Keifer Ecological Services

• Kinbasket Reservoir Revegetation Program
• Arrow Lakes Reservoir Revegetation Program
• Silviculture, Wildfire and Forest Stand Effects on Huckleberries
• Spalding’s Campion Inventory and Habitat Assessment
• MOE Elder Creek Prescribed Burn
• Spatial and Quality Attributes of Culturally Important Plants
• Rare Plant Propagation and Restoration, Waneta Expansion Project
• Whitebark and Limber Pine Restoration in BC
• Impact of Accelerated Timber Harvesting on NTFPs
• Aberfeldie Channel and Revegetation Program
• Effects of Mountain Pine Beetle on NTFRs
• Revegetation of Disturbed Wetlands in Westpath Expansion Area
• Managing Saskatoon and other Traditionally Important Plants
• Invasive Plant Inventories at Provincial Parks
• Profile of NTFRs in the Cascade Forest District
• Invasive Species Mitigation Practices after Forest Management Activities
• Ethnobotanical Inventory, Invermere
• Reconnaissance Level Wetland Testing on TaTa/Skookumchuck Range
• Revegetation Monitoring - Kootenay 230 kV System Transmission Line
• Cultural Plants of the Creston Wetlands
• Morels in the East Kootenay, BC

Revegetation of Disturbed Wetlands in Westpath Expansion Area

Sedges (Carex spp.) are important plants that are mainly found in wet areas, and they characterise many of the East Kootenay’s wetland plant communities.  During the construction of the TransCanada Pipelines Westpath Extension vegetation inventory revealed Carex communities that were in the path of this development.  A result of this inventory was the recommendation that Carex seedlings be planted in these areas following disturbance.  Due to the uncertainty of planting sedges an experimental approach was adapted.

The objective of this project was to test different methods of re-establishing wetland sedges following pipeline construction in order to find which method(s) are most effective and cost efficient at achieving this objective.  The results of this study are anticipated to assist TransCanada Pipelines efficiently restore sedge wetlands during future projects.

Sedges are members of the family Cyperaceae and fall into the genus Carex; within BC, this genus is well represented with over 250 species occurring in BC (Douglas et al. 2002).  With such a large diversity in species, there are obvious challenges in identification.  To achieve near certainty in identification one must have entire plant samples including fruiting structures and employ a dissecting microscope, sophisticated genera specific language and dichotomous keys such as Douglas et al. (2002).  Many species of sedge are rhizomatous and tend to form dense sods while other species are caespitose meaning that they grow in tufts (Monsen et al. 2004).  Sedges are valuable as food for waterfowl, ungulates and other animals; in addition they provide valuable cover for amphibians and other organisms. 

Many species sedge are known to have high levels of seed dormancy (Schütz 2000).  There is also a widespread belief that many sedge species have low seed viability leading to challenges in obtaining high levels of germination with sedge.

In related attempts of restoring wetlands, it has been found that despite the creation of good growing conditions for sedge that they are slow to re-establish without planting (Budelsky & Galatowitsch 2004).  This overall lack of success in recolonization is in contrast with its “superior competitive characteristics” (ibid.). 

The site is located roughly 6 km up the Leach Creek Forest Services road near Michelle, BC.  It is within the dry cool montane spruce subzone (MSdk), within this zone, it is most similar to the 06 site series as described in Braumandl & Curran (1992).  Within much of the site, the watertable is at the surface throughout the year.  Adjacent forested areas are dominated by hybrid spruce (Picea engelmanii X glauca).  Less disturbed wetland areas adjacent to the pipeline are characterised by a fringe of willow (Salix spp.) and sedge in the wetter portions.  Recently disturbed areas in the pipeline right of way that were not planted are dominated by agronomic species and frequently have low plant cover in wetter areas.