Ministry of Environment
Environmental Stewardship Division
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Abstract
Résumé
Appendices
List of Figures
List of Tables
List of Photos
1.1 Purpose of the Technical Report
1.2 Objectives of the Sensitive Ecosystems Inventory
1.3 Study Area
1.4 Rationale
1.4.1 Ecological Importance
1.4.2 Development pressure
1.5 History of the SEI Project
1.6 Sensitive Ecosystems Categories
1.7 Inventory Format
Section 2 - Methodology and Limitations
2.1 Study Area Boundaries
2.2 SEI Ecosystem Classification
2.3 Inventory Phase 1: Air Photo Interpretation (1993 - 1994)
2.3.1 Air photos
2.3.2 Mapping criteria
2.3.3 Database Development
2.3.4 Working maps
2.4 Inventory Phase 2: Field Checking (1994 and 1995 field seasons)
2.4.1 Field sampling strategy
2.4.2 Private land access protocol
2.4.3 Field work
2.4.4 Full ecological plots
2.4.5 CWS Comox Valley Wetlands Inventory (CVWI) field work
2.5 Inventory Phase 3: Map Preparation (1995 - 1997)
2.5.1 Digitizing
2.5.2 Databases
2.5.3 Map development
2.6 Limitations
2.6.1 Revisions and updates
2.7 Obtaining Further Information
Section 3 - Ecosystem Descriptions
3.1 Significance and Interdependence of Ecosystem Types at the Landscape Level
3.2 Coastal Bluff (CB)
3.3 Sparsely Vegetated (SV)
3.4 Terrestrial Herbaceous (HT)
3.5 Wetland (WN)
3.6 Riparian (RI)
3.7 Woodland (WD)
3.8 Older Forest (OF)
3.9 Older Second Growth Forest (SG)
3.10 Seasonally Flooded Agricultural Field (FS)
Section 4 - Results and Discussion
4.1 Limitations of the Analysis
4.2 Analysis of Results for Entire SEI Study Area
4.2.1 Summary data
4.2.2 Coastal Bluff (CB)
4.2.3 Sparsely Vegetated (SV)
4.2.4 Terrestrial Herbaceous (HT)
4.2.5 Wetland (WN)
4.2.6 Riparian (RI)
4.2.7 Woodland (WD)
4.2.8 Older Forest (OF)
4.2.9 Older Second Growth Forest (SG)
4.2.10 Seasonally Flooded Agricultural Field (FS)
4.2.11 Additional General Observations
4.3 Comox Sub-unit
4.3.1 Summary data
4.3.2 Coastal Bluff (CB)
4.3.3 Sparsely Vegetated (SV)
4.3.4 Terrestrial Herbaceous (HT)
4.3.5 Wetland (WN)
4.3.6 Riparian (RI)
4.3.7 Woodland (WD)
4.3.8 Older Forest (OF)
4.3.9 Older Second Growth Forest (SG)
4.3.10 Seasonally Flooded Agricultural Field (FS)
4.4 Nanaimo Sub-unit
4.4.1 Summary data
4.4.2 Coastal Bluff (CB)
4.4.3 Sparsely Vegetated (SV)
4.4.4 Terrestrial Herbaceous (HT)
4.4.5 Wetland (WN)
4.4.6 Riparian (RI)
4.4.7 Woodland (WD)
4.4.8 Older Forest (OF)
4.4.9 Older Second Growth Forest (SG)
4.4.10 Seasonally Flooded Agricultural Field (FS)
4.5 Cowichan Sub-unit
4.5.1 Summary data
4.5.2 Coastal Bluff (CB)
4.5.3 Sparsely Vegetated (SV)
4.5.4 Terrestrial Herbaceous (HT)
4.5.5 Wetland (WN)
4.5.6 Riparian (RI)
4.5.7 Woodland (WD)
4.5.8 Older Forest (OF)
4.5.9 Older Second Growth Forest (SG)
4.5.10 Seasonally Flooded Agricultural Field (FS)
4.6 Capital Sub-unit
4.6.1 Summary data
4.6.2 Coastal Bluff (CB)
4.6.3 Sparsely Vegetated (SV)
4.6.4 Terrestrial Herbaceous (HT)
4.6.5 Wetland (WN)
4.6.6 Riparian (RI)
4.6.7 Woodland (WD)
4.6.8 Older Forest (OF)
4.6.9 Older Second Growth Forest (SG)
4.6.10 Seasonally Flooded Agricultural Field (FS)
4.7 Islands Sub-unit
4.7.1 Summary data
4.7.2 Coastal Bluff (CB)
4.7.3 Sparsely Vegetated (SV)
4.7.4 Terrestrial Herbaceous (HT)
4.7.5 Wetland (WN)
4.7.6 Riparian (RI)
4.7.7 Woodland (WD)
4.7.8 Older Forest (OF)
4.7.9 Older Second Growth Forest (SG)
4.7.10 Seasonally Flooded Agricultural Field (FS)
Section 5 - Conclusions and Future Directions
Appendix 1: Inventory Products
Appendix 2: Structural Stages
Appendix 3: Introduced Plant Species
Appendix 4: Common and Scientific Plant Names Used in This Report
Appendix 5: SEI Update Form
Appendix 6: List of Contacts
Appendix 7: SEI Polygon Database
Appendix 8: Field Data Report - Sample
Appendix 9: Groundtruthing Forms
Appendix 10: Natural History of the Study Area
Figure 1: Study Area
Figure 2: Ecosections of the Georgia Depression Ecoprovince
Figure 3: Biogeoclimatic Units Associated with the Study Area
Figure 4: Study area sub-units
Figure 5: Occurrence of ‘pure’ and ‘complexed’ units by ecosystem type
Figure 6: Illustration of ‘pure’ and ‘complexed’ map symbols
Figure 7: Sample of attribute table shown on paper maps
Figure 8: Coastal Bluff polygons in the Ballenas/Winchelsea Archipelago
Figure 9: Sparsely Vegetated spit, dune and cliff polygons on Sidney and James Islands
Figure 10: Sparsely Vegetated barrier spits in the Capital Sub-unit
Figure 11: Terrestrial Herbaceous ecosystem polygons in the Menzies Bay area
Figure 12: Wetlands near Qualicum Beach
Figure 13: Wetlands at the Campbell River estuary
Figure 14: Riparian ecosystem polygons on the tributaries and main stem of the Englishman River
Figure 15: Woodland polygons on Saltspring Island
Figure 16: Older forest polygons in the Deep Bay, Rosewall Creek area
Figure 17: Older second growth forest polygons in the Comox Valley
Figure 18: Seasonally Flooded Agricultural Field polygons near the Chemainus River
Figure 19: Seasonally Flooded Agricultural Field polygons near the Nanaimo River Estuary
Figure 20: Study area sub-units
Figure 21: Landscapes of East Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands
Figure 22: Proportion of sub-units containing Coastal Bluff ecosystems
Figure 23: Occurrence of CB as ‘pure’ or ‘complexed’ polygons
Figure 24: Proportion of sub-units containing Sparsely Vegetated ecosystems
Figure 25: Occurrence of SV as ‘pure’ or ‘complexed’ polygons
Figure 26: Proportion of sub-units containing Terrestrial Herbaceous ecosystems
Figure 27: Occurrence of HT as ‘pure’ or ‘complexed’ units
Figure 28: Wetland sub-classes by sub-unit
Figure 29: Occurrence of WN as ‘pure’ or ‘complexed’ polygons
Figure 30: Representation of wetlands by sub-class
Figure 31: Proportion of sub-units containing Riparian structural stages
Figure 32: Occurrence of Riparian Structural Stages as pure or dominant components
Figure 33: Occurrence of RI as ‘pure’ or ‘complexed’ polygons
Figure 34: Woodland ecosystems by sub-unit
Figure 35: Woodlands as ‘pure’ or ‘complexed’ units
Figure 36: Proportion of sub-units containing Older Forest ecosystems
Figure 37: Occurrence of OF as ‘pure’ or ‘complexed’ polygons
Figure 38: Occurrence of SG as ‘pure’ or ‘complexed’ polygons
Figure 39: FS ecosystems by sub-unit
Figure 40: Occurrence of FS as ‘pure’ or ‘complexed’ polygons
Figure 41: Comox Sub-unit and municipal boundaries
Figure 42: Relative proportion of sensitive ecosystems in Comox Sub-unit
Figure 43: Riparian ecosystems in the Comox Sub-unit
Figure 44: Nanaimo Sub-unit and municipal boundaries
Figure 45: Relative proportion of sensitive ecosystems in Nanaimo Sub-unit
Figure 46: Riparian ecosystems in the Nanaimo Sub-unit
Figure 47: Cowichan Sub-unit and municipal boundaries
Figure 48: Relative proportion of sensitive ecosystems in Cowichan Sub-unit
Figure 49: Riparian ecosystems in the Cowichan Sub-unit
Figure 50: Capital Sub-unit and municipal boundaries
Figure 51: Relative proportion of sensitive ecosystems in the Capital Sub-unit
Figure 52: Islands Sub-unit and major islands
Figure 53: Relative proportion of sensitive ecosystems in Islands Sub-unit
Table 1: Sites visited by ecosystem type
Table 2: Summary SEI Data by Sub-unit and Dominant Ecosystem Type
Table 3: Area (ha) of ecosystems in the Comox Sub-unit by municipality
Table 4: Area (ha) of ecosystems in the Nanaimo Sub-unit by municipality
Table 5: Area (ha) of ecosystems in the Cowichan Sub-unit by municipality
Table 6: Area (ha) of ecosystems in the Capital Sub-unit by municipality
Table 7: Area (ha) of ecosystems in the Islands Sub-unit by major island
Photo 1: Coastal Bluff (CB)
Photo 2: Sparsely Vegetated sand and gravel spit (SV:sp)
Photo 3: Terrestrial Herbaceous (HT)
Photo 4: Wetland: marsh (WN:ms)
Photo 5: Wetland: shallow water (WN:sw)
Photo 6: Wetland: swamp (WN:sp)
Photo 7: Riparian: mature (RI:6)
Photo 8: Woodland (WD)
Photo 9: Older Forest (OF)
Photo 10: Older Second Growth Forest (SG)
Photo 11: Seasonally Flooded Agricultural Field (FS)
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