Also known as the Vegetation Restoration Crew, the Veg Doctors are Parks Canada staff that work tirelessly to restore damaged or weed-infested areas in the park back to healthy, native, vegetated ecosystems.
Vegetation has been removed from, or altered in, some areas of Jasper National Park to provide important services and transportation such as roads and trails.
If the park were a person, these disturbed areas would look like sores. Just as a sore is vulnerable to infection, so too are disturbed areas. The symptom of the infection is often an infestation of non-native vegetation, or weeds.
Like a doctor, the Vegetation Restoration Crew carries out a variety of activities to heal the patient. The aim is to bring the landscape back to a healthy, robust state that is able to withstand further minor disturbances.
While the crew works directly to kill weeds, it also takes steps to ensure vulnerable areas are healthy enough to resist infection on their own.
2015 Update:
In the summer of 2014, the crew relocated over 1,200 trees from areas like the Community Fireguard to Whistlers Campground in an effort to re-vegetate the area after hazardous tree removal. Over 80 per cent of the tress have survived, which represents a huge success and will maintain this campground’s natural wilderness feel with sustainable, healthy forests.
The crew has a new tool to combat invasive species this year. The Weed Steamer (affectionately known as “Poseidon”) is a chemical-free, safe and environmentally sound way to eradicate weeds and their build-up of seeds. It basically cooks the top layer of the soil, killing the seeds. The team then adds native seeds (usually grass) back to the soil, which provides some resistance to further infestation while native vegetation re-establishes itself.
Look for the crew, enveloped in a cloud of steam, working in the Jasper townsite and alongside Highway 16 this year.
Other summer projects include the Whistlers Summit trail delineation and re-vegetation, planting vegetation barriers to block colonisation by weeds, Whitebark pine cone caging and seed collection for restoration planting, rehabilitating trails to help protect wildlife corridors, and removing non-native vegetation from key locations.
The Veg Doctor team is comprised of students from the Federal Student Work Experience Program (FSWEP). This year, the crew includes university students from Dalhousie, Guelph, Victoria, Ottawa and beyond, as well as seven Jasper Senior High School students (once school is out).
Parks Canada benefits from the crew’s energy, innovative ideas, and enthusiasm for learning, while the students gain varied and meaningful work experience in this special, protected place.
Funding for vegetation restoration in Jasper National Park comes from a number of sources. The program would not be possible without the cooperation of the Municipality of Jasper, Jasper National Park, ATCO Pipelines and the Waste Water Treatment Plant.
Parks Canada
Special to the Fitzhugh
