Unit 2A - Pre-Disturbance Planning PDF

Documenting the Disturbance and Planning Unit 2 Why do we document the disturbance and create a plan ? Project application Identify conditions Conserve plants/communities Reduce impacts Identify appropriate resources Prepare for revegetation Steps: 1. Identify the dis...

Documenting the Disturbance and Planning Unit 2 Why do we document the disturbance and create a plan ? Project application Identify conditions Conserve plants/communities Reduce impacts Identify appropriate resources Prepare for revegetation Steps: 1. Identify the disturbed site, boundaries, potential causes, and ownership 2. Identify the need for restoration (If man made you have to fix it, it natural it doesn’t always need to be fixed) 3. Identify end land-use and goals (equivalent land use) 1. Identifying the project site, boundaries and ownership disturbances  Identifying disturbance type  Disturbance characteristics  Ownership Identifying disturbance types- identifying the disturbance will help you direct your questions characteristics you need to determine Industrial sites – open pit mining, well sites and batteries, extraction Linear disturbances- Roads, utilities, accesses Acid rain- air pollution Soil erosion- agricultural, deforestation, urbannisation Identifying disturbance types cont. Flooding- dams, urbanization, Monocultures- agricultural, forestry Introduced species- ….anything… Eutrophication- agriculture, aquaculture, sewage, industry Deforestation- industry, urbanization Desertification- dams, agriculture, industry  Identifying disturbance characteristics Size- Will it spread horizontally, will it extend to a great depth, Duration/ Frequency/ Timing Extend– Does it fundamentally change the ecosystem (i.e. put up a parking lot) Direct influences on the ecosystem Indirect influences on the ecosystem Influences on ecosystem function  Identifying disturbance characteristics Ex: Oil Well, Disturbance type: industrial Size: 1 hecter Duration:~ 8 months- 40 years Extent: Makes noise, pollutes, cant hold moisture in soil Direct influences: Large piece of infrastructure, removed vegetation, no water information, no wildlife, lots of traffic Indirect influences: Removal of biodiversity, impacted a population Influence on function: Moved water information, no photosynthesis, no habitat, no nutrient cycling Ownership ? Why does ownership matter ? Who’s pay What is required What do they want/need How do you approach them Where do you find this information? Maps Project descriptions  Identify the need for restoration (What will you be disturbing/ what has been disturbed)  What are the site conditions?  What exactly are/ should be the site functions?  Assemble baseline conditions The goal is to:  Collect critical information to validate or reject various land- use objectives, plan disturbance footprint and develop associated restoration options  Will restoration be a viable option on this site? Site location  Access ? Municipal landowner maps, One stop- AER AbaData- Mapping tool developed by Abacus Datagraphics http://abadata.ca/ http://www.maptown.com/Vermillion_River_County_24 Site location  Natural region?  Key habitat?  Ecosite?  Investigate baseline information Site conditions Physical environment Soil and soil productivity Vegetation Hydrology Fish and fish habitat Wetlands Wildlife and wildlife habitat  Site conditions Physical Environment  Areas of ground instability  Steep slope, soil type, water features, etc.  Flooding potential  Fire potential  Growing conditions  Site conditions Soils and Soil Productivity Critical to planning field operations Topsoil, subsoil stripping and storage Critical to proper soil reclamation AGRASID  Site conditions Soils cont.  Ideally, should be done both before and after disturbance Things can change in stockpiles Operational mix-ups  Analyses required will vary with each site  Site conditions Soils and Soil Productivity What to investigate? Give concise inventory of soil characteristics:  Chemistry  Texture  Stoniness  Horizons and horizon depths  Compaction potential  Erosion potential  Potential contaminants  Site conditions Soils cont. Soil maps with detailed soil descriptions are available for most lands within the White Zone AGRASID database http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/ $department/deptdocs.nsf/all /sag3249  Site conditions Vegetation Survey prior to disturbance, at arrival, or as early as possible  Use appropriate methods  Includes adjacent areas  Site conditions Vegetation cont. Native Prairie inventories exist for the grasslands and are being developed for the parkland http:// www.albertapcf.or g/  Site conditions Vegetation cont. Inventory: composition, abundance, reproductive capability, and extent of species that are:  Economically important Native Rare Introduced  Site conditions Vegetation cont. For forested lands:  Amount/Species/Area Ownership- Timber  Merchantability  Site conditions Vegetation cont. Native plants: Source of native propagules Reference plant community  Site conditions Vegetation cont. Rare Plants and Communities ‘Any native species that due to its biological characteristics, its occurrence at the fringe of its range, or other reasons, exists in low numbers or in restricted areasSmreciu et al. 2003  Site conditions Vegetation cont. Survey Rare Plants to: determine the location of all rare plant species at a site Can confirm the presence of a rare plant species, but cannot rule out its existence  Plan conservation/ mitigation Guidelines:  Site conditions Vegetation cont. Location of Rare Plants: Can be found anywhere, but most likely to be found:  Microhabitats  Ephemeral (usually wetland seasonal) habitats  Unusual landscapes feature  Transition zone between larger habitat types  Site conditions Vegetation cont. Location of Rare Plants: Associated with a particular substrate, seasonal water pattern, landscape feature, or an association with  Site conditions Vegetation cont. Mitigation for Rare Plant Habitat 1. Avoidance Preferred choice Reroute or relocate disturbance  Site conditions Vegetation cont. Mitigation for Rare Plant Habitat 2. Minimize impact Next best choice Use site in winter or use protective matting  Site conditions Vegetation cont. Mitigation for Rare Plant Habitat 3. Salvage plants or propagules Poor choice Requires knowledge of species ecology Soil matching, reducing competition, companion planting  Site conditions Vegetation cont. Mitigation for Rare Plant Habitat 4. Propagation and replacement Last choice Required successional stage, required plant associations  Site conditions Vegetation cont. Invasive Species May not appear until ground is disturbed - But present in seed bank Perennial weeds are of particular concern - large, dense populations of annuals can also inhibit native plant establishment Restoration project will fail unless  Site conditions Vegetation cont. Invasive Species Prevent establishment! May require years of control before conditions are suitable for native species establishment  2.2. Site conditions Hydrology Site drainage pathways  Slope and aspect  Defined channels (dry and wet)  Microtopography Any person or company planning  Moist sites to undertake an activity that may affect the land or vegetation  Ground water under or around a water body, or depth and flow may affect the location, flow or quality of the water or aquatic  Discharge areas environment, requires prior Consult the Water authorization and must submit a Water Act application or notice Act – will you need to Alberta Environment and Parks an approval? (or to the Alberta Energy  2.2. Site conditions Fish and Fish Habitat  Establish open communication with DFO  http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/index-eng.htm Consult the Federal Fisheries Act Section 35: Harmful alteration, disturbance and destruction prohibited without authorization Section 36: No pollution of fish bearing water Consult the Provincial Fisheries Act Invasive species and diseases  2.2. Site conditions Fish cont. ID Fish species Life stages during project lifespan Seasonally sensitive periods  2.2. Site conditions Fish cont. Description of watercourse crossing techniques for each crossing And/or Description of conditions to which crossing will ne reclaimed and evaluation criteria  2.2. Site conditions Wetlands ID Wetland:  Classification  Distribution Current levels of disturbance  ID capacities of wetlands to function  Interaction between wildlife and wetland habitat- eg: Seasonal dynamics