Sandbanks Draft Veg Mgmt Plan - Ontario Parks

• Habitat destruction in development zones will be assessed and mitigated
where feasible.
Sourcing Plant Stock for Landscaping and Restoration Planting
To the extent possible, plants used in development zone landscaping and in restoration
throughout the park will be propagated using seeds from the park, either by establishing
a park nursery or through a partnership with a local nursery. Records are to be kept on
amount of seed harvested, location, data, and destination. If this is not possible, plants
should at least be of local (preferably Prince Edward County or south Northumberland,
Hastings, and Lennox and Addington counties, or eastern Ontario) origin. These
measures will help to ensure the continuation of plants that are specially adapted to the
park’s environmental conditions. Appendix C lists local nurseries that may provide
contract propagation or local native plant stock.
Transplanting Marram Grass and other species may be done for restoration purposes.
See section 4.1 for details on Marram Grass transplanting.
• Local native stock will be used for all planting and restoration in the park.
3.4. Invasive and Exotic Species
Approximately 82 of 384, or 20%, of the known terrestrial plant species at Sandbanks
are not native to Ontario. Of these, at least 36 species have the potential to become
invasive 12 . Four in particular, Garlic Mustard, Dog-strangling Vine (or Pale
Swallowwort), Common Buckthorn, and Purple Loosestrife, are already established in
the park and need to be monitored and controlled (Appendix D – Invasive Species
Monitoring and Control Guidelines). The park staff has recently initiated several
monitoring and removal protocols for these species. White Sweet Clover may also be
behaving as an invasive in the dune and panne communities, and its spread should be
tracked. The SE Zone Invasive Exotic Plant Management Strategy provides further
guidelines for managing these plants.
Priorities for control at this point are those plants that are not yet widespread, or that are
threatening significant natural areas: all patches of Dog-Strangling Vine, Garlic Mustard
in the mature deciduous forest in Outlet Campground, and small buckthorn shrubs
where they are becoming newly established. These species are known to spread
quickly and exclude native vegetation if not controlled. Appendix E provides fact sheets
for each species of concern and appropriate control measures. In many cases
herbicides are the only option for effectively controlling established invasive species.
The Invasive Species Strategy and Appendix E provide direction for the proper control
techniques and use of herbicides.
• Aggressive invasive species will be controlled when possible following
approved guidelines.
• Invasive species that may pose a threat to park environments will be
monitored.
12
Invasive exotic plants are species not native to Ontario that have the potential to negatively impact native flora, fauna,
and ecosystems, often by spreading and dominating habitat
Sandbanks Vegetation Management Plan 20 of 28
Ontario Parks, SE Zone
2009