2002 Restoration Plan for Dionisio Point Provincial Park Galiano Island

2002 Restoration Plan for Dionisio Point Provincial Park Galiano Island

Prepared by:
Nathan Gaylor
Odin Scholz
Keith Erickson
May  2002

Link to PDF report: 2002RestorationPlanforDionisioPointProvincialParkGalianoIsland-FIA2002MR027.

At the landscape level, Dionisio plays an important role in the protected areas strategy for Galiano Island. Connectivity between existing protected areas running from mid-island to the northern most point including Pebble Beach Nature Reserve, Laughlin Lake, Bodega Ridge Reserve, Ecological Reserve # 128 and finally Dionisio Point Provincial Park, is of highest conservation priority (MAP 2). Unprotected corridors of intact, rare and sensitive ecosystems are present throughout the island landscape and have been identified as possible additions to the network.

Up until 150 years ago, over 75% of the forest landscape of East Vancouver Island and the adjacent Gulf Islands was dominated by trees greater than 100 years of age. Today only 2.6% or 10,605 hectares of the same landscape is characterized by older forest (McPhee et al., 2000). Regenerating forests, agricultural lands, roads and urban development have replaced and fragmented old forest ecosystems within the Coastal Douglas-fir Biogeoclimatic Zone (CDF) making them some of the most endangered in British Columbia. All old-growth forest types that are either dominated or co-dominated by Douglas-fir within the CDF are currently on the province’s list of rare and endangered ecosystems (Flynn, 1999).

Abstract Project Name: Galiano Forest and Woodland Restoration Project, #0-11 Project Proponent: Galiano Conservancy Association Key words: Coastal Douglas-fir restoration, invasive exotics, Garry oak restoration, restoration plan The Galiano Conservancy Association has an ongoing program to re-establish and conserve the natural range of ecological processes on Galiano Island. Landscape level GIS analysis and public consultation have identified priority conservation areas in former Coastal Douglas-fir clearcuts and industrial areas, and in Garry oak bluffs. This year’s project involved treating 6 hectares of land for removal of invasive exotic vegetation, planting 3 hectares of land after exotic species removal, assessing 1.5 hectares of old gravel pit for restoration treatments, treating 0.5 hectares of this gravel pit, and developing restoration plans for 110 hectares of clearcut and plantation forest. Public outreach was a component of this project and 2 forest restoration workshops were held and 4 local newspaper articles were written. This project was assisted by many days of skilled volunteer labour. The restoration plans resulting from this work are available from the Ministry library: 1) Gaylor, N., O. Scholz and K. Erickson. 2002. Restoration Plan for DL 63 of the Pebble Beach Nature Reserve. Galiano Conservancy Association, May 2002. 2) Gaylor, N., O. Scholz and K. Erickson. 2002. Restoration Plan for Dionisio Provincial Park. Galiano Conservancy Association, March 2002.