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Parks & Community Services
490 Atkins Avenue
Victoria, British Columbia
Canada V9B 2Z8
tel: 250.478.3344
email

Mill Hill Garry Oak Ecosystem
Restoration Project

The Capital Regional District is in its ninth year of a project to restore the Garry oak ecosystems at Mill Hill Regional Park.

There is a pressing need to preserve what remains of our region’s Garry oak meadows. Only five percent of Victoria’s historical Garry oak ecosystems persist - and this five percent contain the highest plant diversity of any terrestrial ecosystems found in coastal British Columbia.

Recognizing this need, CRD Regional Parks created the Mill Hill Restoration Project, which has garnered national recognition.

This science-based and award-winning restoration project brings passionate community members together with parks staff under the common goal of preserving this important site.

Threat of Invasive Plants

On Mill Hill above the conifer forest are about 20 hectares of Garry oak ecosystems. Invasive plants such as Scotch broom and daphne have put native plants in the park, including a high concentration of rare and endangered species, at risk. The invasive plants such as Scotch broom, daphne, gorse, sweetbrier and orchard-grass, out-compete and exclude the native ones, so removing them is a critical step in ecosystem restoration.

Staff and volunteers remove the broom by cutting it at the roots. However, broom produces thousands of seeds which lie dormant in the soil, waiting for the right conditions to germinate. That’s why we have developed a long-term restoration plan.

Community and Staff Working Toward Common Goal

With financial support from the Government of Canada provided through the Department of the Environment, we have been able to hire a crew annually for a few weeks of intensive work on the hill. The project involves the labour of many staff,  cutting broom as well as organizing and managing all the different project activities. Volunteers from across the region join in the annual Mill Hill Broom Sweep each fall. Last year 168 volunteers joined in! They included neighbours, UVic Environmental Law Club, Canada World Youth, Cordova Bay 55+ Association, Friends of Ecological Reserves, Belmont Secondary High School, and the Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Society.

In addition to invasive species removal, project activities include improving and realigning trails to encourage parks visitors to stay on designated trails and to address erosion associated with trails. Also central to the Mill Hill Restoration Project is scientific monitoring of rare plants and other vegetation, carried out by highly trained botanists, to document ecosystem responses to invasive species management, and ensure that our activities stay on the right track.

Broom used as Biomass Plant Fuel

Starting in 2009, an interesting addition to the restoration project is that the broom removed from the hill is used to produce energy. In the past, the broom was disposed of by incineration, with no associated resource recovery. Now the material is chipped, mixed with other waste wood and shipped to locations with facilities to make use of the fuel as an energy source.

The use of broom in energy generation is a great way to close the loop with invasive species. Once removed, the disposal of invasive species has always presented some challenges, as many invasive species cannot be composted.

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Progress and results

Thanks to the dedicated work of staff and volunteers, 3.6 metric tonnes of invasive shrubs were removed from the park’s meadows in 2009. To date, about 50 tonnes have been removed throughout the park. Before the project started, seven rare plant species were known to occur at 32 sites in the park. 13 rare species have been found at 164 sites!

There is an increase in camas and other bulb flowers where Scotch broom has been removed. As well, there is a pronounced increase in numbers of white-top aster. Because the distribution of this rare plant is very similar to that of Scotch broom, it can be considered a key indicator of the benefit of broom removal to the habitat overall.

We are using innovative techniques for removing broom to minimize soil disturbance. As invasive species removal continues we anticipate seeing a reduced effort over time. Annual vegetation monitoring and rare plant surveys provide valuable information regarding any long term changes.

Come and hike Mill Hill in the spring to see the results - beautiful wildflowers under Garry oak and arbutus trees including camas, spring gold, shootingstar and satinflower. You will see that Mill Hill Regional Park is a treasure worth protecting.