Green Links Activities

Green Links welcomes any volunteers, interested individuals or groups, to participate in clean ups and regular maintenance of the enhancement sites. Please contact the Institute, at 604-527-5522, if you are interested.

Plantings

Plantings are one of the most important activities that the Institute of Urban Ecology conducts. It is an integral part of the Green Links project: through planting and re-establishing native plant communities on disturbed or developed sites, the isolated "islands" of green spaces become connected together to create the links.

We plant native vegetation species in our enhancement work, and encourage community members to do the same in their yards or gardens. "Native" is a term used to categorize species that existed in this region prior to European contact. It is beneficial to plant this type of vegetation because these species are adapted to the biogeoclimatic zone of this region (the soil conditions, rainfall levels, climate, etc.) Many introduced species have also adapted and are able to flourish in the Lower Mainland, but there are many benefits to using native plants:

• By planting native plants, we can restore degraded soils and landscapes, and hopefully restore disturbed sites back to the way they were before human disruption.
• Native species require minimum watering and maintenance, because they are genetically designed to survive in the climate and conditions of the Lower Mainland.
• Native vegetation provides food (nectar, seeds, nuts, berries) and shelter for many species of wildlife.
• The plants are a fundamental part of the cultural heritage of local Indigenous Peoples. They can provide valuable insight into the history and development of our province.
• Native plants planted on school grounds and other public lands, can lead to awareness and appreciation of the local plants, their habitats and the ecological and cultural interrelationships among them.

In November 2000, Green Links planted its 25,000 plant at Site 37 in Surrey with the help of BC Hydro and students from David Brankin Elementary School. More on this event >>

Site Maintanence

Maintaining the sites, especially in the Surrey and Coquitlam Links, are important because they are along the BC Gas/ BC Hydro corridors (under the hydro lines). The site conditions are often harsh, and it is important to monitor each site, especially during its first year after being planted, to ensure the survival of the plants. In the Burnaby Link, maintenance is not as necessary since the plantings have been mainly done in backyards, and the residents take responsibility for maintaining their planted sites.
Maintenance work required on the planted sites includes:

• placing a rain barrel on the site to collect water, which will later be used to water the plants during dry periods
• weeding on a regular basis
• assessing the survival rates of the plants, which species are more successful in the particular site
• placing bark mulch around the stem of the plants to prevent smothering by weeds
• removing invasive species (such as Scotch Broom) from the site, before the species can take over the site and destroy our plants
• removing litter

Sites planted in the hydro corridor have a few extra maintenance considerations. There are height restrictions for vegetation growing under the power lines, and although we select low-growing shrubs to plant in these sites, we sometimes have to girdle the trees which have started to grow before they interfere with the lines. As well, we usually place logs around the planting sites, clearly marking their locations, to prevent accidental mowing.

Plant Salvage

The Plant Salvage Program is an ongoing project connected with Green Links to collect native plants on areas of private land that are going to be developed. The majority of the restoration work done by the Green Links program involves the planting of native plant species, and we encourage community members to use native plants in their home gardens. Unfortunately at this time, many native plant species are often difficult to purchase at nurseries, and can be quite expensive. It also requires quite a long time to propagate new plants from seeds or cuttings.
Under most circumstances, transplanting native species from the wild into your own home garden should never be done because natural, established habitat will be disturbed. Salvaging plants is the perfect solution, preventing the unnecessary destruction of plants as well as "recycling" them for future beneficial use.

The municipalities within the Lower Mainland associated with Green Links are contacted to find information on what areas are planned for future development. We also communicate with private contractors: many times we are contacted by the developing firm and notified of the site and when we can salvage plants. We then survey the site to assess which native plant species are in the area, and the type of natural environment the plants are living in. (e.g. soil type and drainage, exposure to sun/shade, etc.)

To salvage plants, we first ensure that it is the right time of year to uproot the plant. The best times are in the fall or early spring when the plants are dormant. We try to keep the majority of the roots intact and covered in soil when we dig the plants out of the ground. The plants are then placed either in burlap sacks or in pots, with as much of the original soil that was around the roots as could be saved.

After the plants have been salvaged from a development site, we store them at our nursery until they can be planted on a Green Links site. However, plantings can only be done at certain times of the year (Spring/Fall), to ensure that the plants have a good chance of survival in their new home.