Tourism and Recreation

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Invasive Plant Strategy for British Columbia
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Outline

• Why is FBC involved?- Why are invasive plants
  an issue? - What are the impacts?- What is the
  Invasive Plant Strategy and Council?- What is
  the Council doing?

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Why is the Fraser Basin Council Involved?

• FBCs Board of Directors called for action on
  invasive plants after a Cariboo field trip in
  2001.
• FBC brings people together to find solutions to
  complex issues.
• FBC hosted the Weeds Know No Boundaries
  Symposium in 2002.
• FBC led the development of the Invasive Plant
  Strategy.

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Why are Invasive Plants an Issue?
BC is being attacked by foreign invaders and we
are losing the battle. MLA Dave Chutter

• Invasive Plants
• Threaten fragile ecosystems
• Reduce biodiversity
• Cost our economy millions of dollars each year

Purple Loosestrife
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What are Invasive Plants?
Spotted Knapweed

• Any invasive, alien plant species that can pose
  detrimental impacts on humans, animals,
  ecosystems and the economy
• Can establish quickly and easily on new sites
• Often referred to as non-native,
  foreign,exotic or introduced plant species
  - or just weeds

Diffuse Knapweed
Scotch Broom
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How Do Invasive Plants Spread?

• Seeds carried by livestock and wildlife
• From land clearing and logging
• By land- and water-based recreational activities
  (e.g., ATVs and boats)
• Horticultural industry selling non-native
  species
• From excessive grazing
• Along transportation corridors

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How Big A Problem are Invasive Plants?
Oxeye Daisy Infestation

• Spread of invasive plant species is the second
  most significant threat to biodiversity after
  urban development.
• Once infested, many sites can never be restored.

Dalmatian Toadflax Infestation
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Invasive Plant Alert
Yellow Starthistle
invasive plants (can cause) a level of
destruction to the environment and the economy
matched only by damage caused by floods,
earthquakes, wildfire, hurricanes and mudslides.
US Secretary of the Interior
Over 20 million acres in north-western US are
infested with the toxic Yellow Starthistle and
its moving north in BC.
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Invasive Plants Beautiful but Deadly
vs
Natural Habitat
Purple Loosestrife Infestation
Example Purple Loosestrife Beautiful plants
but they kill 50 to 100 of native plants and
destroy wetland nesting and feeding sites.
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Invasive Plants Explode In BC!

• Seeds can lie dormant for decades
• Some weeds produce over 1 million seeds per
  plant
• Many species have no predators
• Some weeds release toxins

Diffuse Knapweed

• Year 1 1 plant drops 400 seeds
• Year 2 400 plants drop 400 seeds
• Year 3 160,000 plants drop 400 seeds

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Invasive Plants Impact All Industries and Citizens
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Invasive Plants Impact All Regions of BC
6 of over 40 major invasive plants in BC.
Note Many of these invasive plant species
overlap in distribution. Other species impact
other areas of the province.
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Example of Impending Disaster
1981
1997
2002
Marsh Thistle Invasion
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Marsh Thistle Invasion the Future?
Projected 2016
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Invasive Plants
Field Scabious

• Destroy the environment
• Impact many economic sectors forestry,
  agriculture, utilities, recreation and tourism
• Harm human and animal health

Common Tansy
Spotted Knapweed
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Environmental Impacts

• Loss of biodiversity
• Native grasses, wildflowers and endangered
  species destroyed

• Loss of wildlife habitat
• 7 rare plants eliminated by Knapweed in 3 years
  in Glacier National Park
• Reduce elk winter forage by 50-90

• Loss of water quality and fish habitat
• Runoff increased 56 and stream sedimen-tation
  192 due to Spotted Knapweed

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Environmental Impacts
Example Impenetrable habitat and severe
wildfire hazard due to Gorse spines
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Economic Impacts

• Forestry
• Agriculture
• Ranching
• Utilities
• Tourism and Recreation
• Fish and Wildlife
• Property Values

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Forestry

• Invasive Plants
• Raise wildfire hazard
• Suppress forest regeneration
• Increase soil erosion and stream sedimentation
• Damage young trees and seedlings

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Agriculture

• Invasive Plants
• Host insects and crop diseases
• Reduce farm income (avg. yield reduction 10-15)
• Reduce crop quality and market opportunities
• Annual crop impact - 50 million
• Increase wildlife/cattle conflicts

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Ranching

• 50 loss of forage on some BC grazing lands
  lost value exceeds 30 million/year.
• Knapweed caused 42 million damage in Manitoba.
• Leafy Spurge caused 129 million damage in four
  northern US states.
• Economic losses in BC have not been calculated
  but they are in the millions of dollars
  annually.

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Utilities

• Invasive plants
• Cost BC Hydro, gas companies, highways and other
  companies millions of dollar in control costs
  each year
• Are easily spread along transportation corridors

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Tourism and Recreation

• Invasive plants
• Destroy natural landscapes
• Create physical barriers for recreational users
  hikers, hunters, photographers, fishers
• Reduce recreational opportunities by 20 million

Scotch Thistle grows 7 ft. high
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Property Values Communities

• Invasive Plants
• Decrease property values
• e.g., 30 million reduction in land values in
  Manitoba due to leafy spurge
• Reduce income and economic opportunities
• Increase control costs for local governments

Sulphur Cinquefoil Vernon
Leafy Spurge
Leafy Spurge Invermere
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Animal Health

• St. Johns-wort photosensitization
• Plant induced birth defects
• Cumulative liver damage

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Human Health and Safety
Toxic Nightshade Berries

• Toxic Nightshade berries
• Poison Ivy blisters
• Corridor site lines
• Hay fever and allergies
• Giant Hogweed skin burns

Poison Ivy Blisters
Giant Hogweed - Skin Burns
Corridor Site Lines
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What is the Invasive Plant Strategy?

• A groundbreaking document that outlines a
  strategic, province-wide approach to invasive
  plant management throughout BC.
• Input received from a wide range of interests
  including government, First Nations, business and
  industry, user groups, utilities and NGOs.

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Who Developed the Strategy?

• BC Cattlemens Association
• First Nations
• Fraser Basin Council
• Integrated Vegetation Management Association of
  BC
• Ministry of Agriculture
• Ministry of Forests
• Regional Weed Committees
• Union of BC Municipalities

The Fraser Basin Council Invasive Plant Strategy
Writing Group
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What is the Goal of the Strategy?
To build cooperation and coordination to protect
British Columbias environment and minimize
negative social and economic impacts caused by
the introduction, establishment and spread of
invasive alien plants.
Caribou in a field of Yellow Hawkweed
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What are the Key Recommendations?

• 1. Establish an Independent Council
• With a diverse membership
• 2. Build an Independent Trust Fund
• funded jointly by governments/industry
• to coordinate key education/information
• 3. Expand Memorandum of Support
• encourages all to work together
• not limited to funding agencies

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So Where are We Now?

• www.invasiveplantcouncilbc.ca

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• is a non-profit organization
• promotes coordination across jurisdictions
• involves representatives from land owners and
  users across BC
• has open inclusive membership

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Invasive Plant Council of BC 1st Annual Forum
January 2005

• Guest Speaker from US Geological Survey, North
  Carolina
• Expanded broad membership
• Appointed a diverse Board of Directors
• Identified priority actions for Council

Randy Westbrooks, (Presenter) Invasive Plant
Coordinator, South Carolina
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Who are the Members?

• 1. Membership is open to all
• Over 120 agencies people have signed the
  Memorandum of Support
• 2. Members provide direction for the Council
• Board of Directors responsible for implementation
• 3. Members select the directors by perspective

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Who is the Board of Directors?

• Board of 17 directors
• Works by consensus
• Gets direction from members/Committees
• Selected from each interest/perspective

• Federal government
• First Nations
• Provincial government
• Local government
• Forest Industry
• Mining
• Agriculture
• Utilities
• Transportation
• Regional Weed Committees
• Conservation/wildlife
• Recreation/tourism

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Current Board of Directors

• Duncan Barnett, BC Cattlemens, Williams Lake
• Henry Benskin, Ministry of Forests, Victoria
• Michael Betts, Ministry of Agriculture, Food
  Fisheries, Victoria
• Tim Caton, Peace River Regional District, Dawson
  Creek
• Angelo Dalcin, Canadian Pacific Railway, Calgary
• Carla Fraser, Council of Forest Industries, Elko
• Jennifer Grenz, Evergreen, Vancouver
• Dave Holden, Canadian Food Inspection Agency,
  Burnaby

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Current Board of Directors cont

• Kristy Palmantier, Williams Lake Indian Band,
  Williams Lake
• Dave Polster, Polster Environmental Services,
  Duncan
• Joe Post, Thompson Nicola Regional District,
  Kamloops
• Brian Reader, Parks Canada, Victoria
• Ernie Sellentin, Comox Valley Naturalist Society,
  Comox
• Gwen Shrimpton, BC Transmission Corp, Surrey
• Edi Torrans, Southern Interior Weed Management
  Committee, Kamloops
• David Turner, City of North Vancouver, North
  Vancouver

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What is the Role of the Council?

• 1. Coordinate invasive plant management programs
• recommend changes in legislation
• conduct gap analysis for local delivery
• 2. Develop a process to determine acceptable
  level of management in BC
• 3. Produce a list of invasive plant species
• 4. Coordinate education and information

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Role of the Council cont

• 5. Promote the establishment and maintenance of
  plant inventory
• 6. Address early detection and eradication of
  outbreaks
• 7. Manage proposed trust fund
• 8. Identify research needs and priorities
• 9. Monitor strategys effectiveness

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What does the Council do?

• Work done by committees
• 1. Communications Education
• 2. Funding
• 3. Legislation, Regulation and Compliance
• 4. Technical
• 5. Research Development

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Communications Committee
Whats Been Done? 1. Launched website
Logo www.invasiveplantcouncilbc.ca 2. Published
first newsletter 3. Initiated inventory of
existing communication materials
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Communications Whats Next?

• 1. Complete Inventory
• 2. Identify gaps in communication resources
• 3. Develop brochure(s) on key topics

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Legislation, Regulation Compliance Committee
Whats been done? 1. Initiated a draft listing
of current regulation and legislation
Common Tansy
Spotted Knapweed
Field Scabious
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Legislation, Regulation Compliance

• Whats Next?
• 1. Complete listing and look at compliance
  options
• 2. Identify actions to improve effective
  legislations, regulation and compliance

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Technical Committee Whats Next?

• Next steps
• 1. Review all current databases for tracking
  invasive plant management
• 2. Recommend actions for a province-wide approach
  

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Funding Committee

• Whats Been Done?
• 1. Prepared a one five year budget
• 2. Began actions for pursuing funding sources
• 3. Recruited internal operating funds

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Funding Committee Whats Next?

• 1. Seek additional funding options
• 2. Develop trust fund
• purpose, potential actions and funding
• 3. Recruit funding

Scotch Broom
Spotted Knapweed
Diffuse Knapweed
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Research Development Committee

Whats Next? 1. Review all current databases for
tracking invasive plant management 2. Recommend
actions for a province-wide approach
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Who Should Be Involved?

• Federal Government
• First Nations
• Provincial Government
• Local Government
• Forest Industry
• Agriculture and Ranching
• Utilities
• Transportation
• Conservation and Wildlife
• Recreation and Tourism
• Academic and Research
• Other Professional and Business Groups
• And You!

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COME JOIN US www.invasiveplantcouncilbc.ca