Firehall Creek Reach 3a: Removing Gorse Using the Cut-Chip-Tarp Method to Minimize Slope Erosion and Waterbody Contamination

In collaboration with the Bilston Watershed Habitat Protection Association

Abstract

This report covers the first stage of restoration of a creek using a cut-chip-tarp method to remove gorse (Ulex europaeus) and suppress regrowth. This restoration project is a test of this method to avoid the potential erosion caused by the usual method of root removal, herbicide application and controlled burning. There is no gorse-specific empirical literature for this approach. The test site is Firehall Creek, a tributary of the Bilston Creek Watershed in Langford, BC, which supports a resident population of blue-listed coastal cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki clarki). Reach 3a has a significantly degraded slope and a large presence of invasive gorse. The cut-chip-tarp method involves cutting the gorse stems level with the ground; covering the stumps with woodchips to redistribute pressure and prevent tearing; removing much of the seed bank from the litter layer by hand; and finally covering the area with an anchored, opaque tarp for more than one growing season to suppress resprouting roots. This first phase of the restoration took place September–December 2025, where invasives were also removed in other areas of the reach, erosion blankets were secured to the slope, and an initial batch of native plants was planted. Results showed some gorse seedlings sprouting around the edges of the tarp and through erosion blankets in the other areas. These were controllable with biweekly monitoring and weeding. The tarps remained intact and undamaged. Next steps are to remove the tarps in 12–18 months and replace them with erosion blankets with dense native plantings.