SIFCo

INVASIVE PLANTS

 

In the summer/fall of 2008 an Invasive Alien Plant Program (IAPP) Inventory was undertaken to determine the extent of invasive plants within the Slocan Integral Forestry Cooperative’s (SIFCO) Forest Tenure and to develop a management strategy to address the issue.

 

The three most invasive plant species found in the study area, posing the greatest threat to the forest community were: spotted knapweed (Centaurea maculosa), followed by oxeye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) and Canadian thistle (Cirsium arvense). Invasive plants were found almost exclusively along Forest Service Road (FSR) right-of-ways or on adjacent landings and other disturbed sites.

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In order to reduce the invasive plants to non-threatening levels, a combination of mechanical treatments (using a road grader followed by a hand-pulling ground crew to remove the invasive plants) was recommended. A total of 84 km of road right-of-way were identified for either machine treatment, hand-pulling, or both.

 

The removal of Invasive Plants, followed by seeding of competing non-invasive grasses, should be completed at least once a year, for three to four years, to prevent re-invasion.

 

The treatment efficacy should be monitored closely so that changes to the prescription can be made if necessary in order to achieve the goals of the project and to ensure the cost-effective delivery of the program.

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SIFCo began this project mid-July 2009 with a $135 600 investment through the Job Opportunities Program. An application for funding for the 2010 season was sent, but unfortunately no funds were secured.

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Invasive Plant Management remains one of SIFCo's focusses and every year we continue to do all that is financially possible to slow the advancement of Invasive Plants in the Slocan Valley.

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For more information on Invasive Plants go to https://www.ckiss.ca/

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To download the final report from our 2009 project click here >> (PDF 3.5MB)

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