Blackie Spit Park: Wildlife Habitat Enhancement Plan - City of Surrey

Management Unit 9: Seral Grassland
1.0 Existing Conditions
Management Unit 9 is predominantly a grass/forb habitat with encroaching shrubs (Drawing 6).
Forbs include hairy cat’s-ear, tansy, vetch, and goldenrod. Shrub species include English hawthorne,
black hawthorne (most abundant shrub), Pacific crabapple, snowberry, rowan (1), and blackberry
(along northeast and west edges). Most of the shrub growth is in the western and southern portions
of the MU (Figure 29). Broom is also starting to grow, mostly in the eastern and southern areas
(Figure 30). The vegetation is growing on more than one metre depth of sand with little topsoil
development.
2.0 Goals and Objectives
Species Management Goal
Woodpeckers, passerines, small mammals.
Habitat Management Objectives
• Remove all broom and blackberry.
• Maintain a ground cover ratio of 30% native shrubs and trees interspersed among the grasses
and forbs by controlling the natural succession of woody vegetation.
• As part of the above, plant native trees and shrubs to create a connectivity of woody vegetation
between MU8 and MU13.
3.0 Management Prescriptions
3.1 Initial Enhancement Requirements
• Remove existing blackberry and broom.
• Plant native shrubs in 900 m 2 area to form connectivity between MU 8 and MU 10 (Drawing 6):
Saskatoon 16
Oceanspray 16
Baldhip rose(Rosa gymnocarpa) 40
Snowberry 75
Plant in late fall. Newly planted shrubs and trees will need watering for at least the first two summers,
until established. If success is less than 80% after two years, replace unsuccessful plants.
3.2 Ongoing Maintenance Requirements
• Check every three years and as necessary remove shrubs and trees, including all large-growing trees,
to maintain the desired ratio of woody vegetation to grass/forb.
• Every other year, control of broom and blackberry.
Blackie Spit Park: Wildlife Habitat Enhancement Plan – Management Unit 9 49