Spartina Control Program in British Columbia – New and Improved with an herbicide option
Presentation Abstract
Over the last 30 years, three non-native Spartina species invaded southwestern British Columbia: Spartina anglica in the Vancouver Lower Mainland, S. densiflora on the east coast of Vancouver Island, and S. patens in both locations. Many challenges have limited a comprehensive and timely response to control and eradicate these infestations and contribute to the Pacific Coast goal of eradicating non-native Spartina by 2018. Some of the key challenges included the lack of a single agency mandated to respond to Spartina infestations, lack of funding and capacity, herbicide was not legally available as a control option, and general opposition to herbicide use in the marine environment. Beginning in 2004, partnerships were developed at both local and international scales, to mitigate and provide alternatives to these challenges. The BC Spartina Working Group (BCSWG) formed to begin mapping and mechanical removal of Spartina infestations, with a primary focus on S. anglica. Recent GIS-based mapping and monitoring has demonstrated that the continued under funding of the mechanical control program has failed to contain the Spartina infestations. Therefore a small working group under the BCSWG began investigating the regulatory requirements, treatment methodology, and program costs and benefits of the use of herbicide. After several years of navigating the channels of federal and provincial permitting, a permit was issued in the summer of 2013 to apply herbicide to Spartina anglica in the Vancouver Lower Mainland. Approximately 5000 individual plants and clones were treated in late August and early September 2013 with imazapyr. The permitted use of herbicide on S. anglica now provides a better integrated pest management approach and enables the reallocation of some resources to control the other species of Spartina through development of new partnerships.
Session Title
Session S-07E: Aquatic Vegetation
Conference Track
Habitat
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
1-5-2014 3:30 PM
End Date
1-5-2014 5:00 PM
Location
Room 613-614
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Spartina anglica--Control--British Columbia; Aquatic herbicides--British Columbia--Testing
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); British Columbia
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Spartina Control Program in British Columbia – New and Improved with an herbicide option
Room 613-614
Over the last 30 years, three non-native Spartina species invaded southwestern British Columbia: Spartina anglica in the Vancouver Lower Mainland, S. densiflora on the east coast of Vancouver Island, and S. patens in both locations. Many challenges have limited a comprehensive and timely response to control and eradicate these infestations and contribute to the Pacific Coast goal of eradicating non-native Spartina by 2018. Some of the key challenges included the lack of a single agency mandated to respond to Spartina infestations, lack of funding and capacity, herbicide was not legally available as a control option, and general opposition to herbicide use in the marine environment. Beginning in 2004, partnerships were developed at both local and international scales, to mitigate and provide alternatives to these challenges. The BC Spartina Working Group (BCSWG) formed to begin mapping and mechanical removal of Spartina infestations, with a primary focus on S. anglica. Recent GIS-based mapping and monitoring has demonstrated that the continued under funding of the mechanical control program has failed to contain the Spartina infestations. Therefore a small working group under the BCSWG began investigating the regulatory requirements, treatment methodology, and program costs and benefits of the use of herbicide. After several years of navigating the channels of federal and provincial permitting, a permit was issued in the summer of 2013 to apply herbicide to Spartina anglica in the Vancouver Lower Mainland. Approximately 5000 individual plants and clones were treated in late August and early September 2013 with imazapyr. The permitted use of herbicide on S. anglica now provides a better integrated pest management approach and enables the reallocation of some resources to control the other species of Spartina through development of new partnerships.
