Sandbanks Draft Veg Mgmt Plan - Ontario Parks

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IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE G – Restoration Implementation Plan fall More difficult to plant (roots often curved, not packed in tightly, holes not big enough, incorrect depth) Use only when planting with experienced staff Easy to plant correctly Use when planting with volunteers Planting Plan • Stake out planting locations beforehand, using the nucleation or matrix method. Nucleation • Establishment of nucleation clumps is a priority over the matrix plantings as these will help seed the matrix areas and create uneven-aged stands. • Clumps should be placed on the mounds and be large enough to create an enhanced microclimate (10-15 trees at 3m spacing). • Trees should be caliper size as these establish quicker, have more visual impact, more drought tolerance, and are less susceptible to herbivory and competition. • Shrubs should be planted in small groupings of 3 to 5 plants between the trees with 1m spacing (approximately a shovel length). Matrix • Matrix plantings will help fill out the canopy. • Distribute plants throughout the restoration area at a spacing of 1.5m to create a natural looking forest. These should not be in rows • Trees should be 2-4L pot size (~1m tall) or tall bareroot “whips” to provide a balance between cost and adequate presence. • All woody species plantings should be conducted before June (preferred) or after August (if necessary) to allow maximum establishment and growth of the plants and minimize stress on them. • Water all trees and shrubs prior to planting to ensure adequate moisture for establishment. • All plantings should have plastic tubing placed around the lower stem to reduce small mammal damage and make it easier to locate plantings for future monitoring. • Wood chip mulch should be applied in a donut-shaped mound around each planting to decrease competing vegetation and help to hold moisture in the soil. • Continuing care of the restoration site will be required in the first year or two, including the following (can use volunteers): • Monitor for severe drought conditions that may require supplemental watering in July • Check for extensive deer browse damage that may require treatment (eg. deer sprays, altered species list, etc) • Cut any extensive growth of competing vegetation away from the plantings – may require addition of extra mulch in future years • Mechanically remove new invasive species from the site • Remove protective tubing as the trees outgrow them Volunteer Involvement Planting events are an excellent opportunity to involve volunteers in restoring the landscape. Knowledgeable staff will be required to train and supervise volunteers to ensure quality control. Some considerations when working with the volunteers are outlined below. • Provide an overview of the purpose of restoration including anticipated successional changes. Sandbanks Vegetation Management Plan A-27 Ontario Parks, SE Zone 2009
IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE G – Restoration Implementation Plan • Use container stock of all plants as they provide more consistent results. There is a much greater likelihood that volunteers will incorrectly plant bareroot stock resulting in higher mortality. • Lay out all plants in their intended locations in advance so that the species are placed in their appropriate microsite conditions. • Conduct a demonstration planting to ensure that all volunteers are planting to the same standard. • Perform a “tug test” on all trees to check the quality of each planting. Seeding Method Areas requiring intensive restoration or lacking a good seed source can be seeded. This method is less expensive than planting and should be used whenever possible. This will be particularly important in supplementing the matrix plantings. Partners or volunteers may be interested in helping with seed collection. • Seeds can be collected from on site but should never be more than 10% of the seed from the population nor more than 10% from an individual plant. • Clean and pre-treat the seeds prior to planting or provide them to a local grower to propagate (see list in Appendix C). Seed may also be available in mixes from native plant growers but ensure that no non-native or non-local species are included in the mix. • The following species are known to successfully establish from seed with the appropriate pre-planting requirements in order to break seed dormancy. There are some conflicting opinions on the exact times of stratification but these are rough guidelines intended to simulate winter. • Round-leaved and Alternate-leaved Dogwood – 90 days cold stratification • Green Ash – 90-120 days cold moist stratification • White Oak – none • Red Oak – 90 days cold stratification • Common Elderberry – 90 days cold stratification • Seeding should occur in the spring when ample moisture is available for germination. • Once a treed canopy has been established native herbaceous species can be introduced as seed to encourage the growth of this understorey. Monitoring and Adaptive Management Follow-up monitoring is essential to this project, as subsequent restoration efforts will be based on the successes and lessons learned during the initial phases. Monitoring methods and stations can be set up by zone staff, and can be checked by trained summer staff. The location and abundance of all invasive species (particularly European Buckthorn, Norway Maple,and non-native pines) should be recorded to allow control strategies to be put in place according to Appendix D. For all sites restored in the first phase, and sites where intensive restoration has taken place, the following monitoring program should be followed. At subsequently restored sites less detailed monitoring (tallies only) can take place. Results from this monitoring will determine the success of restoration methods and needs for improvement. If different experimental techniques are attempted the monitoring should be done to allow simple statistical comparisons of techniques. Sandbanks Vegetation Management Plan A-28 Ontario Parks, SE Zone 2009
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Sandbanks Vegetation Management Pla
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Summary of Key Management Recommend
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1.0 Introduction This vegetation st
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Outlet Sector and the former “sug
Page 10 and 11: 2.0 Vegetation Communities - Descri
Page 12 and 13: sector receive much heavier visitat
Page 14 and 15: Shallow Marsh Ecosites A few small
Page 16 and 17: 2.5. Plantations The current versio
Page 18 and 19: Hazardous Trees and Windthrows Safe
Page 20 and 21: Prescribed burning is the deliberat
Page 22 and 23: Table 3.1. Provincially rare specie
Page 24 and 25: disturbances in accordance with the
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Page 28 and 29: Zones Management Objectives Managem
Page 30 and 31: 6.0 Funding/Linkages The projects i
Page 32 and 33: Norris, T. and D. Cuddy. 1990. An E
Page 34 and 35: APPENDIX A - Hazardous Tree Treatme
Page 36 and 37: IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE B - Plantat
Page 38 and 39: IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE B - Plantat
Page 40 and 41: APPENDIX D - Invasive Species Monit
Page 42 and 43: APPENDIX E - Invasive Species Infor
Page 52 and 53: APPENDIX F - Woodlands Monitoring P
Page 58 and 59: IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE G - Restora
Page 66 and 67: APPENDIX H - Sandbanks Species List
Page 72: APPENDIX H - Sandbanks Species List
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Sandbanks Draft Veg Mgmt Plan - Ontario Parks

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