Species and plant communities at risk accounts in the BCTS Peace – Liard Business Area Threats and Concerns The main threats to this species are oil and gas exploration and development, mining, forest harvesting, and road construction, which may occur in or adjacent to preferred habitat. Best Management Practices Current management guidelines for plant species at risk are focused at the stand level. If a potential plant species at risk is located, it is recommended that the area have ribbon placed around it, photos taken and field cards filled out with the exact location recorded. This information should then be passed on to the designated species at risk coordinator. This is essentially a fine filter approach to managing the identified species, where an individual species and/or habitat is managed singularly and at a small scale (i.e. at the stand level). This approach should be used in association with a course filter approach which involves management for a variety of species/habitats simultaneously, mainly through the use of broad scale provisions at the landscape level such as protected areas and parks. Both the plant species at risk and habitat they occur in should be protected. The current management strategies for plant species at risk are based on the Identified Wildlife Management Strategy (IWMS) wildlife and wildlife habitat provisions/measures set out by the BC Government. The best management practices are as follows: establish a core area around a known element occurrence with a 30-50 m wide buffer establish a management zone around the core area that is 150-200 m wide around the buffer do not harvest within the core area, unless harvesting is aimed specifically at improving the habitat for the particular rare plant species keep the identified area ( core area + buffer) free from herbicide use deactivate temporary roads after use, do not allow road or trail construction upslope or within the element occurrence restrict access to high elevation areas with the use of gates and trenches where roads already exist or are necessary, ensure road is not changing the hydrology of element occurrence habitat ensure road maintenance activities do not alter, damage, or destroy the element occurrence if seeding occurs, use native species (prevent spread of exotic plant species) 144 Species and plant communities at risk accounts in the BCTS Peace – Liard Business Area Further Information and Links: British Columbia Conservation Data Centre: http://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/speciesSummary.do?id=18411 Douglas, G.W., D. Meidinger, and J. Penny. 2002. Rare Native Vascular Plants of British Columbia, 2nd ed. B.C. Conserv. Data Centre, Terrestrial Inf. Branch, Victoria. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia: http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Selaginella+rupestris Identified Wildlife Management Strategy – BC Ministry Of Environment: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/frpa/iwms/index.html 145 Species and plant communities at risk accounts in the BCTS Peace – Liard Business Area 146 Species and plant communities at risk accounts in the BCTS Peace – Liard Business Area Nuttall's Orache Atriplex nuttallii Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species Plantae Anthophyta Dicotyledoneae Caryophyllales Chenopodiaceae Atriplex nuttallii Description General: Nuttall’s orache is a perennial semi-shrub. It has a woody base with erect or spreading, freely branched stems growing to 10-60 cm in height. Alternate leaves are oblong to spoon-shaped and 2-5 cm long with smooth margins. Flowers are Photo goes here leafless spikes grouped in clusters found axillary or at the terminal end of the stem. Bracteoles are irregularly toothed, smooth to pimply and rounded or lance to elliptic shaped. Status: Global: G5 Canada: Provincial: S1 -- Red Distribution BEC Units: BWBSmw Forest District: DPC (Peace District) Known Locations: In British Columbia it is found only near the Clayhurst Crossing of the Peace River. Outside BC, it is found east to Saskatchewan and south to the states of Utah, Idaho, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. Habitat This species is found on dry grassy slopes in the montane zone. 147 Species and plant communities at risk accounts in the BCTS Peace – Liard Business Area Threats and Concerns The main threats to this species are oil and gas exploration and development, mining, forest harvesting, and road construction, which may occur in or adjacent to preferred habitat. It’s only known location in British Columbia is of significant importance. Because it is located on the banks of the Peace River, major changes in hydrological processes (ex. Proposed Site “C” dam) will have drastic impacts on the species in this area. Best Management Practices Current management guidelines for plant species at risk are focused at the stand level. If a potential plant species at risk is located, it is recommended that the area have ribbon placed around it, photos taken and field cards filled out with the exact location recorded. This information should then be passed on to the designated species at risk coordinator. This is essentially a fine filter approach to managing the identified species, where an individual species and/or habitat is managed singularly and at a small scale (i.e. at the stand level). This approach should be used in association with a coarse filter approach which involves management for a variety of species/habitats simultaneously, mainly through the use of broad scale provisions at the landscape level such as protected areas and parks. Both the plant species at risk and habitat they occur in should be protected. The current management strategies for plant species at risk are based on the Identified Wildlife Management Strategy (IWMS) wildlife and wildlife habitat provisions/measures set out by the BC Government. The best management practices are as follows: establish a core area around a known element occurrence with a 30-50 m wide buffer establish a management zone around the core area that is 150-200 m wide around the buffer do not harvest within the core area, unless harvesting is aimed specifically at improving the habitat for the particular rare plant species keep the identified area ( core area + buffer) free from herbicide use deactivate temporary roads after use, do not allow road or trail construction upslope or within the element occurrence restrict access to high elevation areas with the use of gates and trenches where roads already exist or are necessary, ensure road is not changing the hydrology of element occurrence habitat ensure road maintenance activities do not alter, damage, or destroy the element occurrence if seeding occurs, use native species (prevent spread of exotic plant species) 148 Species and plant communities at risk accounts in the BCTS Peace – Liard Business Area Further Information and Links: British Columbia Conservation Data Centre: http://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/speciesSummary.do?id=14345 Douglas, G.W., D. Meidinger, and J. Penny. 2002. Rare Native Vascular Plants of British Columbia, 2nd ed. B.C. Conserv. Data Centre, Terrestrial Inf. Branch, Victoria. Douglas, G.W., D. Meidinger, and J. Pojar, eds. 2001b. Illustrated Flora of British Columbia, Vol. 2, Monocotyledons (Orchidaceae through Zosteraceae). B.C. Minist. Sustainable Resour. Manage., and B.C. Minist. For. Victoria, BC. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia: http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Atriplex+nuttallii Identified Wildlife Management Strategy – BC Ministry Of Environment: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/frpa/iwms/index.html 149 Species and plant communities at risk accounts in the BCTS Peace – Liard Business Area 150 Species and plant communities at risk accounts in the BCTS Peace – Liard Business Area 3.2 Wildflowers Alpine Meadow-Foxtail Alopecurus alpinus Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species Plantae Anthophyta Monocotyledoneae Cyperales Poaceae Alopecurus alpinus Description General: Alpine meadow- foxtail is a perennial, tufted grass stemming from short rhizomes that grows to 20-80 cm in height. Sheaths are open and the blades are flat and have short hairs. Ligules are finely eroded, blunt and irregularly jagged. Spikes are cylinder- Photo goes here shaped with spikelets less than 4.5 mm in length. Dry, membranous bracts have dense, long woolly hairs on the entire surface. The outer, flower-enclosing bract has rounded tips. Status: Global: G5 Canada: Provincial: S1S3 -- Red Distribution BEC Units: BWBSmw, SWBmk Forest District: DPC (Peace District) Know locations: In British Columbia, alpine meadow-foxtail is rare and has only been recorded from the Beatton River to Pink Mountain areas of the province. Habitat The alpine meadow-foxtail is found in moist meadows in the subalpine zone. 151 Species and plant communities at risk accounts in the BCTS Peace – Liard Business Area Threats and Concerns The main threats to this species are oil and gas exploration and development, mining, forest harvesting, and road construction, which may occur in or adjacent to preferred habitat. Best Management Practices Current management guidelines for plant species at risk are focused at the stand level. If a potential plant species at risk is located, it is recommended that the area have ribbon placed around it, photos taken and field cards filled out with the exact location recorded. This information should then be passed on to the designated species at risk coordinator. This is essentially a fine filter approach to managing the identified species, where an individual species and/or habitat is managed singularly and at a small scale (i.e. at the stand level). This approach should be used in association with a coarse filter approach which involves management for a variety of species/habitats simultaneously, mainly through the use of broad scale provisions at the landscape level such as protected areas and parks. Both the plant species at risk and habitat they occur in should be protected.