URBAN ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT & RESTORATION
Urban parks and greenways form critical and valued components of our urban centers. They enhance our standard of living and require proper planning and protection to maintain their natural integrity. Diamond Head Consulting specializes in the assessment and rehabilitation of urban ecosystems. Our staff have a comprehensive understanding of natural ecosystem succession and processes. We place a strong emphasis on community involvement to promote awareness and stewardship of urban ecosystems.
- Park recreation & access management plans including conflict resolution, trail design, maintenance and signage
- Comprehensive forest management plans
- Ecosystem restoration and enhancement
- Fish and wildlife habitat management including rare and endangered species
- Forest pest and disease containment and management
- Water resource planning and riparian zone management
- Urban interface wildfire management including GIS based hazard models and risk abatement strategies
- Public education workshops & presentations
ECOLOGICAL INVENTORIES
(These inventories are developed in a GIS based program)
The effectiveness of natural resource management planning is directly dependent on the understanding of the ecological characteristics present. We strongly promote the development of proper ecological inventories that will provide a solid foundation for sound management decisions. These inventories are developed in GIS based programs whenever possible to allow for spatial analysis and mapping.
- Ecosystem classification according to the Biogeoclimatic Classification System of B.C. (TEM Mapping)
- Tree and understory vegetation communities
- Waterways and associated riparian zones
- Wildlife populations and habitat
- Rare & endangered species and plant communities
- Forest pests and diseases
- Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESAs)
- Raptor Nest Surveys
URBAN REHABILITATION
Our understanding of the complex functioning of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems gives our team the ability to develop effective prescriptions for their rehabilitation. We have extensive experience prescribing and planting native species to restore urban ecosystems. We understand and follow the natural succession of plant communities and know under what conditions each species competes naturally. Depending on the condition of the disturbed site, these projects can involve as little as removing debris and re-vegetating small areas to large-scale rehabilitation programs requiring erosion control, slope stabilization, invasive species removal, landscaping and riparian restoration.
Our management team provides services for all phases of rehabilitation projects from initial assessments and development of prescriptions through to monitoring of installations and operational activities.
- Native species planting programs using riparian, aquatic and terrestrial species.
- Stream channel and riparian zone management
- Establishment of biofiltration ponds and channels
- Non-native or invasive plant species management
- Erosion control including willow wattling, coco-matting, silt fencing and seeding
Eco-pockets produced in the rip-rap for the Celtic Development in Vancouver.
