VEGETATION TECHNICAL REPORT FOR THE TRANS MOUNTAIN PIPELINE ULC TRANS MOUNTAIN EXPANSION PROJECT December 2013 REP-NEB-TERA-00008 Prepared for: Prepared by: Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC Kinder Morgan Canada Inc. TERA Environmental Consultants Suite 2700, 300 – 5th Avenue S.W. Suite 1100, 815 - 8th Avenue S.W. Calgary, Alberta T2P 5J2 Calgary, Alberta T2P 3P2 Ph: 403-514-6400 Ph: 403-265-2885 Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC Volume 5C, ESA - Biophysical Technical Reports Trans Mountain Expansion Project Vegetation Technical Report ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC would like to acknowledge Chief and Council, the Lands Department, Administration and members of the following communities: • Saddle Lake Cree Nation; • Enoch Cree Nation; • Alexander First Nation; • Samson Cree Nation; • Ermineskin Cree Nation; • Montana First Nation; • Louis Bull Tribe; • Alexis Nakota Sioux First Nation; • Paul First Nation; • Nakcowinewak Nation of Canada; • Sunchild First Nation; • Lheidli T’enneh; • Aseniwuche Winewak Nation; • Lhtako Dene Nation; • Simpcw First Nation; • Lower Nicola Indian Band; • Yale First Nation; • Chawathil First Nation; • Shxw’ow’hamel First Nation; • Cheam First Nation; • Seabird Island Band; • Popkum First Nation; and • Leq’á:mel First Nation. All of their time, effort, commitment and participation is much appreciated and was fundamental to the success of the vegetation and Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping for the proposed Trans Mountain Expansion Project. Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC would also like to express their appreciation for the contribution by counties, municipalities, Regional Districts and Invasive Plant Councils/Committees as well as regional ecologists to the success of the vegetation and Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping program for the proposed Trans Mountain Expansion Project. 7894/December 2013 REP-NEB-TERA-00008 Page i Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC Volume 5C, ESA - Biophysical Technical Reports Trans Mountain Expansion Project Vegetation Technical Report EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC (Trans Mountain) is a Canadian corporation with its head office located in Calgary, Alberta. Trans Mountain is a general partner of Trans Mountain Pipeline L.P., which is operated by Kinder Morgan Canada Inc., and is fully owned by Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P. Trans Mountain is the holder of the NEB certificates for the Trans Mountain pipeline system (TMPL system). The TMPL system has an operating capacity of approximately 47,690 m3/d (300,000 bbl/d) using 23 active pump stations and 40 petroleum storage tanks. The expansion will increase the capacity to 141,500 m3/d (890,000 bbl/d). The proposed expansion will comprise the following. 1. Pipeline segments that complete a twinning (or “looping”) of the pipeline in Alberta and British Columbia (BC) with about 987 km of new buried pipeline. 2. New and modified facilities, including pump stations and tanks. 3. Three new berths at the Westridge Marine Terminal in Burnaby, BC, each capable of handling Aframax class vessels. TERA Environmental Consultants (TERA) was commissioned to prepare the following Vegetation Technical Report. Provided in this report are the results of the desktop and literature review and the field program conducted for the project in 2012 and 2013. The report also provides the results of Aboriginal participation during the vegetation and Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping (TEM) field surveys. Approval to treat collected Traditional Ecological Knowledge within this report as public knowledge was received by the participating Aboriginal communities listed herein. A desktop review of federal and provincial rare plant, rare lichen and rare ecological communities with the potential to occur along the entire proposed pipeline corridor and at facilities was conducted. In addition, a desktop review was conducted of invasive species of concern, including consulting with all counties, municipalities, Regional Districts and Invasive Plant Councils/Committees along the entire proposed pipeline corridor. Consultation was completed with federal and provincial regulatory authorities to discuss and receive input on the methods proposed prior to the field work being undertaken. In Alberta, there are five rare plant or lichen species listed by the Committee on the Status on Endangered Wildlife in Canada or the Species at Risk Act (SARA) that are considered to have low potential to occur along the Alberta segment of the proposed pipeline corridor (known from > 10 km from the proposed pipeline corridor). In BC, there are 10 rare plant or lichen species listed by the Committee on the Status on Endangered Wildlife in Canada or the SARA that are considered to have a high potential of occurring on BC segments of the proposed pipeline corridor (known from within 1 km of the proposed pipeline corridor). There are 11 species considered to have moderate potential (known from 1-10 km from the proposed pipeline corridor) and 34 species considered to have low potential. Prior to field work satellite imagery, TEM and known occurrences of rare species and communities were reviewed in order to identify areas with high potential to support rare plants, rare lichens and rare ecological communities. Where land access was available, field surveys were conducted in 2012 and 2013 for TEM and in 2013 for vegetation (i.e., rare species and rare communities and weeds). Field surveys focused on the new proposed pipeline segments (i.e., did not include the segments to be reactivated between Hinton to Hargreaves and Darfield to Black Pines) and the new or existing facilities that require clearing of native vegetation. During the 2013 vegetation surveys a total of 52 km of the proposed pipeline corridor and two facilities were surveyed in Alberta. Field surveys resulted in the observation of 5 rare ecological community occurrences and 53 rare plant and lichen species occurrences in Alberta, all along the proposed pipeline corridor. Weed species, including Prohibited Noxious and Noxious, were observed along the proposed pipeline corridor. The abundance of weed species along the proposed pipeline corridor ranged from low to high. TEM was conducted for approximately 49,502 ha of the Vegetation Regional Study Area (RSA) in Alberta and identified 87 unique ecosite phases within 4 natural subregions. The most affected vegetation 7894/December 2013 REP-NEB-TERA-00008 Page ii Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC Volume 5C, ESA - Biophysical Technical Reports Trans Mountain Expansion Project Vegetation Technical Report communities in Alberta were the marsh ecosite in the Lower Foothills Natural Subregion (LFn) and the Labrador tea-mesic ecosite in the Central Mixedwood Natural Subregion (CMWc). In BC, a total of 211 km of the proposed pipeline corridor and two facilities were surveyed. Field surveys resulted in the observation of 49 potential rare ecological community occurrences and 124 rare plant and lichen occurrences. All but one occurred along the proposed pipeline corridor, with the exception occurring along the Black Pines power line. In addition, one observation along the proposed pipeline corridor included a potential SARA-listed species, Mexican mosquito fern, which will require confirmation during 2014 surveys if it is in proximity to the Footprint. In BC, weed species, including provincially and regionally Noxious, were also observed along the proposed pipeline corridor. The abundance of weed species along the BC proposed pipeline corridor ranged from low to high. TEM was conducted for approximately 110,191 ha of the Vegetation RSA in BC and identified 185 unique site series within 27 Biogeoclimatic variants. In BC, the most affected vegetation communities were the MacLennan Dry Hot Sub-Boreal Spruce (SBSdh1) variant on the Hargreaves to Darfield segment, the Moist Warm Engelmann Spruce-Subalpine Fir (ESSFmw) variant on the Black Pines to Hope segment and the Southern Dry Submaritime Coastal Western Hemlock (CWHds1) and Eastern Very Dry Maritime Coastal Western Hemlock (CWHxm1) variants for the Hope to Burnaby segment. A comprehensive vegetation program was conducted in 2012 and 2013, including TEM field verification and vegetation surveys. For this report, where access was not available, desktop studies, literature reviews, information available as a result of 60 years of operation and field data gathered from adjacent lands as well as professional judgement were used to make predictions. Based on the above and the fact that the effects of pipelines and available mitigation and environmental protection measures are well- known, TERA is confident in the predictions about the potential effects of construction, operation and maintenance activities. In order to confirm the effects assessment conclusions and gather site-specific information for the implementation of mitigation from the project-specific Environmental Protection Plans, additional studies will be conducted on those areas where access was not available. 7894/December 2013 REP-NEB-TERA-00008 Page iii Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC Volume 5C, ESA - Biophysical Technical Reports Trans Mountain Expansion Project Vegetation Technical Report TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................................................. i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................... ii 1.0 INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................