From Reclamation to Restoration: Native Grass Species for Revegetation in Northeast British Columbia by Valerie Huff B. Sc. (Agr.), University of Guelph, 1983 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE in the School of Environmental Studies Valerie Huff, 2009 University of Victoria All rights reserved. This thesis may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without the permission of the author. ii Supervisory Committee From Reclamation To Restoration: Native Grass Species for Revegetation in Northeast British Columbia by Valerie Huff B. Sc. (Agr.), University of Guelph, 1983 Supervisory Committee Dr. Richard Hebda, Co-Supervisor (School of Environmental Studies) Supervisor Dr. Nancy Turner, Co-Supervisor (School of Environmental Studies) Co-Supervisor Dr. Valentin Schaefer, Committee Member (School of Environmental Studies) Departmental Member Dr. Geraldine Allen, Committee Member (Department of Biology) Outside Member iii Supervisory Committee Dr. Richard Hebda, Co-Supervisor (School of Environmental Studies) Supervisor Dr. Nancy Turner, Co-Supervisor (School of Environmental Studies) Co-Supervisor Dr. Valentin Schaefer, Committee Member (School of Environmental Studies) Departmental Member Dr. Geraldine Allen, Committee Member (Department of Biology) Outside Member Abstract Grasses are widely used in revegetation to control erosion, build soil and maintain habitat. In northeast British Columbia, non-native grass species are commonly seeded to reclaim industrially disturbed sites. Widespread concern about degradation of biodiversity and key ecological processes has led to increasing value placed on native species and management practices leading to a more resilient landscape. I undertook this study to fill the restoration knowledge gap relating to native grasses in northeast BC. I did an extensive inventory of grasses on 217 sites in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Functional traits were measured in the field and in a greenhouse growth experiment. I found ninety-nine grass species occuring in the region, 70% of which are native. The number, proportion and extent of non-native grasses are increasing and four of these – Poa pratensis , Festuca rubra , Bromus inermis , and Phleum pratense represented almost a quarter of all occurrences. Several native species were common throughout the region: Calamagrostis canadensis , Leymus innovatus , Elymus trachycaulus , Poa palustris and Agrostis scabra . Other native species, including Festuca iv altaica , Koeleria macrantha , Pascopyrum smithii , and Schizachne purpurascens, strongly favoured intact habitats. Elevation, soil moisture regime, proportion of bare ground, and land use were significant factors related to local grass species composition and abundance. Agrostis scabra , Alopecurus aequalis, Beckmannia syzigachne, Bromus ciliatus, Cinna latifolia, Deschampsia cespitosa, Elymus alaskanus, Elymus trachycaulus, Festuca saximontana and Hordeum jubatum grew commonly on severely damaged well sites. Field measurements for Specific Leaf Area (SLA) and Leaf Dry Matter Content (LDMC) of 11 species showed an inverse correlation. Bromus ciliatus , Bromus pumpellianus, and Elymus trachycaulus had high SLA/low LDMC linked to rapid growth, whereas Festuca altaica , Deschampsia cespitosa , and Calamagrostis stricta had low SLA/high LDMC linked to slow growth and persistence. In the greenhouse experiment, Poa palustris, Cinna latifolia and Bromus ciliatus produced the most overall biomass and Pascopyrum smithii and Poa palustris produced the greatest aboveground biomass. Calamagrostis stricta , Poa palustris , Elymus glaucus, Leymus innovatus and Pascopyrum smithii exhibited clonal growth. Beckmannia syzigachne , Bromus ciliatus Cinna latifolia produced viable seed during the 135-day experiment. Considering all attributes five native species, Calamagrostis canadensis , Elymus trachycaulus , Poa palustris , Leymus innovatus , and Agrostis scabra are recommended for general restoration use in northeast B.C. Other native species show promise when matched to particular site conditions, including Alopecurus aequalis , Arctagrostis v latifolia , Beckmannia syzigachne , Bromus ciliatus , Calamagrostis stricta , Cinna latifolia , Deschampsia cespitosa , Elymus glaucus , Festuca saximontana , Glyceria striata , Hordeum jubatum , Koeleria macrantha , Pascopyrum smithii , Poa alpina , Schizachne purpurascens and Trisetum spicatum . This information will be valuable to land managers interested in moving beyond reclamation to ecological restoration of sites disturbed by oil and gas development. Developing practices that are environmentally sound and socially acceptable requires ongoing botanical inventory. Plant traits may be useful in matching species to site conditions and restoration goals. Policy recommendations include phasing in of requirements to use native seed while restricting the use of agronomic species, promoting natural colonization, and supporting a native seed industry. vi Table of Contents Supervisory Committee ....................................................................................................... ii Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... vi List of Tables ...................................................................................................................... ix List of Figures .................................................................................................................... xi Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................ xiii Dedication ......................................................................................................................... xv Chapter 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Purpose and objectives ........................................................................................ 2 1.1.1. Objectives .................................................................................................... 3 1.1.2. Thesis Organization..................................................................................... 3 Chapter 2 Background ..................................................................................................... 5 2.1. Study Area ........................................................................................................... 5 2.1.1. Biophysical Description .............................................................................. 5 2.1.2. Biogeoclimatic Zones .................................................................................. 9 2.1.3. Human History .......................................................................................... 11 2.1.4. Oil and gas exploration and development ................................................. 13 2.1.5. Revegetation in the Oil and Gas Sector .................................................... 17 2.2. Ecological restoration ........................................................................................ 20 2.3. Disturbance and succession ............................................................................... 22 2.4. Plant functional traits ........................................................................................ 26 2.5. Why study grasses? ........................................................................................... 30 2.6. Grasses, Traits and Restoration ......................................................................... 32 2.7. Chapter Summary .............................................................................................. 32 Chapter 3 Grass distribution and abundance ................................................................. 35 3.1. Introduction ....................................................................................................... 35 vii 3.2. Methods ............................................................................................................. 38 3.2.1. Inventory of grasses across land use areas ................................................ 38 3.3. Results and Interpretation.................................................................................. 51 3.3.1. Grasses and Land Use ............................................................................... 76 3.4. Summary ........................................................................................................... 96 Chapter 4 Leaf traits of selected grass species............................................................... 99 4.1. Introduction ....................................................................................................... 99 4.1.1. Research hypotheses ............................................................................... 103 4.2. Materials and Methods .................................................................................... 104 4.2.1. Study area ................................................................................................ 104 4.2.2. Collection and measurement of leaf traits ............................................... 105 4.2.3. Data analysis ..........................................................................................