Terrestrial Restoration

The HCP lands contain another type of habitat that is even more endangered than the wetlands. These dry, rocky areas are characterized by Garry oak and arbutus (trees found nowhere else in Canada) and by spring bulbs that are rare in B.C. These bulbs include the white fawn lily, great camas, white triteleia and harvest brodiaea.

The bad news about these areas is that they tend to be degraded easily because they are susceptible to overgrowth by imported Scotch broom and Himalayan blackberry. They also offer high, open areas in the forest that attract hikers. The good news is that restoration is a simple, though not easy, matter of removing the invasive plants and designing trails that enable hikers to enjoy the views without walking on the sensitive thin soil.