Unit 6 - Forest Regions

Lesson 1: Forest Regions of Canada


Canada's forests differ greatly depending on where in the country you happen to be. This is because the climate, topography, soil conditions, and disturbances vary significantly from place to place.

Forest scientists have divided Canada's vast lands into twelve major forest regions and sub-regions, two of which are grassland and tundra, and ten of which are forest regions. These forest regions are characterized by distinct plant communities which, in turn, support characteristic animal communities.






 


Description of Canada's Forest Regions, as shown on the map

Boreal (predominantly forest)

  • The largest forested area in Canada.

  • This region forms a continuous belt from Newfoundland and Labrador west to the Rocky Mountains and north to Alaska.

  • The boreal forest is mostly coniferous, but includes a mix of deciduous trees such as white birch and trembling aspen.

Boreal (forest and barren)

  • A sub-region north of the boreal forest region.

  • A colder climate and shorter growing season nurtures predominately spruce and larch (tamarack).

  • Along the northern edge the forest thins into open lichen-woodland and then treeless tundra.

Boreal (forest and grass)

  • A sub-region south of the main boreal forest region.

  • A warmer climate nurtures this deciduous forest where trembling aspen and willow flourish along the edge of the prairie.

Subalpine

  • A coniferous forest stretching from the mountainous uplands of Alberta, across the Rocky Mountain range, through the interior of British Columbia to the Pacific Coast.

  • The subalpine and boreal forest regions both feature species such as black spruce, white spruce, and trembling aspen.

Montane

  • Covers most of the interior uplands of British Columbia, part of the Kootenay valley and a small area east of the Rocky Mountains.

  • It is a northern extension of the typical forest of much of the western mountain system of the United States. Extensive prairie communities of bunch grasses and herbs are found in many of the river valleys.

Coast

  • A unique area along the Pacific coast of British Columbia that is almost exclusively coniferous.

Columbian

  • Encompasses a large part of the Kootenay valley, the upper Thompson and Fraser River valleys, and the Quesnel Lake area of British Columbia.

  • This coniferous region merges with coast, montane and subalpine forest regions.

Deciduous (Carolinian)

  • Widespread across the eastern United States and extending into southwestern Ontario between Lakes Huron, Erie and Ontario.

  • Some southern deciduous trees have their northern limits in this region: tulip tree, cucumber tree, pawpaw, red mulberry, Kentucky coffee tree, sassafras, black oak, and pin oak.

  • Conifers are few, but there is a scattered distribution of eastern white pine, tamarack, eastern red cedar, and eastern hemlock.

Great Lakes/St Lawrence

  • Extends inland from the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River to southeastern Manitoba, but does not include the area north of Lake Superior.

  • This region is mixed coniferous-deciduous which in addition to the principal tree species includes wide ranges of eastern white cedar and largetooth aspen.

Acadian

  • Stretches across most of the Maritime provinces.

  • The region is closely related to the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence forest region and to some extent the boreal region.

Grasslands

  • Although not a forest region, it covers the prairies of Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

  • The area supports several species of trees in great numbers.

Tundra

  • A treeless area between the polar icecap and the treeline of the Arctic region.

  • The soil is permanently sub-frozen and the short growing season supports only small, hardy vegetation.

Courtesy of  Canadian Forestry Association