The Grasslands of British Columbia
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The Grasslands of British Columbia The Grasslands of British Columbia Brian Wikeem Sandra Wikeem April 2004 COVER PHOTO Brian Wikeem, Solterra Resources Inc. GRAPHICS, MAPS, FIGURES Donna Falat, formerly Grasslands Conservation Council of B.C., Kamloops, B.C. Ryan Holmes, Grasslands Conservation Council of B.C., Kamloops, B.C. Glenda Mathew, Left Bank Design, Kamloops, B.C. PHOTOS Personal Photos: A. Batke, Andy Bezener, Don Blumenauer, Bruno Delesalle, Craig Delong, Bob Drinkwater, Wayne Erickson, Marylin Fuchs, Perry Grilz, Jared Hobbs, Ryan Holmes, Kristi Iverson, C. Junck, Bob Lincoln, Bob Needham, Paul Sandborn, Jim White, Brian Wikeem. Institutional Photos: Agriculture Agri-Food Canada, BC Archives, BC Ministry of Forests, BC Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection, and BC Parks. All photographs are the property of the original contributor and can not be reproduced without prior written permission of the owner. All photographs by J. Hobbs are © Jared Hobbs. © Grasslands Conservation Council of British Columbia 954A Laval Crescent Kamloops, B.C. V2C 5P5 http://www.bcgrasslands.org/ All rights reserved. No part of this document or publication may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission of the Grasslands Conservation Council of British Columbia. ii Dedication This book is dedicated to the Dr. Vernon pathfinders of our ecological Brink knowledge and understanding of Dr. Alastair grassland ecosystems in British McLean Columbia. Their vision looked Dr. Edward beyond the dust, cheatgrass and Tisdale grasshoppers, and set the course to Dr. Albert van restoring the biodiversity and beauty Ryswyk of our grasslands to pristine times. Their research, extension and teaching provided the foundation for scientific management of our grasslands. More importantly, they bestowed the gift of a land use ethic and love of grasslands that will lead us into the future. iii Funding Partner Acknowledgement The Grasslands of British Columbia has been made possible through the generous contributions and support of numerous organizations. The Grasslands Conservation Council of B.C. recognizes the following organizations as instrumental to the success of this project. Thank you. 9 Ministry of Forests 9 Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management 9 Ministry of Water, Land, and Air Protection 9 BC Gaming Commission 9 Habitat Conservation Trust Fund 9 Vancouver Foundation 9 Wildlife Habitat Canada 9 The Real Estate Foundation 9 Columbia Basin Trust 9 The Nature Trust of British Columbia 9 Environment Canada 9 Lignum Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch BC Gaming Commission iv Acknowledgements We appreciate and gratefully acknowledge the help of the many people who contributed their time, knowledge and expertise to the completion of this book. We thank the Grasslands Conservation Council of British Columbia steering committee comprised of Bruno Delesalle, Judy Guichon, Cindy Haddow, Kristi Iverson, Dennis Lloyd, Ordell Steen, and Jim White for their support and assistance in developing this project, reviewing outlines, and for their review comments on draft manuscripts. Dennis Lloyd is particularly acknowledged for providing unpublished data on many grassland sites in the Southern Interior Forest Region for our use. Similarly, we thank Ray Coupe, Ordell Steen and Kristi Iverson who kindly permitted us to use their draft report containing unpublished information on Cariboo-Chilcotin grasslands which was very valuable. We thank Reg Newman for generously lending us reprints of grassland information on extended loan. The following people are gratefully acknowledged and credited with photographs in this publication beyond those provided by the authors: A. Batke, Andy Bezener, Don Blumenauer, Bruno Delesalle, Craig Delong, Bob Drinkwater, Wayne Erickson, Marylin Fuchs, Perry Grilz, Jared Hobbs, Ryan Holmes, Kristi Iverson, C. Junck, Bob Lincoln, Bob Needham, Paul Sandborn, and Jim White. Other photographs were generously provided by the following institutions: Agriculture Agri-Food Canada, BC Archives, BC Ministry of Forests, BC Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection, and BC Parks. All photographs are the property of the original contributor and can not be reproduced without their consent. We thank Glenda Mathew of Left Bank Design for her excellent illustrations that contributed so much to the quality of this publication. Victoria Stevens is gratefully acknowledged for generously providing electronic copies of the distribution and habitat use of fauna in British Columbia. Her background work provided an excellent foundation to describe grassland fauna in all regions of the province. Special thanks to Ryan Holmes for producing grassland statistics, preparing maps, editing drafts of the manuscript, and for encouragement. His help and positive attitude was greatly appreciated and contributed immensely to the completion of this project. We appreciate the comments of the anonymous reviewers who provided constructive comments on content. Tracy Hooper rigorously reviewed the penultimate draft of the manuscript and provided valuable comments that enhanced the final product. We thank her for her diligence and constructive critique. To all others, whose names have not been mentioned, we gratefully acknowledge their help as well. Finally, we especially thank Bruno Delesalle for his patience and support in seeing this project to its fruition. Brian Wikeem Sandra Wikeem v Contents Funding Partner Acknowledgement .................................................................................. iv Acknowledgements..............................................................................................................v Preface.............................................................................................................................. xiii 1. Introduction......................................................................................................................1 1.1 North American Grasslands.......................................................................................... 2 1.2 British Columbia Grasslands ........................................................................................ 6 1.3 Grassland Associated Ecosystems and Species Diversity .......................................... 12 1.4 Endnotes and References ............................................................................................ 14 2. Grassland Formation and Maintenance .........................................................................16 2.1 Physiography and Landforms ..................................................................................... 16 2.1.1 Physiographic Characteristics of Grassland Regions ........................................... 20 2.1.1.1 Columbia Mountain and Southern Rockies .....................................................20 2.1.1.2 Coast Mountains and Islands ...........................................................................21 2.1.1.3 Interior Plateau.................................................................................................22 2.1.1.4 The Northern and Central Plateaus and Mountains .........................................22 2.1.1.5 Great Plains......................................................................................................23 2.2 Climate........................................................................................................................ 24 2.2.1 Southern Interior Grasslands................................................................................. 25 2.2.2 Northern Interior and Great Plains Grasslands ..................................................... 28 2.2.3 Coastal Savannah and Grasslands......................................................................... 29 2.3 Soils............................................................................................................................. 30 2.4 Fire and Forest Encroachment .................................................................................... 34 2.4.1 Fire ........................................................................................................................ 34 2.4.1.1 Fire Regimes ....................................................................................................35 2.4.1.2 Characteristics of Fire......................................................................................37 2.4.1.3 Environmental Impacts ....................................................................................38 2.4.1.4 Effects on Individual Plants.............................................................................39 2.4.1.5 Effects on Plant Communities .........................................................................41 2.4.1.6 Effects on Animals...........................................................................................43 2.4.2 Forest Encroachment ............................................................................................ 44 2.4.2.1 Ecological Considerations ...............................................................................45 vi 2.4.2.2 Geographic Distribution and Encroachment Rate ...........................................46 2.5 Grazing........................................................................................................................ 48 2.6 Other Disturbances and Alien Plants .......................................................................... 52 2.6.1 Other Disturbances...............................................................................................