Victoria_Park_Re port Final.pdf - City of Charlottetown

VICTORIA PARK COMPREHENSIVE MASTER PLAN
Final Report • June 2013
There are three vehicular entrances to the park. Two define the ring road as it enters
and exits the park at the west and east corners, and a third enters from the north off
of Brighton Road. The west entrance is particularly understated. It is dominated by a
small chain link fence, a small grassy field, yellow traffic barriers, and poorly maintained
asphalt paving. The east entrance is slightly better, visually, with views to Government
House, the adjacent Government Pond, and ornamental trees and flowers. The rub
however, is that during the summer months vehicles cannot enter from this side. The
north entry off of Brighton Road is hidden. Obscured by trees and lacking any signage, it
feels like the maintenance entry or back door. In every case, each of the three entrances
suffers from a lack of signage, directions, or sense of arrival.
Climate
The City of Charlottetown’s climate is influenced by its coastal location, and the
moderating qualities of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. This coastal environment creates less
swing between winter and summer temperatures and leads to milder, wetter winters
than other cities with the same latitude. Winter precipitation varies between snow and
rain, with the average snowfall approximately 300cm, and the average annual rainfall in
the order of 884mm (source: Environment Canada). Temperatures range from a winter
minimum of -11.6c to a summer maximum of 23.2c.
Charlottetown is typically breezy, with average winds of 15.9 km/h from the west or
southwest direction. The City receives an annual average of 1,858 hours of sunlight /
year, typically deriving from 288 days with measurable sunshine. This is approximately
40% of the hours of daylight that are possible, suggesting that the City is often
overcast. The location of Victoria Park, at the southern tip of Charlottetown, provides
high exposure to the influence of the surrounding harbour. It is often windy on the
boardwalk, with little protection offered from the west or southwestern winds. Salt
spray makes growing conditions challenging along the southern edge of the forest.
Charlottetown is classified as falling in horticultural hardiness zone 5b, meaning that in
shelter locations a wide range of plant material (relative to other Canadian cities) will
thrive.
Urban Forest Assessment
The urban forest of Victoria Park is large and important component of the park. The
forest helps to define the spaces within the park, dictate and facilitate circulation
patterns, and adds to the ecological perception of the park. Surveys and public
workshops placed a high degree of value on the upkeep of the forest, maintenance of
the park’s ecology was highly regarded, and the public’s perception of the forest was
generally positive. The public perception of the forest condition does not, however,
align with the 2008 Forest Master Plan.
The forest’s health has been stressed by over a century’s worth of human habitation,
recreation, construction, and activity. Originally a pristine Acadian forest, the woods
of Victoria Park are now a patchwork of growth cycles. There are many older trees
near death, and many newer trees have sprung up in the wake of insect infestations,
purposeful clearing, and Hurricane Juan. Since parts of the woods were once used as
agricultural lands, many trees are young and may be growing in nutrient-poor soils.
Due to excessive plantings of ornamental trees throughout the park, the native forest
has succumbed to a mix of native, invasive, and naturalized tree types. While the forest
stands may have been existence for centuries, the trees themselves are relatively
young. Excessive brush clearing over the years has also yielded a forest low in natural
biodiversity.
Furthermore, the fragmented spatial dimension of the forest have created numerous
edge conditions. While mature edge conditions are rich in biodiversity and an
important part of ecologies, the edge conditions of Victoria Park are immature. In
newer edges there is a reduction in flora and fauna, an increase in erosion and runoff,
an increase in tree stress from sun scalding or frost cracking, reduction in forest
canopy, and potential soil compaction from human traffic.
The forest health as a whole is generally suffering from four blights; fragmentation
of the forest creating excessive edge conditions; invasive non-native species; insects
and fungal attacks including beech bark disease, and bronze birch borers; and general
disregard by some members of the public resulting in vandalism, litter, and thoughtless
damage.
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