Evaluation of Tilling and Herbicide Treatment for Control of Wild Chervil
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Evaluation of Tilling and Herbicide Treatment for Control of Wild Chervil (Anthriscus sylvestris (L.) Hoffm.) in Metro Vancouver Regional Parks by Kevin Shantz A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Social and Applied Sciences in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science In Environment and Management Royal Roads University Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Supervisor: Dr. Doug Ransome April 2018 Kevin Shantz, 2018 EVALUATION OF TREATMENT OPTIONS TO CONTROL WILD CHERVIL COMMITTEE APPROVAL The members of Kevin Shantz’s Thesis Committee certify that they have read the thesis titled Evaluation of Tilling and Herbicide Treatment for Control of Wild Chervil (Anthriscus sylvestris (L.) Hoffm.) in Metro Vancouver Regional Parks and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the thesis requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Environment and Management: Dr. Doug Ransome [signature on file] Dr. Bill Dushenko [signature on file] Final approval and acceptance of this thesis is contingent upon submission of the final copy of the thesis to Royal Roads University. The thesis supervisor confirms to have read this thesis and recommends that it be accepted as fulfilling the thesis requirements: Dr. Doug Ransome [signature on file] ii EVALUATION OF TREATMENT OPTIONS TO CONTROL WILD CHERVIL Creative Commons Statement This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- ShareAlike 2.5 Canada License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ca/ . Some material in this work is not being made available under the terms of this licence: • Third-Party material that is being used under fair dealing or with permission. • Any photographs where individuals are easily identifiable. iii EVALUATION OF TREATMENT OPTIONS TO CONTROL WILD CHERVIL Abstract Wild chervil (Anthriscus sylvestris ) is an invasive plant and a member of the Carrot family (Apiaceae). This species concerns natural resource managers because it reduces hay forage quality and adversely alters terrestrial ecosystems. Metro Vancouver was interested in the effectiveness of two treatment methods to reduce wild chervil productivity in Regional Parks. Identification of a pasture grass, or combination thereof, best able to restore habitat conditions to traditionally-managed ‘old-field’ mostly free of wild chervil and fit for hay production was also of interest. Thus, efficacy of two treatment types (tilling and herbicide) and two application periods (late spring and summer 2016) on high and low density sites were examined through a Randomized Complete Block Design with five blocks located in Campbell Valley Regional Park. A second experiment tested restoration productivity of seeded pasture grass using timothy (Phleum pretense ), tall fescue ( Festuca arundinacea ) and orchardgrass ( Dactylis glomerata ). There was a significant difference in mean wild chervil biomass among herbicide, tilling and controls. However, no significant difference was detected in biomass of regenerated wild chervil between tilling and herbicide treatments; but both treatments significantly reduced biomass of wild chervil compared to controls. Herbicide was found to significantly decrease wild chervil productivity yet only when coupled with seeding, seeding did not benefit tilling-only treatments to the same extent. Analysis of variance revealed no significant differences in biomass of post- treatment seeded grass used in restoration; all species effectively established themselves outcompeting wild chervil re-growth following treatment. A blended approach of pre-bloom cutting followed by early spring and drought season tilling, post-treatment grass seeding, along with herbicide application for spot-treatment or inaccessible areas was recommended. iv EVALUATION OF TREATMENT OPTIONS TO CONTROL WILD CHERVIL Acknowledgements Firstly, I would like to express gratitude to my research supervisor Dr. Doug Ransome for his continuous support and leadership during my Master of Science thesis process. His fortitude, inspiration, and vast knowledge have been incredibly valuable. Dr. Ransome challenged my work at all stages of research which prompted me to broaden my experience in experimental design and epistemology. I also recognize Dr. Lisa Zabek, a researcher with B.C. Ministry of Agriculture, who offered critique and expertise in experimental design, statistical analysis and matters of vegetation ecology. In addition, I would like to thank the other member of my thesis committee, Professor Bill Dushenko, for his insightful guidance and encouragement. This research was supported and funded by Metro Vancouver Regional Parks. I thank Janice Jarvis and Wendy DaDalt who provided vision, budget and access to the study site. David Ralph and Dr. Timothy Miller offered their knowledge, initial insights and perspectives in the early stages of my literature review process, for this I am appreciative. I express gratitude to staff at BCIT who provided support and access to laboratory equipment and research facilities without which this research would not be possible. I gratefully acknowledge the dedication and assistance afforded by Megan Davidson. Her commitment and enthusiasm were instrumental in completing field work in a timely manner. Last, but not the least, I would like to acknowledge my wife Tatsiana for her sacrifices in family life to support me emotionally and spiritually throughout the research process and my academic endeavours. v EVALUATION OF TREATMENT OPTIONS TO CONTROL WILD CHERVIL Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................ V TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................ 1 LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................ 2 LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................................... 3 INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................... 4 METHODS .................................................................................................................................... 9 SITE DESCRIPTION ........................................................................................................................ 9 EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN ............................................................................................................. 11 TILLING TREATMENT ................................................................................................................. 14 HERBICIDE TREATMENT ............................................................................................................. 14 RESTORATION : PASTURE GRASS SEEDING ................................................................................. 15 DATA COLLECTION AND SAMPLING PROCEDURES ..................................................................... 16 Percent Cover ........................................................................................................................ 16 Biomass Harvest .................................................................................................................... 17 STATISTICAL APPROACH ............................................................................................................ 18 RESULTS .................................................................................................................................... 20 DISCUSSION .............................................................................................................................. 23 RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................................ 26 SUPPLEMENTAL INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR WILD CHERVIL IN REGIONAL PARKS .. 28 Tilling..................................................................................................................................... 31 Restoration: Pasture Grass Seeding ...................................................................................... 32 Herbicide ............................................................................................................................... 33 Monitoring ............................................................................................................................. 34 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................ 35 1 EVALUATION OF TREATMENT OPTIONS TO CONTROL WILD CHERVIL List of Figures Figure 1. (A) Triangular-bladed leaves of wild chervil and (B) Inflorescence of wild chervil (compound umbel), June 2015 by Kevin Shantz in Campbell Valley Regional Park; Langley, British Columbia……..…………………………………………..…...6 Figure 2. Map depicting the study site within Langley, British Columbia. The black box outlines the study site, a 4-hectare ‘old-field’ traditionally managed for hay production, February 2018………………………………….………….……………….…10 Figure 3. Unbalanced – Randomized Complete Block Design for treatment of wild chervil by high (n = 2) and low (n = 3) density. Treatments included: Control: C, Control and Seed: C/S, Till: T, Till and Seed: T/S, Herbicide: H, and Herbicide and Seed: H/S, in Campbell Valley Regional