1B1 • Phone: 403.932.0445 • Fax: 403.932.9395 • www.tesera.com Town of Banff Urban Forest Management Plan 75
Table 16. Option B - Year 8 Implementation Budget
Year 8
Consulting & Plant Material Total Costs Per Geographic Area Dead/Hazard Tree Stump Grinding or Road Salt Mitigation Pruning Stand Thinning Planting Management, Propagation and Geographic Area Removal Root Excavation (hydro-vac + irrigation) Supervision Procurement
1. Bow Avenue - - 1,700.00 - - - 1,600.00 800.00 4,100.00 2. Central Park - - 1,700.00 - - - 800.00 - 2,500.00 3. East of Banff Ave. Bridge, Along Bow River Trail ------600.00 600.00 4. Beside Old Cemetary/Tunnel Mountain Road ------400.00 800.00 1,200.00 5. Old cemetery ------200.00 200.00 400.00 6. Along St. Julien Road & Otter Street - - - - 2,000.00 - 800.00 100.00 2,900.00 7. Marmot Place ------100.00 100.00
8. Banff Entrance on Banff Avenue to Wolf Street, Including Rotary Park, High School and surrounding area 1,700.00 6,000.00 1,700.00 - - - 800.00 2,500.00 12,700.00 9. Areas surrounding Pica Place 1,900.00 - 1,700.00 - 2,000.00 - 800.00 100.00 6,500.00 10. Areas West of Fox Street, Behind Cougar Street and backs onto the Railway Tracks 5,100.00 200.00 1,700.00 - 2,000.00 - 800.00 100.00 9,900.00 11., Green Spaces Adjacent to the Elementary School as well as the trees on the School Grounds - - - - 2,000.00 - 800.00 400.00 3,200.00 12. Area around Recreation Centre ------400.00 100.00 500.00 13. Banff Ave. Refreshing, Various Downtown Islands and Blvds - - 1,700.00 - - - 800.00 2,500.00 5,000.00 14. Along West Glen Ave. - - - - 2,000.00 - 400.00 200.00 2,600.00 15. Bow Falls trail 1,900.00 - - - - - 800.00 200.00 2,900.00 16. Bow Falls Parking lots - - 1,700.00 - - - 800.00 200.00 2,700.00 17. Remaining areas West of Kootenay avenue 3,400.00 - 1,700.00 - - - 1,000.00 - 6,100.00 18. Cave Ave/Recreation Areas 3,400.00 - - - - - 400.00 200.00 4,000.00 19. Mountain View Cemetary ------200.00 400.00 600.00 20. At the end of Spray Avenue ------21. Railway Ave. Across from Bus Station ------Total 17,400.00 6,200.00 13,600.00 - 10,000.00 - 11,800.00 9,500.00 68,500.00
Tesera Systems Inc. Box 1078 Cochrane AB Canada T4C 1B1 • Phone: 403.932.0445 • Fax: 403.932.9395 • www.tesera.com Town of Banff Urban Forest Management Plan 76
Table 17. Option B - Year 9 Implementation Budget
Year 9
Consulting & Plant Material Total Costs Per Geographic Area Dead/Hazard Tree Stump Grinding or Road Salt Mitigation Pruning Stand Thinning Planting Management, Propagation and Geographic Area Removal Root Excavation (hydro-vac + irrigation) Supervision Procurement
1. Bow Avenue ------800.00 800.00 1,600.00 2. Central Park ------800.00 - 800.00 3. East of Banff Ave. Bridge, Along Bow River Trail ------600.00 600.00 4. Beside Old Cemetary/Tunnel Mountain Road - - - - 5,000.00 - 400.00 800.00 6,200.00 5. Old cemetery 1,700.00 400.00 - - 2,000.00 - - - 4,100.00 6. Along St. Julien Road & Otter Street ------800.00 100.00 900.00 7. Marmot Place ------100.00 100.00
8. Banff Entrance on Banff Avenue to Wolf Street, Including Rotary Park, High School and surrounding area ------800.00 2,500.00 3,300.00 9. Areas surrounding Pica Place 1,700.00 - - - - - 800.00 100.00 2,600.00 10. Areas West of Fox Street, Behind Cougar Street and backs onto the Railway Tracks ------800.00 100.00 900.00 11., Green Spaces Adjacent to the Elementary School as well as the trees on the School Grounds ------800.00 400.00 1,200.00 12. Area around Recreation Centre ------400.00 100.00 500.00 13. Banff Ave. Refreshing, Various Downtown Islands and Blvds - - - - 7,000.00 - 800.00 2,500.00 10,300.00 14. Along West Glen Ave. ------400.00 200.00 600.00 15. Bow Falls trail 1,700.00 - - - - - 800.00 200.00 2,700.00 16. Bow Falls Parking lots ------800.00 - 800.00 17. Remaining areas West of Kootenay avenue 3,400.00 - - - - - 1,000.00 - 4,400.00 18. Cave Ave/Recreation Areas ------400.00 - 400.00 19. Mountain View Cemetary - - 1,700.00 - - - 200.00 400.00 2,300.00 20. At the end of Spray Avenue ------21. Railway Ave. Across from Bus Station ------Total 8,500.00 400.00 1,700.00 - 14,000.00 - 10,800.00 8,900.00 44,300.00
Tesera Systems Inc. Box 1078 Cochrane AB Canada T4C 1B1 • Phone: 403.932.0445 • Fax: 403.932.9395 • www.tesera.com Town of Banff Urban Forest Management Plan 77
Table 18. Option B - Year 10 Implementation Budget
Year 10
Consulting & Plant Material Total Costs Per Geographic Area Dead/Hazard Tree Stump Grinding or Road Salt Mitigation Pruning Stand Thinning Planting Management, Propagation and Geographic Area Removal Root Excavation (hydro-vac + irrigation) Supervision Procurement
1. Bow Avenue - - 1,700.00 - - - 800.00 800.00 3,300.00 2. Central Park - - 1,700.00 - - - 800.00 - 2,500.00 3. East of Banff Ave. Bridge, Along Bow River Trail - - 1,700.00 - - - - 600.00 2,300.00 4. Beside Old Cemetary/Tunnel Mountain Road 5,100.00 - 1,700.00 - - - 400.00 800.00 8,000.00 5. Old cemetery ------200.00 - 200.00 6. Along St. Julien Road & Otter Street - - - 3,400.00 - - 800.00 100.00 4,300.00 7. Marmot Place - - - - 800.00 - - 100.00 900.00
8. Banff Entrance on Banff Avenue to Wolf Street, Including Rotary Park, High School and surrounding area - - 1,700.00 - - - 800.00 2,500.00 5,000.00 9. Areas surrounding Pica Place 1,700.00 - 1,700.00 - - - 800.00 100.00 4,300.00 10. Areas West of Fox Street, Behind Cougar Street and backs onto the Railway Tracks - - 1,700.00 - - - 800.00 100.00 2,600.00 11., Green Spaces Adjacent to the Elementary School as well as the trees on the School Grounds - - 1,700.00 - 2,000.00 - 800.00 400.00 4,900.00 12. Area around Recreation Centre ------400.00 100.00 500.00 13. Banff Ave. Refreshing, Various Downtown Islands and Blvds - - 1,700.00 - - - 800.00 2,500.00 5,000.00 14. Along West Glen Ave. - 400.00 1,700.00 - 2,000.00 - 400.00 200.00 4,700.00 15. Bow Falls trail 1,700.00 - 3,400.00 - 2,000.00 - 800.00 200.00 8,100.00 16. Bow Falls Parking lots ------800.00 - 800.00 17. Remaining areas West of Kootenay avenue 3,400.00 - - - 2,000.00 - 1,000.00 - 6,400.00 18. Cave Ave/Recreation Areas 1,700.00 - 1,700.00 - - - 400.00 - 3,800.00 19. Mountain View Cemetary - - - - 3,000.00 - 200.00 400.00 3,600.00 20. At the end of Spray Avenue ------21. Railway Ave. Across from Bus Station ------Total 13,600.00 400.00 22,100.00 3,400.00 11,800.00 - 11,000.00 8,900.00 71,200.00
Tesera Systems Inc. Box 1078 Cochrane AB Canada T4C 1B1 • Phone: 403.932.0445 • Fax: 403.932.9395 • www.tesera.com Town of Banff Urban Forest Management Plan 78
7.0 Bibliography American National Standards Institute, 2001. Tree, Shrub and other Woody Plant Maintenance-Standard Practices (Pruning), American National Standards Institute [ANSI A300 (Part 1)-2001]. Chong, C. and G.P. Lumis. 1990. Reduction of salt build-up and twig injury in roadside peach trees with film-forming sprays. Transp. Res. Rec. 1279: 45-53. Council of Tree & Landscape Appraisers. 2000. Guide for plant appraisal. 9th edition. International Society of Arboriculture. DeLong, R. and Pengelly, I. 2002. Banff Field Unit, Vegetation Management Plan. Banff National Park. Banff, AB. Forest Practices Branch Website, 2008. Ministry of Forests and Range, B.C. Government, 2008, http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/publications/00198/road_salt.htm) Gilman, E, & Lilly, S. 2002. Best management practices: Tree pruning. International Society of Arboriculture, Hudler, G.W. (Cornell Cooperative Extension), 1980. Salt Injury to Roadside Plants. Information Bulletin No. IB169, Plant Sciences/Plant Pathology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. Marzluff, J. M. and K. Ewing. 2001. Restoration of fragmented landscapes for the conservation of birds: a general framework and specific recommendations for urbanizing landscapes. Restor. Ecol. Parks Canada. 2005. Recommended Plant Species for Landscaping in Banff National Park. Banff, AB. Parks Canada. 2007. Banff National Park Management Plan Amendment, July 2007. Environment Canada. Ottawa, Canada. Town of Banff, 1998. Banff Community Plan. Banff, AB. Town of Banff, 2007. Banff Community Plan – Environmental Overview. Banff, AB. Town of Banff, 2007. Banff Community Plan. Banff, AB. Town of Banff, 2007. Land Use Bylaw No. 31-3. Banff, AB. White, C.A., T.E. Hurd, M. Hebblewhite, and I.R. Pengelly. 2007. Mitigating Fire Supression, Highway and Habitat Fragmentation Effects in the Bow Valley Ecosystem, Banff National Park: Preliminary Evaluation of a Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) Design with Path Analysis. Paper Presented at the “Monitoring the Effectiveness of Biological Conservation” conference, 2-4 November 2004, Richmond, BC. Available at http://forrex.org/events/mebc/papers.html. Whittington, J. 2007. A Summarty of Ecological Trends in the Bow Valley. Parks Canada. Banff, AB. Urban, J. 2008. Up by Roots: Healthy Soils and Trees in the Built Environment. International Society of Arboriculture.
Tesera Systems Inc. Box 1078 Cochrane AB Canada T4C 1B1 • Phone: 403.932.0445 • Fax: 403.932.9395 • www.tesera.com Town of Banff Urban Forest Management Plan 79
8.0 Glossary
Boulevard Tree – A tree located on a City easement. Endemic - natural to or characteristic of a specific people or place; native; indigenous Epidemic - a rapid spread or increase in the occurrence of something Forest Management – the practical application of scientific, economic and social principles to the administration and working of a forest for specified objectives. Particularly, that branch of forestry concerned with the overall administrative, economic, legal and social aspects and with the essentially scientific and technical aspects, especially silviculture, protection and forest regulation. (BC Ministry of Forests) Hazardous Trees – Older trees that have died (snags) or trees with large dead sections (limbs, tops) that present a hazard to public safety, potentially contribute to property damage and pose liability concerns. Heritage Trees – A tree that has been individually recognized by the local governing body for its association with a historic event, person, structure or landscape. Median Tree – a tree growing in a hard or soft surface. Mountain Pine Beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) – Considered one of the most destructive forest pests in western Canada, this insect attacks lodgepole pine, its principal host, along with western white pine, limber pine, Scots pine, and other pines. It will first attack the larger trees in a stand, usually resulting in tree mortality. The damage caused by this insect is due to larval feeding and adult activities. The females excavate adult galleries primarily in the inner bark which often cause a girdling effect. The eggs are deposited in the side, and larvae tunnel laterally from the main galleries. T he beetles also carry blue-stain fungi that quickly proliferate throughout the sapwood resulting in plugged vessels. These effects will kill the tree. (Canadian Forest Service) Street Tree – A tree planted within the public right-of-way in a hardscape (sidewalks). Urban Forest – all the trees, woodlands, woody shrubs, ground vegetation and associated green space within the urban area. (City of Winnipeg – Urban Forestry Plan, 2002). Wildland/Urban Interface – the area where forested land and homes/communities meet.
Tesera Systems Inc. Box 1078 Cochrane AB Canada T4C 1B1 • Phone: 403.932.0445 • Fax: 403.932.9395 • www.tesera.com Town of Banff Urban Forest Management Plan 80
9.0 Acronyms/Abbreviations ASL: Above Sea Level BNP: Banff National Park CAD: Computer Assisted Drafting DBH: diameter in centimetres at breast height, 1.3m above germination point GIS: Geographic Information Systems GPS: Global Positioning System ISA: International Society of Arboriculture MPB: Mountain Pine Beetle UFMP: Urban Forest Management Plan
Tesera Systems Inc. Box 1078 Cochrane AB Canada T4C 1B1 • Phone: 403.932.0445 • Fax: 403.932.9395 • www.tesera.com
Appendices 1a and 1b
Plant Policies Developed by Parks Canada and Town of Banff (source Town of Banff)
Banff National Park of Canada
Recommended Plant Species for Landscaping in Banff National Park
This list contains plant species that are native to Banff National Park or non-native and unlikely to become ecological problems through cross- pollinating with native plants or spreading into the natural environment. Preferred plant species are those that are native to Banff National Park and do
Use native trees and shrubs, along with not normally attract potentially dangerous animals rocks and non-living features to create an attractive and “elk-resistant” yard. such as bears or elk. ©Parks Canada Wherever possible, these plants should be derived from Advantages to using native local stocks to reduce the risk of introducing non-native plants: varieties. All species listed are now, or soon to be, 1. They’re part of the natural local available from Alberta sources as seed or plants; they are ecosystem and support the integrity of the natural areas considered non-invasive and are not normally prone to within parks. diseases. Plants native to Banff National Park are 2. They’re already adapted to the identified. The Partial Plant Source List includes known soils and climate of this region and require little care once potential commercial sources for the native plants, it is not established. an endorsement and is by no means complete. 3. Native plants generally tolerate browsing better. Some attract Parks Canada policy1 promotes the use of native plants for or deter different wildlife species. any new plantings in order to maintain the ecological 4. They do not contribute to integrity of the national parks. However, since native abundance of non-native plants plants may not always thrive in specific urban-type within park boundaries. Once established, they may also environments, in exceptional cases the limited use of non- prevent the invasion of non- native plants may be acceptable where suitable native native plants to disturbed sites. plants for specific purposes or settings do not exist.
1 A3.2.11. All practical efforts will be made to prevent the introduction of exotic plants and animals into national parks, and to eliminate or contain them where they already exist.@ Parks Canada 1994. Guiding Principles and Operational Policies
General Principles:
1. Landscaping in public areas of Banff National Park should be dominated by native plants and demonstrate a landscaping aesthetic that celebrates and promotes, rather than replaces, the native diversity of this part of Canada. The long-term goal should be to replace non- natives with preferred native plant species.
2. Low maintenance landscaping is considered oxeye daisies environmentally responsible and should be © Parks Canada promoted over landscaping that requires regular watering, mowing, trimming or Controlling Non-Native Plants chemical inputs. Turf areas should be Of the 829 known plant species in minimized because the necessary high Banff National Park, at least 70 of maintenance results in ongoing environmental these are introduced, or non-native. Non-native plants pose a significant impacts and pressure to use chemical ecological threat to native plant and herbicides to maintain a monoculture of non- wildlife communities because their native grasses. natural insect predators and diseases are absent from areas they invade. 3. Parks Canada projects, and reclamation They also displace native plant associated with any landscape-disturbing species that stabilize soils and provide activities outside the town of Banff, are forage and cover for wildlife. Lacking required to use only preferred (native) plant natural controls, non-native species species and minimize turf areas. can spread rapidly, degrading wildlife habitat.
4. Other project proponents requiring Parks Canada thistle, leafy spurge, scentless Canada approvals who wish to use non- chamomile, tall buttercup, spotted preferred plant species must prove that knapweed, oxeye daisies and toadflax preferred native plant species are unsuitable are just some of the species of for the intended purpose. particular concern. These weeds are invasive, aggressive and spread at a 5. Use of chemical herbicides for cosmetic rapid rate. Parks Canada has adopted control purposes is not acceptable in public an integrated pest management areas. Herbicides may be approved by the program to address invasive species. Superintendent; subject to all applicable Personal gardens and human built guidelines and regulations, only where the landscapes are entry points for many primary purpose is to protect the environment kinds of non-native plants. The most by eliminating invasive, non-native plants and effective way to control non-native where other effective alternatives are not plants is to prevent their available. establishment. Property owners can help by removing invasive non-native species from gardens.
It is illegal within any national park to collect plants from the wild. Outside the national park, p lants may only be collected with the landowner=s permission. From time to time Parks Canada may authorize relocation of native plants within Banff National Park as a part of environmental mitigation of approved landscape-disturbing projects. 12/04/2005 2 TREES & SHRUBS
Preferred plantings for Banff are highlighted in grey. Fire Palatability Common Name Scientific Name Native Smart* (deer & elk) Comments Evergreen Trees Alpine Fir Abies lasiocarpa Native H Medium May be browsed in winter. White Spruce Picea glauca Native H Low Colorado Spruce Picea pungens No H Low Saplings may be harmed by Pinus contorta var. elk during rutting season & Lodgepole Pine latifolia Native H Low winter. Long lived, not commonly Limber Pine Pinus flexilis Native H Low available. Rocky Mt. Pseudotsuga May be browsed when young Douglas Fir menziesii Native M Medium and flexible.
Evergreen Shrubs Fire Palatability Common Name Scientific Name Native Smart* (deer & elk) Comments Kinnikinnick or Arctostaphylos Good for groundcover and Bearberry uva-ursi Native H Low xeriscaping. Hard to establish. Juniperus More prickly than Creeping Common Juniper communis Native VH Medium Juinper; good for xeriscape Juniperus Many cultivars available; good Creeping Juniper horizontalis Native VH Medium for xeriscape Rocky Mountain Juniperus Good for xeriscape; vertical vs Juniper scopulorum Native VH Low horizontal growth
Deciduous Trees Fire Palatability Common Name Scientific Name Native Smart* (deer & elk) Comments Should be available in the near Mountain Maple / future from native plant Douglas Maple Acer glabrum Native VL Medium nurseries. Very attractive. “Baron” Manitoba Spreads. Plant seedless Maple Acer negundo No VL Medium cultivar only. River Birch/ Tough, smaller, multi- Water Birch/ branched. Small tree or tall Black Birch Betula occidentalis Native VL Low shrub. Paper Birch/ Needs lots of water. Delicate White Birch Betula papyrifera Native VL Low bark. Alpine Larch Larix lyallii Native VL Low Found at treeline in park. Should be available in the near future from native plant nurseries. Native to Western Larch Larix occidentalis Native VL Medium Kananaskis. Siberian Larch Larix sibirica No M Medium Balsam Poplar/ Populus Balm of Gilead balsamifera Native VL High Trembling Aspen/ Populus Native VL High More resistant to browsing
12/04/2005 3 Quaking Aspen tremuloides than most poplars and willows as it spreads by creeping roots. Very aggressive, but traditional browsing has prevented its invasive tendencies. Populus “X” Avoid non-native poplar Brooks No. 6 Brooks No. 6, varieties -- potential for Poplar & Populus “X” jackii genetic contamination of Northwest Poplar “Northwest” No VL High wild poplars. Attractive to birds. May attract Amur Cherry Prunus Maackii No VL High bears. Prunus padus Attractive to birds. May attract Mayday commutata No VL Medium bears. Prunus Attractive to birds. May attract Pincherry pensylvanica Native VL Medium bears. Prunus virginiana Western aka P. Attractive to birds. May attract Chokecherry melanocarpa Native VL Medium bears Schubert Prunus virginiana Attractive to birds. May attract Chokecherry “Schubert” No VL Medium bears. Should become available from native plant nurseries. Western Mountain Attractive to birds. May attract Ash Sorbus scopulina Native VL High bears. American Attractive to birds. May attract Mountain Ash Sorbus americanus No L High bears Showy Mountain Attractive to birds. May attract Ash Sorbus decora No VL High bears
Deciduous Shrubs Fire Palatability Common Name Scientific Name Native Smart* (deer & elk) Comments Can be quite invasive within a Agapodium garden area. Should be Gout Weed variogardum No L High discouraged. Green alder Alnus crispa Native VL Medium Prefers moister sites Alnus tenuifolia Tends to spread out and Mountain/ River a.k.a. A. incana colonize along moist areas. Alder Alder rugosa Native VL Medium Seeds attractive to some birds. Moist and dry sites, adaptable. Attractive to birds. May attract Amelanchier bears. Many cultivars Saskatoon alnifolia Native L High available. Arctostaphylos Very attractive, leaves turn red Alpine Bearberry rubra Native L Low in fall. May attract bears. Bog, Shrub/ Dwarf Birch Betula glandulosa Native L Medium Prefers moister sites Very attractive to elk. These Peking Cotoneaster are usually the ‘short’ hedges Cotoneaster acutifolius No L High you see around town. Red Osier Cornus stolonifera Native L High Very attractive to elk.
12/04/2005 4 Dogwood Excellent fall and winter colour. Wolf Willow/ Elaeagnus Very aromatic; many cultivars Silverberry commutata Native L Medium on market. Tends to sucker. White flowers. Evergreen Ledum leaves. Grows in boggy wet, Labrador Tea groenlandicum Native L Medium areas. Yellow flowers, twines around Twining other vegetation. Attractive to Honeysuckle Lonicera dioica Native L Medium hummingbirds. Bracted Lonicera Honeysuckle involucrata Native L Low Prefers damp woodlands. False Honeysuckle/ Menziesia Low to Menzizia ferruginea native L moderate Yellow flowers. Best choice of shrubs to grow in Banff, as not attractive to ungulates or bears. Many cultivars available. The native one has Shrubby silver leaves as opposed to Cinquefoil Potentilla fruticosa Native L Low shiny green leaves. Wild Gooseberry/ Northern Ribes Gooseberry oxycanthoides Native L Low Prefers moist woods. Mountain Rhododendron Very attractive. Toxic to Rhododendron albiflorum Native L Low ungulates and humans. Earlier flowering. Most commercial shrub roses are non-native varieties. Very Prickly Rose Rosa acicularis Native L High adaptive to different locales. Common Wild Prefers moist woods. Flowers Rose Rosa woodsii Native L Medium later than Prickly Rose. Wild Red Raspberry Rubus idaeus Native L Medium Berries attractive to wildlife. Bebb’s Willow/ Beaked Willow Salix bebbiana Native VL High Shrub or tall tree. Pussy Willow Salix discolour Native VL High Shrub. Smooth Willow/ Gray-leaved Erect shrub. Prefers moist Willow Salix glauca Native VL High areas. Sambucus racemosa var. pubens or Red fruit. Might be attractive Elderberry leucocarpa Native VL high to birds and bears. ** Bears attracted to berries. Plant male bushes only. Canadian Prefers open canopy, not very Buffaloberry/ vigorous. Spreads out; takes Soapberry/ Shepherdia lots of space. Good for Soopalallie Canadensis Native L Medium xeriscaping. Meadowsweet/ Spiraea betulifolia Native L Low Showy white flowers.
12/04/2005 5 Birch-leaved Spirea Symphoricarpos Tends to colonize. Good tall Snowberry albus Native L Medium groundcover. Buckbrush or Can be invasive; containment Wolfberry or recommended. Many cultivars Western Symphoricarpos on the market. Snowberry occidentalis Native L Medium Common Lilac Syringa vulgaris No L Medium Low Bush Prefers moist boggy areas. Cranberry Viburnum edule Native L Medium Attractive to birds. *Fire smart flammability rating: VH very high H high M Medium L Low VL Very Low
Do Elk Treat Your Yard as a Salad Bar?
You can minimize elk (and deer) activity in your neighbourhood by eliminating potential food sources that may attract and keep elk in town. Here’s how: 9 Keep pet food, bird seed, and garbage out of reach. 9Reduce your lawn; use rocks, weathered wood, mulches, etc. for landscaping accents. 9Hang flowering baskets out of elk’s reach, or have planters and baskets on second stories only. Instead of caging your plants, maybe there are some other things you can do to keep wildlife away from your garden Remember that all elk are potentially dangerous. That means ©Parks Canada always keeping a safe distance (30 metres) away, even if they do not seem threatening or perturbed. Your close presence may contribute to their habituation to people. It is important to remind your neighbours and visitors about how to safely view elk too.
∗ Please report all elk activity in the townsite to the Banff Warden Office at (403) 762-1470.
12/04/2005 6 Native Wildflowers
COMMON NAME SCIENTIFIC NAME Colour/ Comments Yellow. Looks like a dandelion with long narrow False Dandelion Agoseris glauca leaves. Blooms mid-summer. Nodding Onion Allium cernuum Pink. Blooms mid summer. Likes dry open areas. Wild Chives Allium schoenoprasum Purple. Blooms mid summer. Spreads. Fairy Candelabra/ Pygmy Flower Androsace septentrionalis White. Blooms very early. Cut-leaved Anemone Anemone multifida Multicoloured. Early bloomer. Prairie Crocus/ Pasque Flower Anemone patens Purple. Early bloomer. Dry open areas. Lowly everlasting/ Small- leaved Everlasting/ Nuttal’s Antennaria parvifolia aka Pussytoes nitida White. Herb mat. Blooms early summer. Showy Everlasting Antennaria pulcherrima White. Blooms mid summer. Rosy Everlasting/ Rosy Pussytoes Antennaria rosea Pink. Blooms mid summer. Blue Columbine Aquilegia brevistyla Blue. Blooms early summer. Yellow Columbine Aquilegia flavescens Yellow. Blooms early summer. Cordilleran Arnica/ Hairy Arnica Arnica mollis Yellow. Blooms early summer. Pasture Sagewort Artemisia frigida Silvery foliage. Blooms late summer. Prairie Sagewort/ Prairie Sage Artemisia ludoviciana Improved cultivars available Alpine Aster Aster alpinus Purple. Blooms late summer. Smoothing Aster Aster laevis Purple. Blooms late summer. Arctic Aster Aster sibiricus Purple. Blooms late summer. Indian Milk Vetch Astragalus aboriginum Yellowish white. Blooms early summer. Astragalus miser a.k.a. A. Purplish. Blooms mid-summer. Very common in Timber Milk Vetch decumbens lodgepole pine forest. Toxic to ungulates. Ascending Purple Milk Astragalus striatus a.k.a. A. Purple. Blooms early June. Vetch/ Standing Milk Vetch adsurgens Harebell Campanula rotundifolia Blue. Blooms mid- to late-summer. Red Indian Paintbrush Castilleja miniata Red. Plant with other plants Yellow Paintbrush Castilleja occidentalis Yellow. Plant with other plants Field Chickweed/ Mouse- eared Chickweed Cerastium arvense White. Blooms early summer. Invasive. Chrysopsis villosa a.k.a. Yellow. Blooms late summer. Golden Aster Heterotheca villosa Blue Clematis/ Virgin’s Clematis occidentalis Blue-purple. Vine. Blooms early summer. Bower White. Blooms mid summer. Likes moist soils rich Bunchberry Cornus canadensis in humus. Blue & white. Needs staking or protected site. Tall Larkspur Delphinium glaucum Toxic. Mountain Shooting Star Dodecatheon conjugens Magenta. Early bloomer. Grows in drier ground. Yellow Dryad, Yellow Mountain Avens Dryas drummondii Yellow. Mat forming; good ground cover. Dryas octopetala aka White Mountain Avens hookeriana White. Blooms early summer. Ground cover.
12/04/2005 7 Fireweed Epilobium angustifolium Magenta. Blooms mid to late summer. Spreads. Broad-leaved Fireweed/ Magenta. Blooms mid summer. Grows in very wet Broad-leaved Willowherb Epilobium latifolium gravel bars, streambanks. Tufted Fleabane Erigeron caespitosus White to pinkish. Blooms late summer. Cut-leaved Fleabane/ Erigeron compositus White. Blooms early summer. Compound-leaved Fleabane Smooth Fleabane Erigeron glabellus Pink. Blooms mid summer. Umbrella-plant/ Sulphur Eriogonum umbellatum Yellow. Blooms late summer. Buckwheat Wild Strawberry Fragaria virginiana White. Actively spreads by runners. Attracts birds and rodents. Gaillardia/ Blanketflower/ Brown-eyed Susan Gaillardia aristata Yellow. Very showy. Blooms early summer. Northern Bedstraw Galium boreale White. Blooms mid-summer. Felwort/ Northern Gentian Gentianella amarella Purple. Blooms late summer. Annual. Purple. Blooms late summer. Grows in moist Fringed Gentian Gentianella crinata areas. Difficult to propagate. Wild White Geranium Geranium richardsonii White. Blooms mid summer. Sticky Purple Geranium Geranium viscosissimum Rose-purple. Blooms mid summer. Pink. Attractive seedhead give it the names Prairie Smoke/ Old Man’s Whiskers. Blooms early Three-flowered Avens/ Geum triflorum summer. Alpine Hedysarum/ Alpine Sweet-vetch Hedysarum alpinum Magenta. Northern Hedysarum/ Northern Sweet-vetch Hedysarum boreale Magenta. Extremely attractive. Yellow Hedysarum/ Yellow Sweet-vetch Hedysarum sulphurescens Yellow. Cow Parsnip Heracleum lanatum White. Prefers moist, rich soils. * Bears eat celery- like stalks. Yellow Peavine/ Cream- coloured Vetchling Lathyrus ochroleucus Pale yellow. Blooms early summer. Western Wood Lily/ Tiger Lily Lilium philadelphicum Orange, showy. Blooms early summer. Twinflower Linnaea borealis Pink. Groundcover for shady areas. Wild Blue Flax/ Western Blue. Blooms early to mid-summer. European Blue Flax Linum lewisii varieties may be sold as native at nurseries. Yellow Puccoon/ Woolly Lithospermum ruderale Pale yellow. Blooms mid summer. Gromwell Wild Mint Mentha arvensis Pink. Grows in moist areas. Deep blue. Blooms early summer. Tends to Alpine Forget-me-not Myosotis alpestris colonize. Blunt-leaved Sandwort Moehringia lateriflora White. Blooms early summer. Wild Bergamot/ Horsemint/ Monarda fistulosa Deep pink. Blooms late summer. Beebalm Reflexed Locoweed Oxytropis deflexa Purple. Blooms mid-summer. Early Yellow Locoweed/ Yellow. Blooms early summer. All locoweeds are Silky Locoweed Oxytropis sericea nitrogen-fixing. Showy Locoweed Oxytropis splendens Magenta. Silver foliage. Blooms early summer. Viscid Locoweed Oxytropis viscida Blue-purple. Blooms early summer. Silky Scorpionweed/ Silky Phacelia sericea Purple. Good for rock gardens.
12/04/2005 8 Phacelia Yellow Beardtongue/ Yellow Penstemon Penstemon confertus Yellow. Blooms mid-summer. Showy Jacob’s Ladder Polemonium pulcherrimum Blue. Blooms early summer. Yellow. Blooms early summer. Spreads by Silverweed Potentilla anserina runners. Graceful Cinquefoil Potentilla gracilis Yellow. Blooms mid-summer. Yellow. Blooms mid-summer. Tends to spread. Rhinanthus minor a.k.a. R. Annual. Yellow Rattle/ Rattlebox crista-galli Prairie Groundsel/ Woolly Senecio canus Yellow. Blooms early summer. Groundsel Balsam Groundsel/ Canadian Groundsel Senecio pauperculus Yellow. Blooms mid summer. Moss Campion Silene acaulis Pink. Full sun, good for rock gardens. Cream coloured. Blooms early to mid-summer. False Solomon’s-Seal Smilacina racemosa Prefers shady moist woods. Star-flowered Solomon’s- Smilacina stellata White. Blooms early summer. Prefers moist areas. Seal Solidago canadensis Yellow. Late season bloomer. Tall. Tends to be Canada Goldenrod invasive. Missouri Goldenrod/ Low Goldenrod Solidago missouriensis Yellow. Blooms later summer. Mountain Goldenrod/ Spike-like Goldenrod Solidago spathulata a.k.a. S. Yellow. Blooms late summer. Smallest goldenrod. decumbens Long-stalked Chickweed/ Long-stalked Starwort Stellaria longipes White. Blooms mif-summer. Blue-eyed Grass Sysirinchium montanum Royal blue. Blooms early summer. Full sun. Western Meadow Rue Thalictrum occidentale Flowers lack petals. Separate male and female plants. Blooms mid summer. Prefers shade. Flowers lack petals. Separate male and female plants. More common than T. occidentale. Has Veiny Meadow Rue Thalictrum venulosum tendrils that attach to other plants. Blooms mid- summer. Wild Vetch Vicia americana Purple. Blooms early summer. Blue. Grows well in open or in shaded areas. Early Blue Violet Viola adunca Spreads. Western Canada Violet Viola canadensis a.k.a. V. White. Blooms early summer. Prefers moist rugulosa shaded woods. White Camas, Green Lily Zigadenus elegans Greenish white. Blooms mid summer. Heart-leaved Alexander/ Meadow Parsnip Zizia aptera Yellow. Blooms early summer.
NOTES: Fire Smart: most wildflowers have a low flammability rating. Wildlife: many flowers are eaten by ungulates. Fruits may be eaten by birds, rodents or bears. Bears will dig up roots and corms of some members of the pea, lily and purslane families.
12/04/2005 9 Native Grasses & Ground Covers
Native grasses are not suited for a high maintenance, regularly- mowed turf. They can also be very hard to manage once they get a hold in your garden because grasses out-compete other plants. What may have started as a natural-looking meadow, now looks more like a hay field! As grasses are often used for xeriscaping (read: little or no watering beyond what falls from the sky) grasses dry out and can become a fire hazard close to home. That said, there are many attractive native sedges or other ground covers, such as dryas and Foxtail barley is native to Banff, kinnikinnick that live in dry areas that can be planted. Their but it can soon take over your advantage is that they still do the job of holding soil in place like garden, so it is best to keep it out grasses, but do not dry out as much to become a fire hazard, nor of your garden. spread the way grasses do. ©Parks Canada
A Word on Turf: As much as possible, green turf areas should be minimized due to elk attraction and high maintenance requirements, which can lead to demand for cosmetic herbicide treatments and excessive watering. Where high-use public areas require turf, high quality non-native Kentucky Bluegrass/Creeping Red Fescue Mixes similar to the following are recommended:
60 – 70% Kentucky Bluegrass selected, elite cultivars 20 – 30% “Boreal” Creeping Red Fescue 10 – 15% Perennial Ryegrass, turf-type cultivars
A list of native grass species is available upon request from Banff National Park for reclamation and restoration projects. Contact Heather Dempsey at (403) 762-1464 or [email protected] for details.
Information Sources: Ecological (Biophysical) Land Classification of Banff & Jasper National Parks Preferred Plantings for Jasper National Park. Exotic Plants and cultivated landscapes in the mountain national parks: a growing concern. Lake Louise, Yoho and Kootenay Field Unit, Parks Canada 2001.ISBN: 0-662-29777-6 Town of Banff’s Design Guidelines - Recommended Plant Materials “Native Plant Source List” & “Collection and Use Guidelines”(February 2003) Alberta Native Plant Council Diane McIvor, Bow Valley Naturalists Kevin Pattison, Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course Kathy Tannas, Eastern Slopes Rangeland Seed Ltd
12/04/2005 10
PARTIAL PLANT SOURCE LIST*
* from the Alberta Native Plant Council as a public service. (www.anpc.ab.ca It is not to be considered an endorsement of the organizations or their services listed below.
Alberta Nurseries & Seeds Ltd. Chris Berggren Eagle Lake Nurseries Ltd. Phone: (403) 224-3545 Anita, Heuver, Tony Heuver Fax: (403) 224-2455 (403) 934-3670 Email: [email protected] Fax: (403) 934-3626 Website: www.marketland.net Email: [email protected] Box 20 Website: www.eaglelakenurseries.com Bowden, Alberta Box 2340 TOM OKO Strathmore, Alberta In business 80 years, Alberta Nurseries produces T1P 1K3 container-grown native trees, shrubs, and vines. Native and ornamental woody plants are produced in They will custom collect source-specified seed or containers at Eagle Nurseries or purchased form cuttings in Alberta. They will custom grow woody other prairie sources. Some plants are available in plants, wildflowers, grasses and wetlands species. bare-root form in spring. Sells shrubs and trees Free catalogue available. Sells plants wholesale and wholesale and retail. retail. Eastern Slopes Rangeland Seed Ltd. ALCLA Native Plant Restoration Inc Kathy Tannas Al & Pat Fedkenheuer (403) 637-2473 (403) 282-6516 Fax: (403) 637-2724 Fax: (403) 282-7090 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Box 273 Website: www.ALCLAnativeplants.com Cremona, Alberta 3208 Bearspaw Drive NW T0M 0R0 Calgary, Alberta Eastern Slopes Rangeland Ltd. Specializes in bulk T2L 1T2 seed sales of grasses. They deal in some species of ALCLA deals in seeds and plants of wildflowers, wetland plants, shrubs and trees. Sells some seed grasses, and shrubs. The business offers custom retail, but the focus is mainly on wholesale grass growing, as well as consulting and installation seed sales. services. Free species list available. Sells seeds and plants wholesale and retail. Greenview Nurseries & Tree Farm Janet Falkenburg Bow Point Nursery Ltd. (403) 936-5936 Ken & Pam Wright Fax: (404) 936-5981 (403) 686-4434 Website: www.greenviewnurseries.ca Fax: (403) 242-8018 Box 12, Site 16, RR7 Email: [email protected] Calgary, Alberta 244034 Range Rd 32 T2P 4G7 Calgary, Alberta Greenview Nursery propagates native trees and T3Z 2E3 shrubs from cuttings collected on their property Bow Point Nursery is dedicated to the propagation located just east of Calgary. The trees and shrubs are of Chinook-hardy native vines, shrubs and trees container-grown. Sells woody plants wholesale and grown from seed and cuttings collected in southern retail. Alberta. They offer custom growing and harvesting. Sells plants retail and wholesale.
12/04/2005 11
Prairie Fire Resources Kathy Lowther (403) 946-4115 Fax: (403) 226-0218 Email: [email protected] Website: www.prairiefire-resources.com Box 607 Crossfield, Alberta T0M 0S0 Prairie Fire Resources produces greenhouse container-grown native grasses and wildflowers. They will be taking a 1-year leave of absence during the 2003 season, but plan to return to business in 2004. Sells plants retail and wholesale. Kinnikinnick , once established, can make a good groundcover Vale's Greenhouses ©Parks Canada 3rd Ave. and 3rd St. NW, Box 186, Black Diamond, AB T0L 0H0 PHONE: (403) 933-4814; FAX: (403) 933-3095 Vale’s produces a selection of local native perennials.
Local Field Guides Wildflowers of the Canadian Rockies, George W. Scotter & Halle Flygare. Hurtig Publishers, 1986.
Plants of the Rocky Mountains, Kershaw, MacKinnon & Pojar. Lone Pine Publishing, 1998.
Related Websites: Alberta Native Plant Council: www.anpc.ab.ca Banff National Park: www.pc.gc.ca/banff Naturescape Alberta: www.naturescape.ab.ca/ Invasive Plants of Canada Project: www.rbg.ca/cbcn/en/invasives/invade1.html Evergreen Foundation: www.evergreen.ca
Box 900, Banff, Alberta T1L 1K2, Canada www.pc.gc.ca/banff Banff National Park Ph: 403.762.1500 Fax: 403.762.3380 E-mail: [email protected] : 403 762 1500 F Banff info@pc gcca
12/04/2005 12 Page 53
10.0 RECOMMENDED PLANT MATERIALS
(a) Trees Deciduous Trees
Palatability Plant Species Botanical Name Flammability Native Comments Colouring (Ungulates) Rocky Mountain Acer glabrum Medium Very Low Yes Leaves: (Douglas) Maple Summer: green Autumn: dull red Flowers: yellowish-green Manitoba Maple Acer negundo Medium Very Low No Spreads. Plant seedless Summer: green cultivars only Autumn: yellow River / Water / Black Betula Low Very Low Yes Hardy. Can withstand Yellowish-green Birch occidentalis some browsing by elk. Sensitive to salt. Paper Birch / Betula papyrifera Low Very Low Yes Need lots of water. Dull green White Birch Balsam Poplar / Balm Populus High Very Low Yes The cultivar Balm-of- Summer: green of Gilead balsamifera Gilead is a (sterile) female Autumn: yellow clone of a balsam / eastern cottonwood hybrid. It is frequently planted for landscape purposes Trembling Aspen Populus High Very Low Yes Prone to elk damage Summer: green tremuloides unless large caliper stock Autumn: yellow is planted (4-5") Brooks No. 6 Poplar Populus X Brooks High Very Low No Avoid non-native poplar No. 6 varieties. Potential for genetic contamination of wild poplars exists. Suckers and aphids are a nuisance. New growth may be prone to elk damage. Short lived in crowded conditions. Northwest Poplar / Populus X jackii High Very Low No Avoid non-native poplar Summer: bluish- Jack's Hybrid Poplar “Northwest” varieties. Potential for green genetic contamination of wild poplars exists. Tolerates elk browsing. Prune high to minimize elk damage. Amur Cherry Prunus Maackii High Very Low No Attractive to birds. May Flowers: white attract bears
Mayday Tree Prunus padus Medium Very Low No Attractive to birds. May commutata attract bears. Lots of fruit drop. Elk damage will occur unless large, high- headed stock is planted. Spring blooming. Good shade trees Page 54
Deciduous Trees (continued)
Palatability Plant Species Botanical Name Flammability Native Comments Colouring (Ungulates) Pincherry Prunus Medium Very Low Yes Attractive to birds. May Summer: pensylvanica attract bears yellowish-green Autumn: purplish-red Flowers: white Western Chokecherry Prunus virginiana Medium Very Low Yes Attractive to birds. May Dark green / melanocarpa attract bears. Schubert Chokecherry Prunus virginiana Medium Very Low No Attractive to birds. May “Schubert” attract bears. Lots of fruit drop. Elk damage will occur unless large, high- headed stock is planted. Suckers and aphids are a nuisance Sharp Leaf Willow Salix acutifolia Yes Laurel Willow / Bayleaf Salix pentandra High Yes Thrives on acid soils in Very shiny Willow northern regions. Leaves green can be used for flavouring foods American Mountain Sorbus americana High Low No Attractive to birds. May Leaves: light Ash / Dogberry attract bears. green Flowers: white Showy Mountain Ash / Sorbus decora High Very Low No Attractive to birds. May Leaves: blue- Dogberry attract bears. green Flowers: white Western Mountain Ash Sorbus scopulina High Very Low Yes Attractive to birds. May attract bears. Prone to elk damage, should be planted in fenced area. Prone to fire blight and sunscald. Brandon Elm Ulmus americana No “Brandon” Siberian Elm Ulmus pumila No Dark green Page 55
Coniferous Trees
Palatability Plant Species Botanical Name Flammability Native Comments Colouring (Ungulates) Alpine Fir Abies lasiocarpa Medium High Hardy, long lived. May be Greyish-green difficult to obtain. May be to light bluish- browsed in winter. green Siberian Larch Larix sibirica Medium Medium No Green to greyish-blue Engelman Spruce Picea engelmanii Low High Yes Hybrids occur where Bluish-green range overlaps that of White or Colorado spruce White Spruce Picea glauca Low High Yes Green to bluish- green Black Spruce Picea mariana Low Very High Yes Dull greyish- green Colorado Spruce Picea pungens Low High No Bluish-green Lodgepole Pine Pinus contorta Low High Yes Saplings may be harmed Dark green to var. latifolia by elk during rutting yellowish-green season and winter Limber Pine Pinus flexilis Low High Not commonly available Greenish-brown Rocky Mountain Pseudotsuga Medium Medium Yes May be browsed when Bluish-green Douglas Fir / Blue menziesii var. young and flexible Douglas Fir / Interior glauca Douglas Fir Page 56
(b) Shrubs & Ground Cover Deciduous Shrubs & Ground Cover
Palatability Plant Species Botanical Name Flammability Native Comments Colouring (Ungulates) Gout Weed Agapodium High Low No variogardum Green Alder Alnus crispa Medium Very Low Yes More shade tolerant than Bright shiny other alders. Able to green colonize exposed sites low in nutrients and improve soil fertility. Fallen leaves supply nitrogen to the soil. Buds, twigs, bark, and fruit are eaten by birds and mammals. Saskatoon Berry / Amelanchier High Low Yes Berries edible. Twigs, Leaves: dark Western Serviceberry alnifolia bark, and fruit may attract green birds and animals. Flowers: white Bearberry / Arctostaphylos Low High Yes Kinnikinnick uva-ursi Common Caragana / Caragana High No Umbrella-shaped weeping Flowers: yellow Siberian Pea-Tree / arborescens cultivars commonly grown Siberian Pea-Shrub as a lawn tree. Easy to grow, very cold hardy, tolerant of drought, poor soil, salt and wind. Pygmy Caragana Caragana High No pygmaea Red-Osier Cornus stolonifera High Low Yes Peking Cotoneaster Cotoneaster High Low No acutifolius Silverberry / Silver Eleagnus Medium Low Yes Tolerant of harsh Dense coating Elaeagnus / Wolf commutata conditions of silvery (or Willow rusty brown) scales on the leaves, twigs, flowers, and other parts. Shrubby Cinquefoil Potentilla fruticosa Low Low Yes Wild Red Raspberry Rhubus idaeus Medium Low Yes Alpine Currant Ribes alpinum Medium Yes Golden Flowering Ribes aurem Medium No Currant Wild / Northern Ribes Low Low Yes Gooseberry oxycanthoides Prickly Rose Rosa acicularis High Low Yes Common Wild Rose Rosa woodsii Medium Low Yes Canada Buffaloberry / Sheperdia Medium Low Yes Red berries Soapberry/ Soopalallie canadensis Page 57
Deciduous Shrubs & Ground Cover (continued)
Palatability Plant Species Botanical Name Flammability Native Comments Colouring (Ungulates) False Spirea Sorbaria sorbifolia Medium Meadowsweet / Birch- Spirea betulifolia Low Low Yes leaved Spirea Three-Lobed Spirea Spirea trilobata Low No SS Snowberry Symphoricarpos Medium Low albus Late Lilac Syringa villosa Medium No Common Lilac Syringa vulgaris Medium Low No Leaves: dark green Flowers: purple, pink, or white Highbush Cranberry / Virburnum No Fruit is edible. Flowers: white Cranberry Viburnum/ trilobum Fruit: orange to Cranberry Bush red Pussy Willow Salix discolor High Very Low Yes Immature catkins often Mature leaves: used in floral decorations. green Young leaves: reddish
Coniferous Shrubs & Ground Cover
Palatability Plant Species Botanical Name Flammability Native Comments Colouring (Ungulates) Common Juniper Juniperus Medium Very High Yes "Berries" ripen in 3rd year. communis Creeping Juniper Juniperus Medium Very High Yes Leaves horizontalis prominently whitened, turning purplish over winter Savin Juniper Juniperus sabina Medium No "Berries" ripen in 1st year Needles whitish with a prominent mid-vein; green with a resinous depression beneath. Rocky Mountain Juniperus Low Very High Yes Very small tress up to 10m Pale yellowish- Juniper scopulorum high, occasionally 25m green to whitish- high. A shrub on poor green in both sites. summer and winter. "Berries" blue with a powdery white coating. Mugho Pine Pinus mugo Low No Dark green
Appendices 2a to 2c
Treatment Unit Maps
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¬(Å Appendix 2c. Treatment Map for Banff Urban Forest Management Plan
Legend ¬(Å ¬(Å Powerlines FireSmart Areas Railway Response, Status BNP, Active or Approved Trails BNP Completed Banff Ave Irrigation BNP Conceptual Mountain View Cemetery Town of Banff, Approved Old Banff Cemetery Town of Banff, Completed Streets Cost_Treatment_Areas
Hydrography Town of Banff Boundary
Scale: 1:10,000 Revision: 1 Date: Sept 19, 2008 0 85 170 340 510 680 Meters While every effort has been taken to ensure the ³ accuracy of this map, Tesera Systems Inc. and its consultants will not be liable for loss or damage resulting from its use.
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Appendix 3a
Information Bulletin on MPB
Mountain Pine Beetle - Banff
The mountain pine beetle (MPB) is a naturally occurring insect of the Rocky Mountain ecosystem. These small cylindrical insects attack and kill mature trees by boring through the bark and mining the phloem – the layer between the bark and wood of the tree. When conditions are favourable, populations of MPB can increase and large numbers of trees can be infected, killing large areas of
Adult mountain pine beetle, mature lodgepole pine. This natural process is important to Dendroctonus ponderosae the forest ecosystem because, as a natural disturbance, it Canadian Forest Service sets the stage for forest regeneration.
What to Look For: Life Cycle of Mountain Pine Beetle -red needles on the crowns of trees. MPB normally have a one-year life cycle. In -eggs or larvae under the bark, or their late summer, the adults, who are about 5 mm galleries under the bark. (1/4”) long, leave the infected trees in which -“pitch tubes” – bubbles of resin on the they have developed. They then seek out and trunk where beetles tunnel into the bark. colonize living, green trees, as well as -“sawdust” at the base of a tree or in search for mates. bark crevices. -woodpecker activity, such as holes in The beetles tunnel into the tree and lay eggs the trunk and bark chips on the ground. in vertical galleries under the bark. After the eggs hatch, the What Is the History of MPB grub-like larvae spend the winter in the Mountain Parks? feeding under the bark. Larvae The MPB is present in all mountain pupate in the spring and emerge national parks, but has only reached as adults from July to September. epidemic levels in Kootenay, Yoho A key part of this cycle is the and Waterton. In the 1940s, there transmission of blue-stain fungi was a major MPB outbreak in from the beetle to the tree. The Kootenay National Park. 65,000 ha spores of these fungi are brought of pine forest were affected. A into the tree by adults during minor outbreak in Banff National colonization. Park affected 4000 ha. In the 1970s, a major MPB epidemic moved Fungi grow within the tree and, Pitch tube caused by MPB from the US Rocky Mountains into together with bark beetle feeding, Canadian Forest Service southeastern BC and southwestern weaken it. This mutual network Alberta, including Waterton Lakes National of beetle galleries and blue stain fungi Park. Through the 1980s, the beetles moved disrupts the movement of water within the through Kootenay National Park. A small tree and rapidly kills it. The fungi give a outbreak occurred in southern Banff blue-grey appearance to the sapwood. National Park in the early 1980s.
2008 Update In 1997, the annual insect and disease survey found that the beetles had dispersed Short term management zone: across the Continental Divide into the - 8,100 colonized trees have been Brewster Creek, Healy Creek and Bryant removed by cut and burn or by Creek drainages of Banff National Park. mechanical removal since 2002 Since then, the beetle population has grown - 4420 ha. of attacked and susceptible and migrated eastward into the warmer, forest were burned in 2003 drier forests of the Bow Valley, including - The number of green attacked trees is areas outside Banff National Park. 315; these will be burned over winter.
What We Are Doing About MPB: Current situation Parks Canada’s policy provides the - In both management zones, the beetle following direction to Banff National Park: is in a two-year life cycle (it takes 1. Native insects and diseases are natural longer for it to mature and fly out to ecological processes that should be allowed colonize new trees). to proceed without interference if possible. - An interagency prescribed burn near 2. Where insects or disease pose a serious Mt Nester near the Spray Reservoir is threat to provincial lands, intervention may planned for 2008 to remove mountain occur, provided that it is effective and does pine beetle habitat and reduce beetle not damage the park ecosystem. populations.
To achieve both of these objectives, Banff National Park has established two different . areas where different strategies are applied: Long term management zone: Prescribed fire are lit to reduce the extend extent of of MPB habitat, thus preventing a large build-up of the beetle population. Short term management zone: Beetle colonized are burned by prescribed fire, cut and removed, or cut and burned to slow the growth growth of the beetle population. Pheremone baiting is used to concentrate beetle colonization to known areas. Summary MPB is a dynamic ecological process that
Pheromone Bait has both large-scale ecological benefits © Parks Canada within the park and the potential for large- scale economic impacts on industrial forests. As such, it requires an adaptive management
approach that integrates the objectives of many land managers and interest groups. For futher information please call the Banff Fire Communication Specialist at 762-1417
Appendix 3b
Predicted MPB Population Trends for Alberta, except National Parks
Appendix 4a
Summary of Town of Banff/Parks Canada Policies and Land Use Guidelines as it pertains to Trees/Landscaping (source Town of Banff)
1.1.1 Banff Community Plan, 1998 The 1998 Banff Community Plan mentions the presence of two secondary plans which have specific guidelines concerning trees in those areas. The Banff Community Plan describes general land uses, outlines goals and designates areas of Banff considered either suitable for an area structure plan (ASP) or an area redevelopment plan (ARP). Banff has ASPs in place for the second phase of Middle Springs and the Pinewoods area. The Cave/Spray/Kootenay Area Redevelopment Plan was adopted by the town council in 1995.
With respect to the forested areas and trees in the area, the ASPs provided for the: • Location of public open spaces within the area of interest; • Location of wildlife corridors and crossings; and • Location of buffer zones (section 6.3.2 ii).
With respect to the forested areas and trees in the area, the ARPs provided the specific land uses within the area of interest.
1.1.2 Banff National Park of Canada Management Plan, 2007 This document contains some high-order vision statements and objectives concerning the management of vegetation within the town and within the park. In the section concerning vegetation within the park, the strategic goals are: • “To maintain and, where feasible, restore native vegetation communities to reflect the long-term ecosystem states and processes” (section 3.10.1). • “To control or eliminate non-native species that threaten the integrity of native plant species and communities” (section 3.10.1). More specifically, the plan lists the following objectives concerning vegetation: • “To maintain and restore key structural components of the park’s vegetation including aspen, willow and grassland communities” (section 3.10.2). • “To utilize native species in reclamation and landscaping” (section 3.10.2). • “In partnership with other agencies, continue to collect and cultivate native seeds and to transplant native vegetation from construction sites” (section 3.10.3). • The Banff National Park of Canada Management Plan (2004) mandates the creation of a Vegetation Management Plan and a Bow Corridor Fire Protection Plan to guide management of trees and other vegetation within the park and town-site (section 3.10.3). 1.1.3 Banff National Park of Canada. Recommended Plant Species for Landscaping in Banff National Park. 2005. This document outlines the preferred coniferous and deciduous tree species for planting. It states that: • “Preferred plant species are those that are native to Banff National Park and do not normally attract potentially dangerous animals such as bears or elk. Wherever possible, these plants should be derived from local stocks to reduce the risk of introducing non- native varieties.” • “Parks Canada policy promotes the use of native plants for any new plantings in order to maintain the ecological integrity of the national parks. However, since native plants may not always thrive in specific urban-type environments, in exceptional cases the limited use of non-native plants may be acceptable where suitable native plants for specific purposes or settings do not exist.” 1.1.4 Banff Community Plan (2007) The Banff Community Plan has been approved by Banff Town Council, but not yet approved by Parks Canada. With respect to forests and trees, there is a planned indicator to measure the biodiversity of open spaces, using a comparison of the number of native and non-native plants per square meter (Section 2).
1.1.5 Banff Community Plan: Environmental Overview (2007 – internal document) This document contains more detailed evaluation of landscaping and management of the urban forest within the Town of Banff, including:
• “Parks Canada’s research has shown that vegetation in Banff National Park is exhibiting a decline in aspen, willow, open conifer, young pine and grassland eco-sites as a result of fire suppression, overgrazing by unnaturally high populations of ungulates, and direct loss through development. Changes in the structure of these forest and grassland communities will lead to a decline in diversity and value as wildlife habitat” (Section 5.1.1). • “In the area around Banff townsite, ungulate herbivory may be having at least as important an effect on vegetation diversity and succession as fire suppression” (Section 5.1.1). • “Overall, landscaping guidelines and urban forest management planning, along with established boundaries for further development, will limit the amount of native vegetation lost directly to development within the town of Banff. There will be little or no direct loss of Montane vegetation as a result of this latest Banff Community Plan. Any significant land use changes would be subject to a full and though environmental assessment process” (Section 5.1.1). • “Urban Forest Management Plan’ is meant to manage non-native plants and reduce tree species that may attract wildlife into the Townsite-Park interfaces” (Section 5.1.1).
1.1.6 Town of Banff. Land Use Bylaw No. 31-3 (2007). This document contains the most specific policies concerning management of urban trees within the entire town of Banff (provate and public lands). The land use bylaw contains guidelines on tree health and maintenance concerns, tree removal procedures, and tree planting. Policies governing landscaping procedure applies to both new development and developed property within the town. Section 8.0.0 General Development Regulations outlines general policies concerning tree removal and protection, while Section 12.0.0 District Development Regulations outlines policies per district within the town. Schedule B outlines The Design Guidelines for landscaping. Property located in ‘Wildfire Risk Zones’ is subject to special bylaws concerning the management of trees and landscaping. The Wildfire Risk Zones map can be found in Appendix 4b.
1.1.6.1 Section 8 - General Development Regulations • “Tree and shrub removal, except for the removal of dead or hazardous trees and routine pruning (which are exempt from a permit), shall be regulated as a discretionary use and all provisions of this Bylaw in respect of discretionary uses shall apply, except that an application of a development permit shall be decided by Development Officer unless s.3.1.3 is applicable” (Section 8.4.1). • “In considering an application for tree removal, a Development Officer shall consider the age, size, health, species location, rarity and potential wildfire hazard of the trees proposed for removal” (Section 8.4.2) • “Tree removal permits will be issued only upon the replacement with an equivalent plant material, unless a Development officer is of the opinion that the site will retain adequate tree and landscape coverage or that replacement trees may create potential wildfire hazard” (Section 8.4.3). • “All trees to be retained on site as part of any approved development shall be protected by fencing set back a minimum of 1.0 m from the drip line during all phases of construction” (Section 8.4.4).
1.1.6.2 Section 12: District Development Regulations The following regulations apply to the zones identified in the Wildfire Risk Zones map in Appendix 4b. Commercial accommodation district located along Banff Avenue: • “New development shall supplement existing mature white spruce tress with new trees to ensure the preservation of this important landscape element” (Section 12.1.7 (c)).
Banff Avenue District: • “A minimum of 30% of the site shall be landscaped, to a maximum of 40% where underground parking is provided.” (Section 12.12.7 (b)) • “Landscaping within this district shall include protection of existing trees and planting of new trees. Particular emphasis should be given to planting of coniferous trees in the front yard.” (Section 12.12.17(e)).
Cave Avenue District: • “New development should ensure the retention and provision of a significant tree buffer along Cave Avenue.” (Section12.14.7 (b)).
Central Muskrat District: • “Landscaping shall include protection of the existing trees and planting of new trees. Particular emphasis should be given to planting of coniferous trees in front yards.” (Section 12.15.7 (b)).
Cougar North District: • “Landscaping shall supplement existing trees. On-site parking shall be screened and landscaped treed planting islands and ground cover planting. Substantial tree buffers shall be maintained along the C.P.R. and Cougar Street.” (Section 12.16.7 (b)).
Cougar/Rabbit District: • “Landscaping shall include replacement and replanting of trees, along all frontages, with particular emphasis on coniferous trees. Landscaping in the rear yard setback shall include protection of existing trees and planting of new trees to ensure the retention and provision of a significant tree buffer between adjacent properties.” (Section 12.17.7 (f)).
Glen Avenue District: • “New development shall endeavour to preserve existing trees wherever possible and create or maintain a significant tree buffer along Spray and Glen Avenues.” (Section 12.17.7 (b)) • “A minimum of 30% of the site shall be landscaped, and all required yards shall be landscaped, with particular emphasis on coniferous trees and plant material.” (Section 12.17.7(c)).
Marmot/Rundle District: • “New development should ensure the provision of a significant tree buffer along public roadways, especially collector roads.” (Section 12.19.7(b)).
Middle Springs II(c) District: • “A minimum of 40% of each development shall be landscaped, and all required yards shall be landscaped, with particular emphasis on coniferous trees and plant material, and native plant species.” (Section 12.23.7(d)). • “New development shall endeavour to preserve existing trees wherever possible, and create or maintain significant tree buffer along Middle Springs Drive.” (Section 12.23.7(h)). • “New development should ensure the retention of existing natural landscapes and vegetation. Tree cutting shall conform with mitigation and requirement as determined in the approved Middle Springs II Area Structure plan and Environmental Screening.” (Section 12.24.8 (b)). • “All required yards shall be landscaped and new landscaping should emphasize native species and natural patterns of planting.” (Section 12.24.8 (c)).
Middle Springs II(f) District: • “Tree cutting and site rehabilitation shall conform with mitigation requirements as determined in the approved Middle Springs II Area Structure Plan and Environmental Screening.” (12.26.7 (b)).
North Central District: • “Landscaping shall include the protection of the existing trees and planting of new trees” (Section 12.28.7 (d)).
Spray Avenue District: • “Maintain all existing mature tree stock located within required yards except where driveways are required” (section 12.31.6 (a)). • “A minimum of 50% of the site shall be landscaped, with particular emphasis on coniferous trees and plant materials.” (Section 12.31.7 (b)). Concerning the Tatanga Ridge District: • “Landscaping shall supplement and preserve the existing trees that will remain as well as the undisturbed vegetation that will remain in the abutting Environmental Protection District.” (Section 12.34.7 (a)). Concerning the Valley View District: • “Landscaping shall preserve and enhance the existing tree buffer along Mountain Avenue. No building shall encroach upon existing landscaped areas.” (Section 12.35.7 (a)). Concerning the West Birch District: • “No mature trees shall be removed from any yard except as required for a driveway.” (Section 12.36.7 (b)).
1.1.6.3 Section 3.7 of Schedule B - General Design Guidelines: The section of the General Design Guidelines deals with landscaping requirements within the Town of Banff. There are a number of elements that must be followed including:
Where the District Development Regulations mandate that a specific percentage of the site be landscaped, a landscape plan must be developed which meets the flowing requirements: i. Trees shall be planted in the ratio of one tree for 45 square metres of landscaped area provided. ii. Tree and shrub landscape material will be selected from the list of recommended plant species for Banff in the Parks Canada document “Recommended Plant Species for Landscaping in Banff National Park” published in 2005. Tree protection measures must be incorporated into the planting plan. Native plant species are encouraged in all areas. Fire resistant plants with low or very low flammability rating are encouraged in low wildfire risk zones and required in moderate and high risk zones. iii. The mixture of tree sizes at the time of planting shall be a minimum of 50% larger trees. iv. Minimum size for deciduous trees shall be: (a) For smaller trees, 50mm caliper except 35 mm caliper for flowering trees; (b) For larger deciduous trees, 85 mm caliper v. The minimum height for smaller coniferous trees shall be 2 metres and for larger coniferous trees, a height of 3 metres. vi. Coniferous trees shall account for a minimum for 1/3 of the trees planted. vii. Shrubs shall be a minimum of 600m in height at the time of planting. viii. Landscaped areas may incorporate a maximum of 20% “hardscape” features (i.e. walkways, patios, stone, water features, etc.). ix. “All landscaping should be coordinated with adjacent development and include landscaping to the street front and rear lane.” (Banff Design Guidelines, section 3.7 (b)). x. Screen landscaping is preferred to fencing or walls. Landscaping should be clustered to reflect more natural patterns, continuous and uniform lines of vegetation should be avoided. xi. Continuous lines of vegetation can be unnatural in appearance and create an unobstructed fire-path. Clustering vegetation reduces the potential for wildfire to spread across landscaped areas. xii. Landscaping should include a mix of coniferous and deciduous trees and shrubs as well as a mix of plant sizes. However, in moderate and high wildfire risk zones, only fire resistant plants with low or very low flammability rating... shall be planted within 5m of any structure. Any trees with high flammability rating should be removed within 3m of any structure. Any dead trees on site should be removed. xiii. Vegetation should not touch or overhang any roof, deck, or accessory structure. Tree branches should be pruned back at least 3m from chimneys and stovepipes. xiv. Overhanging vegetation increases the fire hazard to structures. Tree branches located less than 3m from chimneys or stovepipes could be ignited. xv. In moderate and high fire risk zones, a landscape plan must be developed to incorporate the following measures to reduce wildfire hazard in the wildland urban interface: (a) Trees and brush with a high flammability rating as rated in section 10.0, “Recommended Plant Materials”: (i) within 3m of any structure should be relocated or removed from the site; (ii) should be thinned to provide at least a 3m separation between the crowns of the individual trees within the remaining area of the parcel; (b) Mature trees, with a high flammability rating, located within 10m of any structure should have all branches within 3m of the ground removed; (c) Dead trees anywhere on a site shall be removed; and (d) Only fire resistive plants, with a low or very low flammability rating, shall be planted within 5m of any structure. xvi. The interface fire hazard can be reduced with careful selection, placement, and maintenance of plant and surface materials. Regular maintenance of landscaped areas is important and includes removal of surface debris accumulations, low branches, and other potential fuel sources.
Additionally, Section 4.2 (b) of the Banff Design Guidelines state that “Part of the character of Banff is its remnants of first growth forest and other natural features. When removal of trees is unavoidable, they should be replaced in other locations on the site. Some trees may need to be removed to minimize interface fire hazard in accordance with the landscaping requirements of section 3.7.”
Appendix 4b
Wildfire Risk Zones Map (source Town of Banff) http://www.banff.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=1183
http://www.banff.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=1183 7/3/2008 11:54:21 AM