Partnerships For Plants: Proceedings of CBCN's 1996 Workshop
Latest update: 7 December, 1998
APPENDIX IV: POSTER ABSTRACTS
Frank Skinner Arboretum Trail
Hugh Skinner, Frank Skinner Arboretum, Box 970, Roblin, MB R0L 1P0
The Frank Skinner Arboretum Trail was developed over the past three years by local people in conjunction with Skinner's Nursery to show some of plant material developed or introduced by the late Dr. Skinner. Located between the towns of Roblin and Russell in Manitoba, the arboretum is an interesting blend of the hardy prairie horticultural introductions and native forest and prairie vegetation.
Dr. Skinner introduced over 250 varieties to the central prairie region and developed 144 improved varieties capable of withstanding the harsh conditions found on the central prairie region, Sometimes referred to as the "Luther Burbank of Canada", his work was recognized and respected internationally. Along with other citations and awards, his honours included:
- Stevenson Memorial Gold Medal - 1932
- Cory Cup, best new plant shown to the Royal Horticultural Society -1933
- Member of the British Empire (MBE) - 1943
- Honourary Doctorate of Law, University of Manitoba - 1947
- Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame - 1972
- Outstanding Individual Award, Canadian Society for Horticultural Service -
1994
Frank Skinner immigrated to Canada from Scotland with his parents in 1895 at the age of 13. At that time, the area surrounding what is now Skinner's Nursery, was completely bare of trees and from the upper story of the homestead, a settlement 40 miles in the distance, was clearly visible. All of that has changed. Skinner made it his lifelong ambition to bring trees and flowers to the prairie landscape.
Since the death of Dr Skinner, the nursery was not fully maintained, but there is now renewed interest within the community and province to restore the nursery and preserve the location for future generations. Over the years, the nursery has brought many generations of people and horticulture together. It is our desire to bring the people back and create a place where they can enjoy and learn from the work of the late Frank Skinner.
Monitoring and Management of Significant Plant Species
Elaine Gosnell, Ecologistics Limited, Suite Al, 490 Duffon Drive, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 6H7
Ecologistics Limited offers specialty consulting services in the field of environmental resource management. We have extensive experience in the on-site assessment of the biological features of many types of natural environments including wetlands, forests and streams. Ecologistics Limited has offices located in Waterloo, Ottawa and Lucan.
Management plans carried out by Ecologistics Limited in the past have included the collection and review of existing information on the biophysical resources, land use characteristics, development pressures and policy framework. Management alternatives have been recommended which have focussed on preserving or enhancing environmental quality through sediment and erosion control, setbacks, vegetative buffers and naturalization plantings. Plant conservation projects have included plant material selection, landscape design, transplants, rehabilitation, test plot establishment and monitoring.
Staff of Ecologistics Limited are undertaking several plant conservation projects including the transplanting and monitoring of rare horsetails and the monitoring of the endangered wood poppy which included the development of a proposed management plan for the population. These two projects are the subject of our poster presentation.
Rare Horsetails
In 1989 Ecologistics Limited identified several stands of regionally rare horsetails in the vicinity of a proposed reservoir in the City of Kitchener. As part of the approval for project construction, the horsetails had to be transplanted to a nearby suitable location. We evaluated several sites and oversaw the transplanting of the horsetails. Monitoring of the transplant sites was conducted for three years with additional monitoring in 1994 and 1996,
During the first three years the horsetails grew well and colonized the transplant areas, However, competition from other plants such as purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) was a concern, in 1994, it was found that the site had dried out considerably and the horsetails had redistributed to take advantage of the moister areas of the site. Purple loosestrife did not appear to have seriously affected the colony and was also suffering from dry conditions. In 1996, the horsetails were observed still inhabiting the moister portions of the site but their overall abundance was lower.
The Wood Poppy
The wood poppy (Stylophorum diphylum) was thought to be extirpated in Ontario and Canada as it had not been recorded since 1889. In 1987 a population of wood poppies was discovered near London, Ontario. A second much smaller population was also discovered five years later. The wood poppy has been designated as an endangered species in Ontario and Canada. It is more commonly found in the northern United States, as it is at the northern limit of its range here in Canada.
A population study was conducted by Ecologistics Limited to determine the
present status of the wood poppy population. Field notes from 1987 compared with
data from our 1995 study showed that the population size had decreased
dramatically. A management plan was proposed which identified stresses on the
population and strategies to protect the plants from further impact.
