PREPARED FOR THE VILLAGE OF CUMBERLAND

by Tim Ennis Latitude Conservation Solutions Company

BASELINE INVENTORY – VILLAGE OF CUMBERLAND FOREST LANDS

August 2019

Baseline Inventory - Village of Cumberland Forest Lands

Executive Summary The Corporation of the Village of Cumberland (the Village) owns 229.5 hectares (567.1 acres) of land in seven parcels within the municipal boundaries of the Village of Cumberland which it manages for the storage and conveyance of drinking water (the Lands). The Lands include the Stevens Lake Reservoir, Hamilton Lake Reservoir, #2 Reservoir and Henderson Lake. Each of these are connected sequentially by Cumberland Creek, a tributary of Perseverance Creek. The Lands also include the Allen Lake Reservoir which drains directly into Perseverance Creek. Approximately 65 hectares (160 acres) of the Lands (28%) are outside of the Cumberland Creek and Allen Lake drainages, and therefore do not contribute to the Village’s drinking water supply watersheds. These areas primarily drain through an unnamed creek (locally known as Lookout Creek) and thence into Perseverance Creek downstream of the Village’s water supply infrastructure.

The Lands are located at the northern tip of the Beaufort Range in the Comox Valley, extending from roughly 650 meters above sea-level (masl) in the vicinity of Steven’s Lake to 300 masl at the downstream end of Cumberland Creek and in the vicinity of Allen Lake are approximately 250 masl. The topography is varied, and includes depressions and the toe of slopes, deeply incised canyons, and rolling hills. The Lands occur within the Coastal Western Hemlock biogeoclimatic zone and span three subzones/variants. Ecological communities include shallow water, fen, swamp and bog wetlands as well as moist, mesic and dry forests (including forested riparian areas) and rock outcrops.

Significant anthropogenic disturbances to the Lands began in the 1890’s through the 1940’s including water storage and diversion as well as logging and associated roadbuilding. In the late 1950’s or early 1960’s a silvicultural thinning treatment was applied to reduce stem densities in regenerating stands over most of the Lands. In more recent decades, recreational trail development has occurred.

This inventory project describes the ecological and anthropogenic features of the Lands in order to provide an information baseline in support of management planning for the Lands and/or long-term monitoring.

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Baseline Inventory - Village of Cumberland Forest Lands

Table of Contents Executive Summary ...... 1 List of Figures ...... 3 Introduction ...... 4 Study Area ...... 4 Objectives ...... 4 Ecological Classification and Mapping ...... 6 Biogeoclimatic Subzones and Variants ...... 6 Species at Risk Inventory ...... 8 Hydrology ...... 8 Methods ...... 8 Pre-typing and background data review ...... 8 Field Inventory ...... 9 Reporting ...... 9 Results ...... 9 Ecological Communities ...... 9 Forests of the Sub-montane Moist Maritime Coastal Western Hemlock Zone (CWHmm1) ...... 12 Forests of the Very Dry Maritime Coastal Western Hemlock Zone (CWHxm) ...... 12 Rock Outcrops ...... 13 Wetlands ...... 13 Anthropogenic Features ...... 15 Species At Risk ...... 18 Hydrology ...... 20 Conclusions and Recommendations ...... 21 References ...... 23 Appendices ...... 24 Appendix 1. Ecological Unit Site Description Data and Photos ...... 24 Appendix 2. Ecological Communities and Status Ranks ...... 24 Appendix 3. Animal Species Encountered and Status Ranks ...... 24 Appendix 4. Plant List ...... 24 Appendix 5. Additional photos ...... 24

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Baseline Inventory - Village of Cumberland Forest Lands

List of Figures Figure 1. Location of the Lands within the Perseverance Creek watershed...... 5 Figure 2. Land ownership ...... 5 Figure 3. BEC Zone, subzones and variants ...... 7 Figure 4 - Ecological units in the south of the Lands ...... 10 Figure 5. Ecological Units in the north of the Lands ...... 11 Figure 6. Ecological Units in the east of the Lands ...... 11 Figure 7. Hydrology in the south of the Lands ...... 14 Figure 8. Hydrology in the north of the Lands ...... 14 Figure 9. Anthropogenic features in the south of the Lands ...... 16 Figure 10. Anthropogenic features in the north of the Lands ...... 17 Figure 11. Anthropogenic features on the east of the Lands ...... 17 Figure 12. Species at Risk on the south of the Lands ...... 19 Figure 13. Species at Risk on the north of the Lands ...... 19 Figure 14. Species at Risk on the east of the Lands ...... 20 Figure 15. Recommended additional acquisition lands ...... 22

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Baseline Inventory - Village of Cumberland Forest Lands

Introduction The study area includes seven parcels of private land (~230-hectares) (the Lands) acquired by the Corporation of the Village of Cumberland (the Village) in the 1950’s. These lands are managed by the Village for the supply of drinking water to the residents and businesses of Cumberland and include significant municipal infrastructure. No ecological inventories have been completed on these properties previously. In support of future management planning activities, Latitude Conservation Solutions Company was retained by the Village to complete a baseline inventory for the Lands.

The Village of Cumberland’s Official Community Plan designates 100% of the Lands as occurring within either an Aquatic, Terrestrial or Connectivity Environmental Development Permit Area (Village of Cumberland, 2014). Notwithstanding the exemptions highlighted in Section 10.1.4 of the bylaw, any development on the Lands must be preceded by the completion of a bioinventory conducted according to the guidelines and general requirements set out in Section 10.1.5. Although the Village is not contemplating any change in use of the Lands at this time, management planning that may occur on the lands in the short-term, should be guided by information collected to a standard that is consistent with the requirements in the OCP. This baseline inventory describes the hydrological features, rare and threatened plant communities and species at risk which occur on the Lands in partial completion of the bioinventory requirements outlined in the OCP (Section 10.1.5 Subsection 3 a, b and c). Study Area The Lands occur within the unceded traditional territory of the K’omoks First Nation. They contain approximately 230-hectares of second-growth forest and open water (reservoirs) interspersed with riparian areas, wetlands and rock outcrops. The Lands are entirely within the Perseverance Creek watershed (Figure 1), which is a salmon-bearing tributary of Comox Lake, and thus a sub-basin of the larger Puntledge River watershed. The Lands are surrounded by extensive private lands owned by TimberWest and Comox Timber (Figure 2). The neighbouring properties are included in the Private Managed Forest Program and are managed for timber production by Mosaic and Hancock Timber Resource Group respectively. The area along Perseverance Creek extending northwest from Allen Lake is the subject of ongoing land acquisition efforts lead by the Cumberland Community Forest Society with support from the Village of Cumberland (Cumberland Community Forest Society, 2019). If successful, these lands would be added to the existing Cumberland Community Forest (park) which lies to the north of the study area.

There are a diverse range of habitats on the Lands, supporting a wide variety of flora and fauna. Part of this diversity is explained by the elevational gradient of the Lands which spans montane and lowland zones, as well as occurring on a variety of aspects and slope positions. In addition to the Lands providing drinking water to the residents and businesses of Cumberland and Royston, the residents of Cumberland, surrounding communities in the Comox Valley and tourists to the area use the Lands for a range of recreational pursuits including mountain biking, hiking, picnicking, swimming and wildlife viewing.

Objectives The primary objective of this project was to collect ecological community data according to the bioinventory guidelines set out in the OCP, which in turn draws from Develop With Care and the BC government standards for Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping (TEM) (Province of , 2014 and

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Baseline Inventory - Village of Cumberland Forest Lands

Resources Inventory Committee, 1998). Recording incidental information about wildlife including species at risk was a secondary objective, as was providing information about the hydrology of the Lands.

Figure 1. Location of the Lands within the Perseverance Creek watershed.

Figure 2. Land ownership

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Baseline Inventory - Village of Cumberland Forest Lands

Ecological Classification and Mapping Biogeoclimatic Subzones and Variants The Lands occur within the Coastal Western Hemlock biogeoclimatic zone, in an area that transitions across several subzones and variants (Figure 3). At its highest point above Steven’s Lake, 0.5-hectares of the Lands fall within the montane variant of the moist maritime subzone of the Coastal Western Hemlock Zone (CWHmm2). The majority of the area around Steven’s Lake and downstream to Hamilton Lake occur within the sub-montane variant of the moist maritime subzone (CWHmm1). This area experiences moist, mild winters and cool but dry summers. These climatic conditions have the potential to result in periodic stand replacing fires. Regenerating forests are initially dominated by Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). Typically, in the absence of fire or other large disturbances, the climatic climax forest in this zone would be co-dominated by Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) and Amabilis Fir (Abies amabilis). Understory shrubs species in climax forests are dominated by Alaska and Oval-leaved Huckleberry (Vaccinuim spp.) whereas understory plants in a stand regenerating from a fire or other large disturbances include species more commonly associated with a Douglas-fir forests such as Salal (Gaultheria shallon), Dull Oregon-grape (Berberis nervosa) and Vanilla Leaf (Achyls triphylla)(Province of British Columbia, 1994).

Lower in elevation, around and downstream of Hamilton Lake, the Lands occur within the very dry (xeric) maritime subzone of the Coastal Western Hemlock zone (CWHxm) with the upper portions falling within the western variant (CWHxm2), and the lowest areas, including around Allen Lake falling within the eastern variant (CWHxm1). These areas also experience moist, mild winters but with much less snowfall than the CWHmm, and much warmer and drier summers. Moisture deficits are common in the summer months. Forests are predominantly of Douglas-fir with lesser amounts of Western Hemlock and Western Redcedar (Thuja plicata). Understory plants include Salal, Dull Oregon-grape, and Vanilla Leaf, but also Red Huckleberry (Vaccinium parvifolium), Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum), Bracken Fern (Pteridium aquilinium) and Twinflower (Linnaea borealis).

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Baseline Inventory - Village of Cumberland Forest Lands

Figure 3. BEC Zone, subzones and variants

Each of the four subzone/variant combinations (CWHmm1, CWHmm2, CWHxm1 and CWHxm2) is comprised of a series of ecological communities (also known as plant associations) that vary based on gradients of soil moisture and soil nutrients that are present in any given site. These are known as Site Series. Each Site Series is given a corresponding number that relates to its ecological community name. For example, in the CWHxm1, sites with average soil moisture and average soil nutrients are given the Site Series number 01 which is recognized in tabular format as CWHxm1/01. This corresponds to the “Western Hemlock - Douglas-fir / Oregon Beaked-moss” ecological community. This baseline inventory project has mapped the Lands to the Site Series (ecological community) level.

The status of each ecological community in BC is tracked by the BC Conservation Data Centre (BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy) and provided with a status rank ranging from “Apparently Secure” to “Critically Imperilled” depending on factors such as the relative distribution of the community that has been lost or degraded by human activities, and the ongoing rate of loss (Province of British Columbia, 2019). Currently, the government of Canada does not track or rank the status of ecosystems at risk in Canada. Therefore, only the BC Conservation Data Centre ranks have been used to describe the status of the ecological communities mapped on the Lands.

This inventory was designed to inform future planning initiatives by delineating the ecological communities occurring on the Lands and providing their current status rank. It is important to note that ecological community ranks can change from year to year, so any reader should be advised that the status ranks used herein are current to the date of publication.

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Baseline Inventory - Village of Cumberland Forest Lands

Species at Risk Inventory There are over 70 species at risk which either do occur or could reasonably be expected to occur in the Comox Valley at some point in the year (BC Conservation Data Centre, 2019). This number decreases rapidly if pelagic and marine species are excluded, or species that rely heavily on coastal ecosystems such as estuaries or coastal sand ecosystems. Of the remaining species at risk that could occur on the Lands, very few are plants. Most are animals, including amphibians, birds and mammals.

The BC Conservation Data Centre tracks the status of these in a similar fashion as described above, as does the Government of Canada through a group of independent scientists belonging to the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). COSEWIC makes recommendations to Canada regarding what should be added to Schedule-1 of the Canadian Species At Risk Act (SARA). Species added to Schedule-1 are protected under the Act. Some of the species which occur on the Lands are considered at risk in Canada and are protected under SARA. Of these, some are also rare-listed in BC, but others are considered secure in BC. An example of this is the Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus) which has experienced rapid and extensive population declines in eastern North America due to an introduced fungal pathogen that has not yet been detected in BC.

Conducting a thorough inventory for each individual species at risk with the potential to occur on the Lands was considered outside of the scope of this project. However, surveyors were attentive to the possibilities of chance encounters. Recording incidental occurrences of species at risk can still provide important insights to support subsequent management planning or direct future inventory efforts and this was an objective of this project. Hydrology Given the significance of the Lands in providing drinking water to the residents and businesses of Cumberland, Village staff already have a clear understanding of the hydrological elements contained within the Lands, and actively manage the hydrology through various types of municipal infrastructure. However, an objective of this project is to supplement the existing body of knowledge where possible, by providing ground-based GPS mapping of fine-scale features such as ephemeral creeks and wetlands that occur on the Lands. This is not only important in respect to making management decisions on the Lands, but also to potentially acquiring specific areas of adjacent private land that could add value to the Village’s watershed protection mandate in the future.

Methods Pre-typing and background data review Delineating the ecological communities began by looking at base data in the office. Base data was accessed through Data Warehouse BC using both the iMap and Google Earth interfaces. The initial work considered terrain and topographic data to delineate and digitize major terrain features such as lakes, incised canyons, and macro-slope positions within the property boundaries. Terrain units were overlain with biogeoclimatic subzone and variant lines, and further subdivided where appropriate. These bio- terrain lines were then reviewed using a 2018 orthophoto base layer Google Earth and some additional units were delineated based on obvious difference in dominant vegetation. In total, 50 Ecological Units were delineated on the Lands. Hydrology data was incorporated from 1:20000 TRIM data. Ecological units and hydrology were exported to GIS Pro on an iPad for use in the field.

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Baseline Inventory - Village of Cumberland Forest Lands

Other background data reviewed included lists of species and ecosystems at risk in Cumberland previously compiled by Latitude Conservation Solutions Company in 2019, drone footage of the Lands provided by the Village of Cumberland, trails and access information previously provided by the United Riders of Cumberland (UROC) and other data sets available through iMapBC. Field Inventory Fieldwork occurred from May 13th through 17th, May 21st, 27th and 30th, June 10th and June 11th. This range of dates was optimal for ecological inventory given plant phenology, the breeding bird season, and important activity times for other wildlife. The Lands were divided into upper, middle and lower zones. All fieldwork was completed in one zone before moving to the next. In each zone the ecological unit delineations were first ground-truthed and adjusted as required. Ecological units were then described according to the Province of BC’s Field Manual for Describing Terrestrial Ecosystems, A Field Guide for Site Identification and Interpretation for the Vancouver Forest Region, and Wetlands of British Columbia: A Guide to Identification (Province of British Columbia, 2010; Province of British Columbia, 1994 and Province of British Columbia, 2004). Plant identification followed Plants of Coastal British Columbia (Pojar and MacKinnon, 2004), and when required, dichotomous keys from the Illustrated Flora of British Columbia were used (Province of British Columbia, 1998). Photographs and additional field notes were recorded. Anthropogenic features, species at risk occurrences and fine-scale hydrologic features were mapped using the iPad and GIS Pro.

Each of the 50 ecological units were visited on foot. Full ecosystem description plots were completed for 32 of the 50 ecological units (64%). An additional 60 field checks were completed to verify predicted Site Series and structural stage estimates (Appendix 1). This was particularly important in ecological units that were not uniform. Several large ecological units are comprised of one dominant Site Series but include a significant number of small patch ecosystems such as rock outcrops that are too small to be mapped as individual units. This results in complexes of ecological communities occurring within one ecological unit. This is not uncommon in landscapes with high beta-diversity such as those which occur in areas of highly granular micro-topographic variability. A subset of the ecological units were field-inspected and confirmed by Emily Cameron, Vegetation Ecologist with the BC Conservation Data Centre, Jason Straka with the BC Ministry of Environment, and Dr. Andrew MacDougall from the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of Guelph. Reporting Field data including photos were backed up and archived weekly. Field data was entered into tabular format in Excel. Geographic data was quality checked, cleaned and organized as KML files in Google Earth. Taxonomy as well as current species and ecosystem status ranks were verified using the BC Conservation Data Centre’s Species and Ecosystem Explorer (BC Conservation Data Centre, 2019). Occasionally plant taxonomy was verified with Flora of the Pacific Northwest (2nd edition) (Hitchcock and Cronquist, 2018).

Results Ecological Communities The 50 ecological units mapped on the Lands are comprised of various combinations of 18 different ecological communities (Figures 4, 5, and 6, Appendix 1). Of these, 16 (89%) are considered ecosystems at risk by the Province of BC, one is ranked as secure, and one has not yet been assessed by the CDC (Appendix 2). The surface area of the reservoirs (water) is approximately 14-hectares representing 6%

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Baseline Inventory - Village of Cumberland Forest Lands of the total area of the Lands. This includes the shallow water ecological community (status not yet assessed) along the reservoir margins. Anthropogenic features (dams, roads etc.) and disturbances take up 4.5-hectares. Of the remaining 211.5-hectares, only the fen wetland community is considered secure. The fen occupies 1-hectare (0.5%) therefore the remaining portions of the Lands (99.5%) are comprised of ecological communities that are at-risk in British Columbia. The ecological communities on the Lands can be categorized as wetlands, rock outcrops and forests, the latter being divided into two distinct biogeoclimatic subzones. These are described below.

Figure 4 - Ecological units in the south of the Lands

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Figure 5. Ecological Units in the north of the Lands

Figure 6. Ecological Units in the east of the Lands

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Forests of the Sub-montane Moist Maritime Coastal Western Hemlock Zone (CWHmm1) Within the CWHmm1 zone of the Lands (roughly everything upstream of the #2 Reservoir), all terrestrial forested communities are Red-listed by the BC Conservation Data Centre. They are considered imperilled (S2) or critically imperilled (S1) with imminent extinction or extirpation from BC. The CWHmm1 forests are restricted to only small portions of (such as the northeastern Beaufort Range), , , as well as East and . Cumberland is the only municipality in BC that includes CWHmm1 forests, and all of the CWHmm1 in Cumberland is owned by the Village.

The Conservation Status Reports produced for each of the forested ecological communities in the CWHmm1 consider timber harvesting and forest fragmentation from associated road building as the primary threat to these communities. The potential for an increased incidence of stand replacing fires resulting from climate change is noted as a secondary threat. For some Site Series, analysis of the Baseline Thematic Mapping dataset indicates that 36% has been recently logged and 26% occurs as young forest resulting in a loss of 62% in the past 50 years. Forest harvesting of both old-growth and second-growth forests in the CHWmm1 in the years ahead will continue to degrade areas of high viability and moderate viability in all areas of this zone outside of existing protected areas. Currently, three protected areas take in 9.5% of the extent of the CWHmm1 throughout its distribution in BC (BC Conservation Data Centre, 2019).

The Conservation Status Assessments indicate that significant recovery of ecological structure occurs 80- 120 years after logging, with full recovery taking place between 120-200 years (BC Conservation Data Centre, 2019). The CHWmm1 forests on the Lands all range from 80 - >200 years, and most have been thinned resulting in forest structures that are approaching full recovery of these ecological communities. The southeast shores of Stevens Lake and areas north of Cumberland Creek between Hamilton Lake and the #2 Reservoir are excellent examples of the matrix CWHmm1 forests that are approaching pre- disturbance levels of high ecological integrity. Forests of the Very Dry Maritime Coastal Western Hemlock Zone (CWHxm) The area between the #2 and Henderson Lake Reservoirs are within the CHWxm2 (western variant). A small area adjacent to the #1 Reservoir, and the area surrounding Allen Lake Reservoir are within the CWHxm1 (eastern variant). The CWHxm2 occurs in the rainshadow habitats of inland Vancouver Island, whereas the CWHxm1 occurs in the rainshadow habitats along the east coast of Vancouver Island north of Bowser (Province of British Columbia 1994). All of the forested ecological communities within these zones on the Lands are Red-listed (imperilled or critically imperilled in BC) with the exception of the rich moist forest type that occurs along the riparian areas of Cumberland Creek which is Blue-listed (vulnerable to extirpation or extinction) (BC Conservation Data Centre, 2019). The Conservation Status Report highlights that long-term losses to matrix forests in this zone have been somewhere in the range of 70- 90% with 50% having been lost in the last few decades. Approximately 1% remains as old-growth forest. Forest harvesting is the primary cause of these losses, although in the lowland zone development, utility corridors, invasive alien species and recreational uses are also contributors (BC Conservation Data Centre, 2019).

As with the CWHmm1 forests, significant recovery of forest structure occurs approximately 100 years after logging, with full recovery taking place after approximately 200 years (BC Conservation Data Centre, 2019). The majority of CWHxm forests on the Lands are in a mature second-growth forest condition.

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Baseline Inventory - Village of Cumberland Forest Lands

Often these forests have also experienced some silvicultural thinning treatments and are now recovering to moderate to high ecological integrity. The exception to this is the area around Allen Lake which has experienced more recent logging disturbances and occurs in a pole-sapling to young forest condition. Examples of old forest occur only along a very narrow strip on either side of Cumberland Creek above the walls of the canyon in extremely difficult to access locations. Rock Outcrops A large number of small rock outcrop communities occur throughout all areas of the Lands but are particularly abundant northwest of Lookout Creek on southeast aspects. There is one ecological community (Wallace’s Selaginella / Reindeer lichens) described specifically for the non-forested portion of the rock outcrops. These sites are often too small to map as distinct ecological units and in this report are captured under the 02 Site Series in both the CWHmm1 and CWHxm2 zones. The Wallace’s Selaginella / Reindeer lichens ecological community is Blue-listed in BC because it is a highly vulnerable and ecologically sensitive community that is sparsely distributed on the landscape (BC Conservation Data Centre, 2019).

The main threat to the community is trampling from recreational activities (trails, foot traffic, bicycles and ATV’s) as well as long-term impacts of increased summer droughts which can compromise vegetation and lead to accelerated soil erosion. The Conservation Status Assessment for this community suggests that the bryophyte cover is easily separated from the underlying bedrock surfaces and shallow veneer of humus through human disturbances. Reindeer lichens (Cladina spp.) once trampled require very long periods of time to recover and will not recover unless disturbances are discontinued (BC Conservation Data Centre, 2019).

While most rock outcrops are floristically very similar to one another, occasionally rock outcrops occur which have much higher frequency and cover of native grasses and forbs, particularly lilies. One such rock outcrop occurs on the Lands immediately above the canyon of Cumberland Creek on the north side. Here there was a remarkable density of Nodding Onion (Allium cernuum), Chocolate Lily (Fritillaria affins) and Tiger Lily (Lilium columbianum). Most of the rock outcrops above Cumberland Creek are disturbed in part by mountain bike trails, whereas those above Lookout Creek are not. Wetlands A moderate number of very small ephemeral wetlands occur scattered throughout the forests on the Lands in micro-topographical depressions (Figures 7 and 8). In most cases, these were already dry by the time fieldwork commenced in mid-May. While this seemed unusual, southeast Vancouver Island experienced a significant winter drought in 2019 and this condition may have been atypical. Occasionally these small wetlands have an obvious ephemeral outlet stream, others are perched wetlands. The largest one encountered was 0.04-hectares in size (400 square meters – roughly 20 meters by 20 meters). Aggregations of these small wetlands occur east of the large bog-fen complex that is east of Stevens Lake, northeast of Hamilton Lake, and west of the #2 Reservoir. While too small to map as polygons, these

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Baseline Inventory - Village of Cumberland Forest Lands features likely play an important role in providing habitat for a wide range of species including amphibians and hydrophilic plants.

Figure 7. Hydrology in the south of the Lands

Figure 8. Hydrology in the north of the Lands

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A large bog-fen and fen-swamp complex occurs to the east of Stevens Lake. This complex is responsible for a significant portion of the plant diversity occurring on the Lands, as many species identified on the Lands occurred only in this area (Appendix 4). Examples include the insectivorous Sundew (Drosera rotundifolia) and Western Bog-laurel (Kalmia microphylla). Three large swamp complexes occur along the shores of Stevens and Hamilton Lakes. These are likely a result of historic changes in the water levels of these reservoirs (first flooding, then lower water levels) as they currently exhibit characteristics of ecological communities in transition from tall-shrub dominated communities to coniferous forest. Given their slope position and adjacency to the reservoirs, it is likely that they will continue to mature into coniferous swamps over time, should water levels remain relatively stable. These larger wetlands also play a very valuable role in providing habitat, including habitat for species at risk (discussed below) as well as contributing positively to water quality and quantity objectives. Anthropogenic Features There are seven dams and associated spillways on the Lands (Figures 9, 10 and 11). Collectively these take up 1.85-hectares (<1%). The resource road network that accesses the dams primarily occurs on TimberWest and Comox Timber private lands. Nevertheless, roads do cross the Lands in several locations totalling 1,680 linear meters (Appendix 5). At a 10-meter-wide roadbed and clearing width, roads take up an additional 1.7-hectares of land in total (<1%). Numerous segments of old road also occur on the Lands, particularly in the vicinity of Steven’s Lake. In some cases, these occur as discontinuous segments covered with native mosses and groundcover, with portions being overgrown to the point of no longer being recognizable. In other cases, these are still dirt covered and passable in a truck or ATV or incorporated into the mountain biking trail network. In total, 700 meters of old road was mapped, but this is likely an underestimate of what may actually be present. Using an average width of 5 meters, old roads take up approximately 0.3-hectares (<1%). According to the mapped UROC trails layer, there are 6,851 linear meters of trail on the Lands not including trail segments that occur on old roads. Assuming an average of 1 meter wide, there is approximately 0.7-hectares of land occupied by bike trails. Combined, anthropogenic disturbances occupy approximately 4.5-hectares of the Lands (2%).

While anthropogenic disturbances occupy a very small proportion of the land, active resource roads and to a lesser degree mountain bike trails have a fragmentation effect on the ecological communities which affects ecological integrity. An example of this is the seasonal migration of immature Western Toads (Anaxyrus boreas) which cross these linear corridors in large numbers in a few specific locations on the Lands and may be negatively impacted by motor vehicles and bikes as the toadlets move between habitats.

In addition to the anthropogenic features listed above, several other anthropogenic features are worth noting (Appendix 5). On the southeastern shore of Stevens Lake, an unauthorized squatters cabin site was discovered. While the cabin itself had been deconstructed and removed, associated structures (e.g., garden, compost bin, outhouse) and debris (broken windowpanes) remain. This cabin was likely constructed within the last 5 years, and presumably was decommissioned by TimberWest who may have mistakenly believed the cabin to be on their property (~15 meters away). The remains of a much older cabin, likely dating back to the early mining period of Cumberland’s history sits at the margins of a rock bluff adjacent to a trail known as “Miners” close to the northern property line.

Also dating back to the historical period are the remains of an old dam on Cumberland Creek upstream from Henderson Lake, just downstream from the canyon. The dam is constructed of horizontal timbers

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Baseline Inventory - Village of Cumberland Forest Lands and logs backfilled with rock. The dam holds back water poorly but there is a shallow retention pond on the upstream side. Cumberland Creek water emerges at the toe of this historic dam. Along the north

Figure 9. Anthropogenic features in the south of the Lands

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Figure 10. Anthropogenic features in the north of the Lands

Figure 11. Anthropogenic features on the east of the Lands

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Baseline Inventory - Village of Cumberland Forest Lands bank of Cumberland Creek downstream from the dam are the remains of old wooden stave-pipes and other water conveyance infrastructure that likely transported this water to the vicinity of what was once Chinatown.

Evidence of unauthorized campfires were noted at several locations throughout the Lands. Most commonly these were noted on dams (Stevens, Hamilton and #2), but occasionally on rock outcrops as well. Very little litter or other debris was encountered, other than sporadic pieces of metal cable or old metal drums presumably dating back to the early days of logging in the area. An abandoned marijuana growing operation was located east of the Steven’s Lake wetlands that also includes accumulations of debris. Invasive plants were only noted in any significant densities along the road segment that connects to Stevens Lake. Species At Risk Eleven species at-risk were noted on the Lands during the course of this project (Figure 12, 13 and 14, Appendix 3, Appendix 5). These included fish, amphibians, birds and mammals which are considered at- risk either in BC or Canada or both. Of these, all were chance encounters with the exception of Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus) which was detected during two ultra-sonic acoustic bat surveys of the Lands.

Of the eleven species, eight are listed under Schedule-1 of SARA. One as Endangered, three as Threatened and four as Special Concern. From the provincial perspective, eight of the eleven species at-risk are considered vulnerable to extinction or extirpation in BC (Blue-listed) and provided some protection under the provincial Wildlife Act.

Of particular note was evidence of breeding on the part of several of these species. Extremely abundant migratory Western Toad toadlets have been observed in the vicinity of the Allen Lake dams and downstream from the Stevens Lake bog/fen complex suggesting breeding happens in these two locations. Northern Red-legged Frogs (Rana aurora) were encountered in all wetland complexes in the vicinity of Stevens Lake and in Cumberland Creek just upstream of the #2 Reservoir suggesting that breeding habitat is also located near those areas.

Although salmonid (trout) fish were seen frequently jumping in the #2 Reservoir, and were encountered frequently in Cumberland Creek, only at one time were fish observed and photographed carefully enough to confirm the species. Coastal Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii) were observed displaying breeding behaviour (spawning) in Cumberland Creek between Stevens and Hamilton Lakes. Taxonomy was confirmed by providing photographs and a description of the behaviour of these fish to Wendy Kotilla (Millard-Piercy Streamkeepers) and Jim Palmer (Morrison Creek Streamkeepers) both of whom are experts on the subject. Given the dramatic barriers to fish movement downstream from here, these fish are clearly non-anadromous and have likely been trapped in Cumberland Creek since isostatic rebound from the last glacial period isolated them from the sea.

A variety of at-risk bird species were incidentally observed on the Lands. There is suitable breeding habitat for several of them, but in particular, Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) is worth noting. It is a ground nesting bird that could potentially nest in rock outcrops on the Lands. Larger rock outcrops without mountain biking trails potentially offer suitable breeding sites. This species is an aerial insectivore that is common over the skies in Cumberland from early June through August. It was observed during a bat survey at night lifting off from a logging road/landing in the vicinity of Stevens Lake. Other bird species at risk were heard calling from the Lands but not mapped.

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Figure 12. Species at Risk on the south of the Lands

Figure 13. Species at Risk on the north of the Lands

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Figure 14. Species at Risk on the east of the Lands

Hydrology

One of the largest hydrological features of the Lands other than the reservoirs and creeks is the bog/fen and swamp wetland complex located in a rectangular shaped portion of the Lands east of Stevens Lake Figure 7). This wetland complex has two outlets. The first drains west through the Lands into Stevens Lake. The second drains northwest through adjacent lands owned by TimberWest then back on the Lands and into Cumberland Creek downstream of Stevens Lake. This wetland retains and slowly releases water into the watershed throughout the dry season and is likely important in buffering the peak flows and low flows in the wet and dry seasons respectively. Two other large bog-fen complexes occur on adjacent lands owned by TimberWest. One is located immediately south of Stevens Lake and the other north of Hamilton Lake. These wetland features play a similar hydrologic role and are important headwater wetlands in the Cumberland Creek watershed.

Approximately nine small, typically ephemeral streams drain into the Lands from adjacent properties (Figures 7 and 8). The majority of these occur around Stevens Lake. Stevens Lake is surrounded by logging roads of various ages, and these creeks flow through culverts beneath the roads into Stevens Lake. In one case, an old wooden box culvert appears to have collapsed, but remains functional. In another case it appears as the road has been deactivated and the culvert removed. Alternatively, the culvert here may have been washed away in a flood event. Seasonally high flows appear to be moving roadbed materials and other sediments into a low gradient floodplain just above Stevens Lake. Channel aggradation by gravels was also noted in Cumberland Creek wherever there is a low-gradient reach. Particularly notable is the section of Cumberland Creek directly beneath the Trent Main bridge crossing.

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Baseline Inventory - Village of Cumberland Forest Lands

The Lands include a dozen or more small wetlands in micro-topographical depressions throughout the Lands. Occasionally these are connected to the Cumberland Creek system by ephemeral channels, but often they are not. These features were too small to be mapped as polygons but were noted as point features. While no individual “pocket wetland” would have a material impact on the overall hydrology of the Lands, in aggregate, these features may be significant. Their role as biodiversity hotspots and potentially breeding locations for amphibians is likely more important.

Recent logging has not taken place immediately adjacent to Cumberland Creek at any point along its length. This combined with the lack of logging on the Lands themselves and in the headwaters of Cumberland Creek west of Stevens Lake is suggestive of hydrological integrity whereby the natural role of forests in regulating the hydrological cycle is intact. In the Allen Lake area where more recent forest harvesting activities have occurred in the past several decades, hydrologic recovery to pre-disturbance conditions is likely underway.

Conclusions and Recommendations The land owned by the Village of Cumberland in the Cumberland Creek and Lookout Creek watersheds is almost entirely (~95%) comprised of high-conservation value forests, wetlands and non-forested communities which are considered ecosystems at risk in British Columbia. Although historically logged, the Lands have recovered to a state of high ecological integrity due to a combination of time, and active management by the Village of Cumberland (thinning). The Lands provide habitat for a wide range of wildlife including habitat for at least 11 different species at risk, some of which breed on the Lands. While some legacy effects of historic anthropogenic disturbances exist on the Lands (old roads, collapsed culvert) and some modern disturbances (recreational trails, municipal infrastructure) impact the Lands, overall the cumulative effects of these impacts appear to be minimal in respect to ecosystem health of the Lands as a whole.

From a bioinventory perspective (OCP Bylaw 990), 95% of the Lands would be considered Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESA) and therefore Restricted Development Zones (RDZ). All areas currently mapped as Connectivity Areas in the OCP (Map E) would be more accurately mapped as Terrestrial Ecosystem areas given their status as maturing second growth forest or old forest. The primary exception being forested stands that had not been previously thinned or more recently logged (young forest) where ecological integrity is lower, despite the fact that these stands contain ecological communities at risk. These areas (Ecological Units 5, 6, 10, 15, 18 and 50) would be designated as Buffer Zones, however much of the area occupied by the Ecological Units fall within 30 m of an Aquatic Ecosystem area, so would be considered RDZ’s for that reason. Existing roads, dams, spillways and other infrastructure would also be excluded from the RDZ designation. Section 10.1.4 subsection 1c and r of the OCP exempts the Village from requiring a Development Permit for any public infrastructure or service as well as the maintenance of existing trails. Under the OCP, new trail construction and the associated modifications to vegetation and soils is considered a form of development and is specifically discouraged in the OCP from taking place in RDZs.

Should any development be contemplated by the Village for activities that are not exempted by the OCP, more detailed bioinventory work is recommended including the following:

1. Red-legged Frog breeding, migration and upland habitat surveys; 2. Western Toad breeding, migration and upland habitat surveys;

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Baseline Inventory - Village of Cumberland Forest Lands

3. Little Brown Myotis hibernacula and roost surveys; 4. Coastal Cutthroat Trout habitat assessment; 5. Common Nighthawk breeding surveys; 6. Breeding bird surveys; 7. More detailed hydrologic studies in the area of any proposed development; 8. Creation of a Site Plan as per section 10.1.5 subsection 4.

If future management planning activities for the Lands are contemplated, the planning team should also consider:

1. Thinning over-stocked stands to reduce the risk of wildfire ignition and to reduce the severity of wildfire; 2. Designating land in the Lookout Creek watershed to an alternative classification (e.g. Parkland) in recognition of these Lands being located outside of the boundaries of the Village’s drinking water supply area; 3. Additional protection of the Lands by way of a conservation covenant held by an independent third party that is eligible to hold conservation covenants in British Columbia to ensure that lands within the Village’s waters supply area are managed to protect drinking water quality and quantity in perpetuity; 4. Investigating options for additional protection measures for private lands adjacent to the Lands where hydrologic connectivity to the Lands supports the objectives of providing abundant high- quality water to Village residents and businesses (Figure 15); 5. Inventory and sediment control plan on all roads occurring on or within 300m of the Lands including an inspection of the condition of ditches and culverts and their ability to handle larger peak flows that may result from changing climatic conditions; 6. Invasive species control efforts in the vicinity of the Stevens Lake dam, and; 7. A signage plan targeting locations where recreational trails enter the Lands, and where unauthorized campfires take place.

Figure 15. Adjacent private lands with high hydrologic connectivity to the Lands

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Baseline Inventory - Village of Cumberland Forest Lands

END

References

B.C. Conservation Data Centre (2019). BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer. B.C. Minist. of Environ. Victoria, B.C. Retrieved from

http://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/

Cumberland Community Forest Society (2019). Maps of the Project. Retrieved from

https://www.cumberlandforest.com/maps/

Hitchcock and Cronquist (2018). Flora of the Pacific Northwest: An Illustrated Manual, 2nd Edition. University of Washington Press. Seattle, Wa.

Pojar and MacKinnon (2004). Revised Plants of Coastal British Columbia including Washington Oregon & Alaska. Lone Pine Publishing. Vancouver, BC.

Province of British Columbia (1994). A Field Guide for Site Identification and Interpretation for the Vancouver Forest Region: Land Management Handbook Number 28. Victoria, BC.

Province of British Columbia (1998). Illustrated Flora of British Columbia: Volumes 1 – 7. Victoria, BC.

Province of British Columbia (2004). Wetland of British Columbia, A Guide to Identification: Land Management Handbook Number 52. Victoria, BC.

Province of British Columbia (2010). Field Manual for Describing Terrestrial Ecosystems, 2nd Edition: Land Management Handbook Number 25. Victoria, BC.

Province of British Columbia (2014). Develop With Care: Environmental Guidelines for Urban and Rural Land Development in British Columbia. Retrieved from

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https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/natural-resource-stewardship/laws-policies- standards-guidance/best-management-practices/develop-with-care

Province of British Columbia (2019). BC Conservation Data Centre. Retrieved fom

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/plants-animals-ecosystems/conservation- data-centre

Resources Inventory Committee (1998). Standards for Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping in British Columbia. Retrieved from

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/environment/natural-resource-stewardship/nr-laws- policy/risc/tem_man.pdf

Village of Cumberland (2014). Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 990. Retrieved from

https://cumberland.ca/ocp/

Appendices

Appendix 1. Ecological Unit Site Description Data and Photos Appendix 2. Ecological Communities and Status Ranks Appendix 3. Animal Species Encountered and Status Ranks Appendix 4. Plant List Appendix 5. Additional photos

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