This week volunteers at Konukson Park rescued a patch of a Garry oak habitat from being over-run with Scotch broom. Volunteers arrived just in time to remove the broom before it set seed. The seeds from Scotch broom are capable of germinating after lying dormant for 50-80 years in the soil. Maintaining a consistent long-term monitoring and removal program that depletes the seed bank is one of the biggest challenges in controlling Scotch broom. This year the volunteers are beginning their own monitoring 
program using repeat photography to capture the changes in vegetation over time as they work throughout the park removing invasive plants. These before and after photos on the right are an example of the photo monitoring that is currently taking place in the park. The pictures will provide a visual reference of the plant community that existed before volunteers began removing invasive plants. The pictures will also show how effective the removal methods have been and how quickly native plant species begin to re-colonize the new habitat.
program using repeat photography to capture the changes in vegetation over time as they work throughout the park removing invasive plants. These before and after photos on the right are an example of the photo monitoring that is currently taking place in the park. The pictures will provide a visual reference of the plant community that existed before volunteers began removing invasive plants. The pictures will also show how effective the removal methods have been and how quickly native plant species begin to re-colonize the new habitat.The volunteers seen below stand proudly next to a Garry oak that was rescued after a long day of battling broom in the summer sun.
GREAT WORK VOLUNTEERS!