Mt Maxwell TEM Final Report 2003
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MADRONE environmental services ltd. Mount Maxwell Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping And Ecological Assessment for: Mr. Rik Simmons Ministry of Water Land and Air Protection Environmental Stewardship, Vancouver Region by: Gillian Radcliffe, Harry Williams, Gordon Butt & Shari Willmott MADRONE ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES LTD. 1081 Canada Avenue, Duncan, BC V9L 1V2 April 30, 2003 Acknowledgements Page ii Mount Maxwell Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping April 2003 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Madrone Environmental Services Limited would like to acknowledge the contribution that the following people made to the completion of the terrestrial ecosystem mapping for Mount Maxwell. Bioterrain typing has been the sole responsibility of Gordon Butt. Bob Maxwell correlated this typing. Gordon Butt also completed the ecosystem mapping with Harry Williams providing an internal quality assurance of the ecosystem mapping. Gillian Radcliffe interpreted the ecosystem mapping for wildlife values. Gordon Butt, Harry Williams, Gillian Radcliffe, Derrick Marven, Adolf Ceska, Oluna Ceska, Pamela Williams and Jeff Bertoia completed the fieldwork. Gill Radcliffe was project manager and conducted overall project review. Shari Willmott entered the field data, built the databases, as well as looked after the overall project coordination for this study. Ernie Pacholuk of West Coast Geomatics developed the 1:2000 digital map base and Chartwell Consultants Ltd. provided GIS support and completed the spatial files for the terrestrial ecosystem map. Gill and Shari created the interpretive maps for wildlife and Garry oak ecosystems. A number of government personnel in the Ministry of Water, Lands and Air Protection have assisted with the project in various ways, especially in providing information and useful discussions. We thank them for their help: Don Doyle, Jared Hobbs, and parks area supervisor Joe Benning (MWLAP). We would especially like to thank Rik Simmons (MWLAP) who was the contract administrator. Rik is leaving the Parks service as this project draws to a close; we have greatly enjoyed working with him on this (and other) projects, and will be sorry to see him leave. Good luck Rik! Frontcover: Propertius Duskywings; blue-listed butterfly, photograph by Derrick Marven MADRONE environmental services ltd. Table of Contents Page iii Mount Maxwell Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping April 2003 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................ II TABLE OF CONTENTS ...............................................................................III LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................ V LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................. VI LIST OF PHOTOS ............................................................................................ VI 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................... 1 2.0 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 3 2.1 Scope ......................................................................................................................... 3 2.2 Study Area ............................................................................................................... 3 2.3 Management Context .......................................................................................... 3 2.4 Key Management Issues ..................................................................................... 5 3.0 METHODOLOGY .................................................................................... 6 3.1 Data Sources ........................................................................................................... 6 3.2 Field Work ................................................................................................................ 6 3.3 Ecosystem Classification ..................................................................................... 7 3.4 Garry Oak Ecosystem Classification ................................................................ 7 3.5 Naturalness Assessment ..................................................................................... 7 3.6 Digital Mapping and Database Production ................................................. 8 3.7 Data Limitations and Map Reliability ............................................................. 8 4.0 BIOPHYSICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY AREA ........................ 11 4.1 Topography and Drainage ............................................................................... 11 4.2 Terrain ..................................................................................................................... 11 4.3 Biogeoclimatic Zones......................................................................................... 12 4.4 Ecosystems ............................................................................................................ 12 4.4.1 Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping (TEM) .................................................. 12 4.4.2 Garry Oak Ecosystem Mapping .............................................................. 13 5.0 ECOSYSTEM DESCRIPTIONS .............................................................. 15 5.1 Vegetation Descriptions ................................................................................... 16 5.1.1 Forested Site Series of the CDFmm ....................................................... 16 5.1.1.1 Douglas fir - Salal ................................................................................................ 16 5.1.1.2 Douglas Fir – Lodgepole Pine – Arbutus ............................................................ 19 5.1.1.3 Douglas-fir – Grand fir – Oregon grape .............................................................. 22 MADRONE environmental services ltd. Table of Contents Page iv Mount Maxwell Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping April 2003 5.1.1.4 Fescue - Camas .................................................................................................... 25 5.1.1.5 Garry Oak – Ocean Spray .................................................................................... 27 5.1.1.6 Garry Oak – Brome (not mapped) ....................................................................... 31 5.1.1.7 Cladina – Wallace’s selaginella ........................................................................... 33 5.1.2 Sparsely Vegetated, Non-Vegetated, and Anthropogenic Units of the CDFmm ..................................................................................................................... 36 5.1.2.1 Rock Outcrop ...................................................................................................... 36 6.0 GARRY OAK ECOSYSTEM MAPPING ................................................. 37 6.1 Garry Oak Ecosystem Unit Descriptions ..................................................... 39 6.1.1 BFQg: Broadleaf Garry Oak Forest....................................................... 39 6.1.2 BWQg: Broadleaf Garry Oak Woodland ............................................. 39 6.1.3 BSQg: Broadleaf Garry Oak Savannah ............................................... 39 6.1.4 LWQg: Broadleaf Low Garry Oak Woodland ..................................... 39 7.0 ECOLOGICAL VALUES OF THE STUDY AREA .................................... 41 7.1 Ecosystem Representation and Condition ................................................. 41 7.1.1 Coniferous Ecosystems .............................................................................. 42 7.1.1.1 Douglas-fir – Salal Ecosystem ............................................................................ 42 7.1.1.2 Douglas-fir – Arbutus ecosystem ........................................................................ 43 7.1.1.3 Douglas – fir – Grand – fir – Oregon Grape Ecosystem ..................................... 43 7.1.2 Garry Oak Ecosystems ............................................................................... 44 7.1.2.1 Garry oak – Oceanspray ...................................................................................... 45 7.1.2.2 Garry oak – Brome .............................................................................................. 45 7.2 Garry Oak Stand Dynamics: fire and grazing ............................................ 45 7.3 Ecosystem Condition and Sensitivity .......................................................... 47 7.4 Rare and Threatened Plants ............................................................................ 49 7.5 Recommended Future Work ........................................................................... 49 8.0 WILDLIFE VALUES ............................................................................... 51 8.1 Wildlife Observed ................................................................................................ 51 8.2 Wildlife Interpretations ..................................................................................... 52 8.2.1 Summary of Red-listed Wildlife Species .............................................. 53 8.2.2 Summary of Blue-listed Wildlife Species ............................................. 61 8.2.3 Focal Wildlife Species ................................................................................ 67 Peregrine Falcon: ........................................................................................................... 67 Northern Gowhawk: ....................................................................................................