Download Document

Scarlett Maib
Final
Restoration Project: _____________________________________________________________
1. The restored ecosystem contains a characteristic assemblage of the species that occur in the
reference ecosystem and that provide appropriate community structure.
What is the ecosystem type?
What is the characteristic assemblage of plant species? (climax species)
Evergreen
Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menzeisii)
Grand Fir (Abies Grandis)
Madrone (Arbutus menziesii)
Mountain Hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana)
Pacific Silver Fir (Abies amabilis)
Shore Pine (Pinus contorta)
Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis)
Western Hemlock (Tsuga heteropylla)
Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata)
Western Yew (Taxus brevifolia)
Deciduous
Big-leaf maple (Acer macropyllum)
Bitter cherry (Prunus emarginata var. mollis)
Black Cottonwood (Poplus balsamifera)
Cascara (Rhamnus purshiana)
Garry oak (Quercus garryana)
Oregon ash (Fraxinus latifolia)
Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera)
Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides)
Red alder (Alnus rubra)
Red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa)
Vine maple (Acer cicinatum)
Western flowering dogwood (conrus nutallii)
Western larch (Larix occidentalis)
Other:
What animal species are likely inhabitants of such a system?
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Beaver
Bear
Cougar
Deer
Elk
Rabbit
River otter
Squirrels
Other
Scarlett Maib
Final
What are the major characteristic plant species assemblages of such a reference ecosystem?
Evergreen
Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menzeisii)
Grand Fir (Abies Grandis)
Madrone (Arbutus menziesii)
Mountain Hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana)
Pacific Silver Fir (Abies amabilis)
Shore Pine (Pinus contorta)
Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis)
Western Hemlock (Tsuga heteropylla)
Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata)
Western Yew (Taxus brevifolia)
Deciduous
Big-leaf maple (Acer macropyllum)
Bitter cherry (Prunus emarginata var. mollis)
Black Cottonwood (Poplus balsamifera)
Cascara (Rhamnus purshiana)
Garry oak (Quercus garryana)
Oregon ash (Fraxinus latifolia)
Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera)
Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides)
Red alder (Alnus rubra)
Red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa)
Vine maple (Acer cicinatum)
Western flowering dogwood (conrus nutallii)
Western larch (Larix occidentalis)
Other:
Scarlett Maib
Final
2. In general terms, describe what was done in the restoration project:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Cleared
Planted
Weeded
Sprayed what kind:
Invasives were mowed
Live stakes planted
Container plants planted
Bare-root material was planted in January
Mulch
Cardboard
Landscape fabric was used
Invasive trees were girdled
Land was contoured
Pond was built
Stream channel was changed (more sinuous)
Gaps were created
Trees were snagged
Signs were installed
Woody debris was placed along river or floor
Fences, netting put up to protect plants from grazing
Tubes put around base of plants to protect and keep warm
Bundle weeds to make a retaining wall
Boardwalks built
Other:
Scarlett Maib
Final
3. The restored ecosystem consists of indigenous species to the greatest practicable extent. In restored cultural
ecosystems, allowances can be made for exotic domesticated species and for non-invasive ruderal and segetal
species that presumably co-evolved with them. Ruderals are plants that colonize disturbed sites, whereas
segetals typically grow intermixed with crop species.
What native plants were at the pre-restoration site? What planted natives can be identified?
Evergreen
Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menzeisii)
Grand Fir (Abies Grandis)
Madrone (Arbutus menziesii)
Mountain Hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana)
Pacific Silver Fir (Abies amabilis)
Shore Pine (Pinus contorta)
Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis)
Western Hemlock (Tsuga heteropylla)
Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata)
Western Yew (Taxus brevifolia)
Other:
Deciduous
Big-leaf maple (Acer macropyllum)
Bitter cherry (Prunus emarginata var. mollis)
Black Cottonwood (Poplus balsamifera)
Cascara (Rhamnus purshiana)
Garry oak (Quercus garryana)
Oregon ash (Fraxinus latifolia)
Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera)
Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides)
Red alder (Alnus rubra)
Red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa)
Western flowering dogwood (conrus nutallii)
Western larch (Larix occidentalis)
Other:
Evergreen shrubs
Dull Oregon grape(Mahonia nervosa)
Evergreen huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum)
Kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)
Pacific rhododendron (Rhododendron macrophyllum)
Salal (Gaultheria shallon)
Snowbrush (Ceanothus velutinus)
Tall Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifoluim)
Other:
Scarlett Maib
Final
Deciduous shrubs
Baldhip rose (Rosa gymnocarpa)
Black gooseberry (Ribes lacustre)
Bog birch (Betula glandulosa)
Devil’s club (Oplopanax horridus)
Douglas Spirea (Spiraea douglasii)
High bush cranberry (vaccinium parvifoluim)
Indian plum (Oemleria cerasiformis)
Labrador tea (Ledum groenlandicum)
Mock orange (Philadelphus lewisii)
Nootka rose (Rosa nutkana)
Oceanspray (Holodiscus discolor)
Pacific Ninebark (Physocarpus capitatus)
Pacific Willow (Salix lucida)
Red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa)
Red flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum)
Red huckleberry (Vaccinium parvifolium)
Red-osier dogwood (Cornus stolonifera)
Sitka-mountain ash (Sorbus sitchensis)
Snowberry (symphoricarpos albus)
Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis)
Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia)
Subalpine spirea (spirea densiflora)
Swamp rose (Rosa pisocarpa)
Trailing blackberry (Rubus ursinus)
Twinberry (Lonicera incolucrata)
Vine maple (Acer cicinatum)
Other
Herbs
Beargrass (Xeropyllum tenax)
Bedstraw, Cleavers (Galium aparine)
Bog cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccus)
Broad-leaved cattail (Typha latifolia)
Broad-leaved starflower (Trentalis latifolia)
Bunchberry (Cornus unalaschkensis)
Canada goldenrod (Solidago Canadensis)
Coastal strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis)
Cooley’s hedge nettle (Stachys cooleyae)
Cursed buttercup (Ranunculus scelaeratus)
Evergreen violet (Viola sempervirens)
False lily-of-the-valley (Maianthemum dilatatum)
Fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium)
Foamflower (Tiarella trifoliate)
Golden-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium californicum)
Hooker’s fairybells (Disporum hookeri)
Miner’s lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata)
Pacific water parsley (oenanthe sarmentosa)
Silverweed (Potentilla anserine ssp. Pacifica)
Skunk cabbage (Lysichiton americanum)
Small bedstraw (Galium trifidum)
Scarlett Maib
Final
Spanish-clover (Lotus purshiana)
Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica)
Twinflower (Linnaea borealis)
Wapato (Sagittaria latifolia)
Water-parsnip (Sium suave)
Western buttercup (Ranunculus occidentalis)
Western trillium (Triliium ovatum)
Wild strawberry (Fragaria versca)
Woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca)
Wood sorrel (Oxalis oregano)
Other:
Grasses
Big leaf sedge (Carex amplifolia)
Blue wild-rye (Elymus glaucus)
Chamisso’s cotton grass (Eriophorum chamissonis)
Creeping spikerush (Eleocharis palustris)
Cusick’s sedge (Carex cusickii)
Daggerleaf rush (Juncus ensifolius)
Fox sedge (Carex vulpinoidea)
Grey sedge (Carex canescens)
Meadow barley (Hordeum brachyantherum)
Red fescue (Festuca rubra)
Reed mannagrass (Glyceria grandis)
Sawbeak sedge (Carex stipata)
Seacoast bulrush (Scirpus maritimus)
Slender rush (Juncus tenuis)
Slough sedge (Carex obnupta)
Small-flowered bulrush (Scirpus microcarpus)
Softstem bulrush (Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani)
Tall mannagrass (Glyceria elata)
Tappertip rush (Juncus acuminatus)
Thick-head sedge (Carex pachystachya)
Other:
Ferns
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum)
Deer fern (Blechnum spicant)
Field horsetail (Equisetum arvense)
Giant horsetail (Equisetum telmatiea)
Lady fern (Athyruim filix-femina)
Maidenhair fern (Adiantum aleuticum)
Oak fern (Gymnocarpium dryopteris)
Spiny wood fern (Dryopteris expansa)
Sword fern (Polystichum munitum)
Estimate survival of planted natives.
Estimate cover of native plants, by species.
Scarlett Maib
Final
What invasives are on site?
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii Franch)
Common tansy (Tanacetum vulgare)
Diffuse knapweed (Centaurea diffusa Lam.)
Dwarf snapdragon (Chaenorhinum)
English ivy (Hedera helix L.)
Field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis L.)
Japanese knotweed (Plygonum cuspidatum)
Musk thistle, nodding thistle (Carduus nutans L.)
Plumeless thistle (Carduus acanthoides L.)
Purple starthistle (Centaurea calcitrapa)
Reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea)
Silverleaf nightshade (Solanum eleaginfolium)
Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparuius)
Snake flower, blueweed (Echium vulgare)
Spiny cocklebur (Xanbthuim spinosum)
Spotted knapweed (Centaurea beibersteinii)
Tansy ragwort (Senecio jacobaea)
Yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus)
Other:
What has their impact been?
What is percent cover of invasives?
Are invasives increasing, decreasing or stable?
Is there any relationship between environmental factors of the site and the pattern of distribution of native vs.
invasive species?
Scarlett Maib
Final
4. All functional groups necessary for the continued development and/or stability of the restored ecosystem are
represented or, if they are not, the missing groups have the potential to colonize by natural means.
Keep in mind that seasonal changes in climate and biota may influence the answers to the questions below:
What is the vertical structure and what are canopy conditions?
o
o
o
o
o
o
Ground cover
Grasses
Sedges
Shrubs
Vines
Trees
o Closed canopy
o Partially closed canopy
o Open canopy
What is the horizontal structure (distribution of populations of plant species)?
o
o
o
o
Spotty
Dense
Average
Different areas that contain different structures (different plant species on slope than on flat)
What colonization is possible or likely? What factors may restrict colonization (on-site and off-site factors)?
Is the site large or small?
Is the site an element in a fragmented landscape?
What are the ecological characteristics of the surrounding landscape?
Is there a nearby natural community of the type desired as the restoration goal?
How do these structural attributes provide habitat for local native animals? Is there evidence of use by animals?
o
o
o
o
o
o
Nests
Hives
Tracks
Sighting
Webs
Scat
Scarlett Maib
Final
5. The physical environment of the restored ecosystem is capable of sustaining reproducing populations of the
species necessary for its continued stability or development along the desired trajectory.
Keep in mind that seasonal changes in climate and biota may influence the answers to the questions below:
Is there soil that is appropriate for the plants in the proposed ecosystem type? Is soil quick (this means it drains
quickly)? Is soil compacted?
What percentage of site is sunny? Shady?
What percentage of site is wet? Dry?
Is there evidence that some other soil characteristic could be limiting at the site?
o
o
o
o
o
Pollutants
PH
Nutrients
Pollutants
Anoxia
Is there a slope?
Is there a disturbance regime that might prevent success? What factors (on- and off-site) influence the presence of
such a disturbance regime?
Is there a natural disturbance regime (e.g., flooding) associated with the reference system
If site is degraded because of disturbance, what was it like before disturbance? How long did disturbance
continue?
What is the annual site moisture fluctuation likely to be?
Scarlett Maib
Final
6. The restored ecosystem apparently functions normally for its ecological stage of development, and signs of
dysfunction are absent.
List important ecosystem functions expected in the restoration site (flood attenuation, water quality improvement,
habitat, etc.)
Are plants growing? Are root systems well-established? Are plants reproducing successfully on site yet?
Is survival good? What is the mortality rate?
Is litter produced? Are the plants producing shade?
Are weeds being suppressed? If not, are they impacting the growth and spread of the planted species?
Has habitat for animals begun to develop? (invertebrates, fish, birds, mammals)
Were artificial habitat structures or features created? Do they function?
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Bee boxes
Bat boxes
Nest boxes
Rock piles
Crock pots
Perches
Other:
Is there evidence of trophic web development (invertebrates in wood or soil, fish or birds feeding on them, etc.)?
Scarlett Maib
Final
7. The restored ecosystem is suitably integrated into a larger ecological matrix or landscape, with which it
interacts through abiotic and biotic flows and exchanges.
What are the primary and secondary directions of material flow? (Put a p next to the primary and an s next to the
secondary)
_
_
_
_
Water (river, creek, etc.)
Animals (birds, squirrels, etc.)
Wind
Other:
What birds, amphibians, invertebrates, mammals or fish have access to, or use, the site?
Is there evidence for the natural re-supply of important structural features (e.g., woody debris)?
Are there corridors or are there adjacent native communities?
Are there water features or is there interaction with water features?
Scarlett Maib
Final
8. Potential threats to the health and integrity of the restored ecosystem from the surrounding landscape have
been eliminated or reduced as much as possible.
Back along the pathways of material flow, off-site, what kinds of native or invasive plants or animals exist?
Plants
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii Franch)
Common tansy (Tanacetum vulgare)
Diffuse knapweed (Centaurea diffusa Lam.)
Dwarf snapdragon (Chaenorhinum)
English ivy (Hedera helix L.)
Field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis L.)
Japanese knotweed (Plygonum cuspidatum)
Musk thistle, nodding thistle (Carduus nutans L.)
Plumeless thistle (Carduus acanthoides L.)
Purple starthistle (Centaurea calcitrapa)
Reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea)
Silverleaf nightshade (Solanum eleaginfolium)
Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparuius)
Snake flower, blueweed (Echium vulgare)
Spiny cocklebur (Xanbthuim spinosum)
Spotted knapweed (Centaurea beibersteinii)
Tansy ragwort (Senecio jacobaea)
Yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus)
Other:
Animals (fill in only if they are causing problems)
o
o
o
o
o
Beaver
Deer
Elk
Geese
Other:
Identify specific likely entry points or corridors for invasive plants and animals.
o
o
o
Edges
Areas of light
Other:
Are there off-site threats for flooding or sediment, or any other threats?
o
o
o
o
o
o
Wind
Heat
Predators
Pollutants
Feral pets
People
Is there care taken on-site to make site less receptive to threats? Bad on-site practices are un-vegetated disturbed
areas, continuing disturbances, perennial shallow ponds, un-managed invasive populations, etc.
Scarlett Maib
Final
9. The restored ecosystem is sufficiently resilient to endure the normal periodic stress events in the local
environment that serve to maintain the integrity of the ecosystem.
Keep in mind the degree of successional development and successional trajectory while answering the questions
below:
Are plants established well-enough to be left without regular care? (Are they tall enough, do they cast enough
shade, is there canopy closure, are there gaps between plants, is there a multiple-layer canopy?)
Do plants need continued watering? Weeding? Soil amendments?
Are natural processes that perpetuate a system still operative
o
o
o
o
o
Fire
Flooding
Grazing
Windthrow
Other:
Is the restored system mature enough to survive the natural processes, including those mentioned above?
Scarlett Maib
Final
10. The restored ecosystem is self-sustaining to the same degree as its reference ecosystem, and has the
potential to persist indefinitely under existing environmental conditions. Nevertheless, aspects of its
biodiversity, structure and functioning may change as part of normal ecosystem development, and may
fluctuate in response to normal periodic stress and occasional disturbance events of greater consequence. As in
any intact ecosystem, the species composition and other attributes of a restored ecosystem may evolve as
environmental conditions change.
State or hypothesize the likely goal of the restoration.
Assess the likelihood that the goal can be attained.
What were/are the problems?
Estimate the extent to which the project goals were accomplished.
What is the successional state of the restoration project? Of the target ecosystem?
o
o
o
o
Early successional
Mid successional
Late successional
Climax
How harsh is the environment, or how great are potential fluctuations (floods in riparian zones, droughts in
prairies, frost-heave in alpine, etc.)?
Give the restoration project a score:_____________________________________
(Out of 100%. Below 70% is failing)