Sandbanks Vegetation Management Plan ISBN: 978-1-4435-1452-1 (PDF) MNR: 52584 (PDF) © 2009, Queen’s Printer for Ontario Printed in Ontario, Canada Cover photo: Sandbanks Provincial Park Additional copies of this publication are obtainable from: Sandbanks Provincial Park R.R. #1 Picton, ON K0K 2T0 TEL: 613-393-3319 FAX: 613-393-3404 EMAIL: [email protected] Recommended Citation: OMNR. 2009. Sandbanks Vegetation Management Plan. Queen’s Printer for Ontario. 28 pp. + Appendices. i ii Summary of Key Management Recommendations All park staff involved with operations potentially affecting Sandbanks’ vegetation communities will be required to be familiar with this plan’s intent and specific directives. Operations and Maintenance Policies (Section 3.1) • Herbicide use is restricted and must be in compliance with provincial regulations (p. 12) • Herbicide use must be kept to a minimum, using suggested chemicals and avoiding areas where park visitors and staff may contact it (p. 12) • Unless it is unsafe to do so, windthrown and dead standing trees should be left in place as they serve important ecological functions. Refer to Appendix A for a decision guide (p. 13) • When woody material must be removed from the site, it will be used to create brush piles for restoration, chipped for trail maintenance, or salvaged for firewood (p. 13) • Native insect pest outbreaks and diseases are natural processes and should not be controlled unless significant values within or adjacent to the park are threatened or the pest is a recent invader to Ontario. Forest Health Unit and zone office staff must be consulted. (p. 14) • Fire management will be in accordance with existing policies and strategies (p. 15) • Mowing will be done to the least extent possible, and will not damage natural vegetation or trees. A mowing plan will be developed (p. 15) • Leaves and vegetation debris will be disposed of in a composting area (p. 15) • Native trees and shrubs from a local source will be used for landscaping (p. 16) Protection and Education Policies (Section 3.2) • Any proposed developments in nature reserve and natural environment zones require consultation with zone ecologist (p. 16) • Plant and seed collection must be approved through a research permit or an agreement with an Aboriginal user (p. 18) • The NHE program should continue to include messages about vegetation stewardship (p. 19) • All staff must ensure locations of species at risk are kept confidential (p. 16) Restoration Activities Policies (Section 3.3) • Habitat destruction in development zones will be assessed and mitigated where feasible. (p. 20) • Local native stock will be used for all planting and restoration in the park. (p. 20) Invasive and Exotic Species (Section 3.4) • Aggressive invasive species should be controlled when possible following approved guidelines. (p. 20) • Invasive species that may pose a threat to park environments should be monitored. (p. 20) • Test plots will be established to determine the threat of Purple Loosestrife (p. 21) • Many ornamental shrubs, periwinkle (myrtle), ground ivy, euphorbias, bellflower, orange day lily, and sweet violet must not be used in landscaping and should be removed where established (p. 21) iii Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction..............................................................................................................1 1.1. Location and Setting...............................................................................................1 1.2. Regional Ecology & Sandbanks Overview .............................................................1 1.3. Context for Vegetation Stewardship Planning........................................................3 1.4. Goals and Objectives of Vegetation Stewardship ..................................................4 2.0 Vegetation Communities – Descriptions, Historical Influences, and Successional Processes .........................................................................................................................5 2.1. Beach and Dune Communities...............................................................................5 2.2. Forest Communities ...............................................................................................7 2.3. Wetland Communities ............................................................................................8 2.4. Agricultural Lands & Disturbed Areas.....................................................................9 2.5. Plantations............................................................................................................11 3.0 General Vegetation Stewardship Policies .............................................................12 3.1. Operations and Maintenance ...............................................................................12 3.2. Protection and Education .....................................................................................16 3.3. Restoration Activities............................................................................................19 3.4. Invasive and Exotic Species.................................................................................20 4.0 Vegetation Management Units and Management Prescriptions ...........................22 4.1. Beaches and Dunes .............................................................................................22 4.2. Plantations............................................................................................................22 4.3. Woodlands............................................................................................................23 4.4. Agricultural Lands.................................................................................................23 5.0 Research and Monitoring Needs...........................................................................24 6.0 Funding/Linkages..................................................................................................25 7.0 Summary of Public Consultation and Environmental Assessment Requirements for Implementation................................................................................................................25 8.0 General References and Resources.....................................................................26 Appendices and Implementation Schedules: A. Hazardous Tree Treatment Options B. Plantation Renaturalization Implementation Schedule C. Local Native Plant Sources D. Invasive Species Monitoring and Control Guidelines E. Invasive Species Information Sheets F. Woodlands Monitoring Protocol G. Restoration Implementation Schedule H. Sandbanks Species List iv 1.0 Introduction This vegetation stewardship plan is intended to provide direction for management and stewardship activities at Sandbanks Provincial Park. It begins with the ecological and planning context for vegetation stewardship. The main community types found in the park, as well as the relevant successional processes, are described. An overview of general policies is provided before detailed policies are described for specific vegetation management units. 1.1. Location and Setting Sandbanks Provincial Park is an approximately 1600 ha Natural Environment class provincial park located in Prince Edward County (Figure 1), about 15 km southwest of the town of Picton. Sandbanks encompasses most of the county’s southwestern shoreline between the village of Wellington and Salmon Point. The park is a popular summer destination, with over 500,000 visitors for the 2005 operating season. The park is composed of three distinct land areas (Figure 2 – see insert): two large coastal baymouth bar formations joined by an intervening area of scenic rural land on a limestone peninsula. These three areas will be referred to as the West Lake Dunes, Woodlands/Agricultural, and Outlet sectors throughout this document in order to minimize confusion and remain consistent with the 1993 park management plan. 1.2. Regional Ecology & Sandbanks Overview Located in Ecodistrict 6E-15 (Picton), Sandbanks Provincial Park is situated at the southern edge of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Forest Region. The forest zone represents a transitional zone between the principally deciduous tree species to the south, west, and east and the coniferous forests to the north. The park’s vegetation is characteristic of this region, but some species are more commonly associated with the Deciduous Forest Region. The park is home to an extremely diverse range of other plants in a variety of ecosystems. Ecodistrict 6E-15 encompasses all of Prince Edward County, its archipelago of islands, and areas extending east along the Lake Ontario shoreline to the Kingston area. The ecodistrict is a shallowly covered plain of Ordovician limestone. Prince Edward County is essentially an island in Lake Ontario; its southern position and lake-buffered climate allow it to support many Carolinian species as well as a successful wine industry. The park encompasses significant coastal ecosystems and earth science features. The West Lake dunes (also referred to as the Sandbanks Coastal Sand Bar Dunes) comprise a provincially significant ANSI1, while the forested dunes and pannes2 of the 1 ANSI – Area of Natural and Scientific Interest: a systematically selected area containing landscapes or features identified as having values related to protection, natural heritage, scientific study, or education. Provincially significant ANSIs contain the best examples of landform or vegetation features of each ecodistrict. 2 panne: