BEST MANAGEMNET PRACTICES FOR INDUSTRY

Invasive species negatively impact lands across the East Kootenay.

Several industry activities have lead to introduction and spread of invasive plant species to forests, sensitive areas, and along resource roads and work sites. These resources can help industry professionals better prepare for and manage invasive species infestations.

FORESTRY.

Invasive plant infestations may compete with natural forest vegetation and tree seedlings for resources, lead to erosion and water siltation, increase fire hazards, and reduce landscape aesthetics. They can also severely degrade riparian zones, forage production, and habitat quality for wildlife and species at risk. Reduced sight-lines along resource roads and exposure to certain plant species can endanger worker safety. Once established, invasive plant infestations displace native vegetation, resulting in areas that are less biologically diverse, and more costly to treat. Forest managers and field workers can help limit the introduction and spread of invasive plants by applying best practices

Forestry Operations Factsheet

Tourism.

British Columbia’s tourism industry is ranked as the most important sector to the economy - generating billions of dollars annually. Much of the industry’s success relies on BC’s amazing biodiversity and wide variety of healthy, natural landscapes. Invasive species can impact ecosystems, landscapes and native wildlife—the very things that attract visitors and make BC such a wonderful place to live. This guide was developed to support tourism operators in adopting simple best management practices to prevent the introduction and spread of invasive species and protect BC’s rich biodiversity and ecosystems.

Parks.

Fourteen percent of British Columbia is covered by parks and protected areas, which are home to threatened and endangered species. Protected areas also provide key gateways into BC’s backcountry and act as buffers to protect our province’s ecological integrity and recreational opportunities. Invasive plants can threaten these values, and must be effectively identified, reported and managed to prevent their spread and limit their impacts. Once established, invasive plant infestations can displace native vegetation and reduce forage opportunities for wildlife, creating areas that are less ecologically diverse, more costly to maintain, and less aesthetically attractive. Invasive plants can severely degrade riparian zones, destabilize slopes, increase fire hazards, and seriously threaten species at risk.

Roads.

Once established, invasive plant infestations can displace desirable roadside vegetation, resulting in areas that are less ecologically diverse, more costly to maintain, and aesthetically less attractive. Invasive plants can severely degrade riparian zones, destabilize slopes, reduce sight lines, increase fire hazards, and in some cases have the potential to cause damage to the highway infrastructure.

Highway Operations Factsheet

Soil Movement + Disposal

Oil + Gas.

Once established, invasive plant infestations can replace native or desired vegetation resulting in increased management costs. Invasive plants can severely degrade riparian zones, reduce biodiversity, destabilize slopes, cause health hazards to humans and animals, reduce sight lines of roads increasing risk of vehicular accidents, increase fire and safety hazards, and in some cases have the potential to cause damage to road infrastructure. The economic impacts of invasive plants can reduce production on agriculture settings and raise management costs for other industries such as transportation, forestry and utility operations, mining activities and oil and gas operations.

Utilities.

Once established, invasive plant infestations can displace desirable vegetation, resulting in areas that are less ecologically diverse, and more costly to treat. Invasive plants can severely degrade riparian zones, reduce biodiversity, destabilize slopes, reduce sight lines, increase fire hazards, and in some cases have the potential to cause damage to infrastructure and impact worker safety. The economic impacts of invasive plants can be damaging to all areas of industry, such as agricultural activities, transportation, forestry and oil and gas operations, mining activities and utility operations.