Management plan for Twisted Oak Moss in Canada [final] 2011: Management
The management goal is to maintain known populations of twisted oak moss in British Columbia.
No quantitative management goal is possible for this species as basic population demographics and population trends are unknown for all known populations. As this species is restricted to small and specialized habitats, it is highly susceptible to being disturbed or destroyed. Therefore, to prevent twisted oak moss from becoming threatened or endangered, all known populations should be maintained. Once the knowledge gaps have been filled, particularly clarification of the species’ distribution, the goal can be refined.
- To initiate habitat protection[3] for existing populations by 2016.
- To mitigate the threats of direct destruction to the moss and determine if lack of recruitment of host trees is a direct threat to all known populations by 2015.
- To clarify the distribution of twisted oak moss in British Columbia and to update population and distribution objectives as needed by 2014.
- To increase public awareness of the existence and conservation value of twisted oak moss by 2016.
- To address knowledge gaps relating to demographics, effects of competition with other species, microhabitat attributes, and microclimate and habitat conditions for this species by 2016.
3 Protection can be achieved through various mechanisms including: voluntary stewardship agreements, conservation covenants, sale by willing vendors on private lands, land use designations, and protected areas.
Recommended actions have been categorized by the action groups of the Conservation Framework.
Habitat protection
Once the knowledge gaps have been investigated for the compilation of an updated COSEWIC status report, habitat protection measures should be implemented on the unprotected populations. Currently, of the 27 known populations, there are three private locations and one unknown tenure (population #1 at Pedder Bay). To protect these unprotected populations, municipal tree protection bylaws could be amended to include the protection of young, smaller diameter Garry oaks as well as the retention of mature Garry oak trees. The remainder of the 27 populations are on municipal property, two are on institutional lands (University of Victoria and Camosun College) one on federal lands (Department of National Defence), three are in ecological reserves, one is on Nature Conservancy lands, and one is in a regional park. Protection at these 27 sites could be improved by adopting some existing best management practices for urban and rural development within British Columbia developed by the Ministry of Environment (Ministry of Environment 2006); the BMPs include a general section on Garry oak ecosystems. However, more specific best management practices could be developed for this ecosystem and the associated species.
Private land stewardship
Through the Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team’s land owner contact program, land owners and land managers can be made aware of the species and possibly engaged in future survey and stewardship activities for this species. The GOERT outreach program also works with other partners, such as the Habitat Acquisition Trust Foundation and the Garry Oak Meadow Preservation Society, to increase awareness of the values of Garry oak ecosystems.
Monitor trends
The extant populations should be revisited to confirm population sizes. Once population statistics have been gathered, an effective monitoring strategy must be implemented so that success of all aspects of the management plan can be measured. This must be completed concurrent with or closely following the documentation of population attributes.
Threats, although described in a general nature in COSEWIC (2004) need to be more fully described and understood for each known population, and possible mitigation measures need to be defined. Further, threats that can be measured must be monitored and assessed, and, if mitigative measures are introduced, these must also be monitored.
Compile status report
As baseline information is needed to complete an updated COSEWIC status report for this species, areas of potential habitat should be thoroughly investigated for twisted oak moss. In order to undertake effective management of twisted oak moss, this information should include: population statistics, including the size and numbers of patches per population, and the extent of occurrence at each known population.
Research is needed to determine the demographics, effects of competition with other species, reproduction, and dispersal methods, as well as the habitat and microhabitat attributes for this species.
Objective 1: Land owners at the three private locations and land managers for all of the seven municipalities and the remaining institutional, provincial, and federal properties have been contacted and have applied the appropriate tools (e.g., stewardship, best management practices) for habitat protection by 2016.
Objective 2: Specific details about the known threats of loss of host trees, direct removal of the species from host trees, and recruitment of host trees have been investigated, and potential new threats at all known locations have been documented by 2014. Mitigation measures, best management practices, or specific site management plans are developed and monitored to decrease the impact of these threats by 2016.
Objective 3: Re-surveys of the 27 known locations on Vancouver Island have been conducted and documented by 2014. 60% of suitable habitat not previously searched in Garry oak ecosystems on lower Vancouver Island has been surveyed to document occurrence of twisted oak moss by 2016.
Objective 4: At least six land owners or land managers (in addition to those at currently known sites) within the species’ potential range have been contacted and provided with education and outreach material for twisted oak moss by 2016.
Objective 5: Research on knowledge gaps (e.g., reproduction and dispersal, effects of competition from other species, microhabitat attributes, microclimate and habitat conditions) have been initiated by 2014.
Habitat protection for this species will also protect other flora and fauna of Garry oak ecosystems. In particular, understanding the relationship between twisted oak moss and mature Garry oaks will lead to greater awareness of the importance of maintaining the remaining oaks and associated oak ecosystems. Understanding ways to increase recruitment of host trees and retention of these to maturity will also protect other species that rely on Garry oak ecosystems and will contribute to habitat protection over the long-term.
Land managers and the public should be made aware of the species and engaged in its conservation. This can partially be accomplished by directed land owner contact programs such as through the Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team. GOERT could also work with the Ministry of Environment, BC Parks and Protected Areas Branch, as well as with the municipalities, to clarify distribution and land tenure and to assess and mitigate threats (Table 3).
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Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). 2004. COSEWIC assessment and status report on the twisted oak moss Syntrichia laevipila in Canada. Ottawa, ON.
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Ministry of Environment. 2006. Develop with care: environmental guidelines for urban and rural land development in British Columbia. Pages 5.1.-11 – 5.1-12.http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/documents/bmp/devwithcare2006/DWC%202006%20Sec%205-1%20VI%20Region.pdf
Ministry of Environment. 2010. Conservation framework. B.C. Min. Environ., Victoria, BC. http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/conservationframework/index.html [Accessed Feb. 12, 2010]
Mischler, B.D. 2007. Syntrichia. Pages 618–627 in Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 27, Bryophytes: Mosses, part 1. Oxford Univ. Press, New York, NY.
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Smith, S. 2007. Garry oak savannah stand history and change in coastal southern British Columbia. M.Sc. Thesis, Univ. Guelph, Guelph, ON. 157 pp.
Washington Natural Heritage Program. 2009. List of rare mosses. Washington State Dep. Nat. Resour. www1.dnr.wa.gov/nhp/refdesk/lists/mosses.html
Personal communications
Wynne Miles. Consultant. Victoria, BC.
Terry McIntosh. Consultant. Vancouver, BC.
Shyanne Smith. Botanist. Victoria, BC.