The Impacts of Invasive Plants and Deer Browsing

Disturbance resulting from tree removal activities starting in the 1980s (i.e. logging/harvesting) has encouraged invasive plant species such as Holly trees and Scotch Broom to establish. In addition to crowding out the native meadow plants (such as Camus, Chocolate Lilies, Shooting Stars, Larkspur, sea blush, and various grasses), the invasive species may not support native fauna.

Further, the GOME is located on a Gulf Island which has an over abundance of deer (i.e., the sustainable deer population is estimated to be 1,000 individuals and it is currently estimated that 14,000 deer live on the island). The deer over-browse the GOME, making it difficult for native plant species to thrive and encouraging the establishment of exotic and invasive species that deer find distasteful (such a Broom).

For more information about the impact of deer on Southern Gulf Islands ecosystems, see Martin, T., Arcese, P., and Scheerder, N. (2011) Browsing down our natural heritage: Deer impacts on vegetation structure and songbird populations across an island archipelago. Vol 144, No. 1, pp. 459-469 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2010.09.033

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