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Forest Ecology > Canadian Forests + Forests of BC > Flashcards

Canadian Forests + Forests of BC Flashcards

describe forest regions in Canada, characteristics of each region, biotic/abiotic factors that influence the forests, seasonal and geographical differences between them

1
Q

How are forests classified in Canada?

A

based on the composition/ dominant species

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2
Q

Which biome in Canada is not a forest?

A

Tundra (Arctic Cordillera, N and S. Arctic)

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3
Q

What are the 8 major forest biomes in Canada?

A

Acadian (maritimes)
Boreal (northern Canada)
Carolinian (Deciduous, southwest Ontario)
Coast (BC)
Columbia (BC)
Great Lakes-St. Lawrence (Central)
Montane (BC + Alberta)
Subalpine (BC + Alberta)

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4
Q

What are the 3 subgroups of the boreal forest?

A

Predominantly forest
forest and grass
forest and barren

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5
Q

Give an overview of the Acadian forest

A

LOCATION
maritimes (PEI, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, part of Gaspe peninsula)

TEMPERATURE
cool-temperate - sub-boreal (Atlantic ocean moderates)
cool summers, warm winters

PPT
mid inland (900 mm/yr), high coastal (1500 mm/yr)

SPECIES
mixed hardwood + conifer
ex conifers: red, black and white spruce, balsam fir
ex deciduous: yellow birch, red maple, paper birch

OTHER
High human disturbance, most has been converted to agriculture

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6
Q

Give an overview of the Boreal forest

A

LOCATION
largest region, northern Canada, coastal and continental, high and low elevation

TEMP
long, cold winters
short moderate summers

PPT
variable (400-1500 mm/yr) but not limiting

SPECIES
ex. conifers:
white and black spruce
tamarack (not Northwest)
balsam fir, jack pine east/central
subalpine fir and lodgepole pine in west and NW
ex. deciduous:
white birch, trembling aspen, balsam poplar

OTHER
Northern edge coniferous forest transitions to Taiga and Tundra
mixes with Great Lakes-St Lawrence in east

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7
Q

Give an overview of the Coast forest

A

LOCATION
BC west coast up past Prince Rupert (borders Boreal)

TEMP
moderate

PPT
moderate, but lessens going south

SPECIES
Western red cedar, western hemlock
douglas-fir in south
Amabilis fir and yellow cypress
high altitude = mountain hemlock, subalpine fir
western white pine and western yew
limited deciduous - bigleaf maple, black cottonwood, red alder
arbutus and GO only in south CDF zone

OTHER
BEC = CDF, CWH, MH

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8
Q

Give an overview of the Columbia forest

A

LOCATION
Southeastern BC (central plateau and Rockies, Kootenays, Upper Thompson + Fraser rivers, Quesnel lake area)

TEMP
warm summer, cool winter

PPT
lower ppt than coastal
snow melt is key
wet winters, dry summers

SPECIES
WRC, western hemlock, interior DF
Engelmann spruce at higher altitudes

OTHER
elevation gradients
BEC = ICH (interior cedar-hemlock)

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9
Q

Give an overview of the Montane forest

A

LOCATION
central BC plateau and souther mountain valleys

TEMP
variable (complex topography)
dry, warm south
cooler north central/higher alt

PPT
variable (complex topography)
minimal due to being in the rain shadow
north central higher alt = slightly more ppt

SPECIES
Douglas-fir at higher altitudes
Ponderosa pine in dry, warm south
lodgepole pine and trembling aspen in north central higher altitudes
engelmann spruce at higher altitudes in north

OTHER
in the rain shadow of the coastal, cascade and columbia mountains

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10
Q

Give an overview of the Great Lakes-St Lawrence forest

A

LOCATION
Southern Manitoba to Gaspe peninsula
second largest

TEMP
warm summers, moderately cold winters

PPT
not limiting (720-1000 mm/yr)

SPECIES
mixed conifer + deciduous
ex. white and red pine, eastern hemlock,
ex. sugar and red maple, red oak
less common: white cedar, largetooth aspen, beech

OTHER
most densely populated forest
hugely modified

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11
Q

Give an overview of the Carolinian forest

A

LOCATION
northern limit of US deciduous forest (smallest) in Southern Ontario, Toronto - Windsor, above Lake Erie and Ontario

TEMP
moderate summers and cold winters

PPT
not limiting (720-1500 mm/yr)

SPECIES
very unique species including paw-paw, tulip-tree, cucumber-tree, hickory, black gum, sassafras, black walnut, sycamore, swamp white oak
few conifers - white pine, eastern hemlock, white cedar, tamarack

OTHER
mild climate
high biodiversity + productivity
contains over 40% of Canada’s plant species
highly modified and fragmented and reduced
~125 species listed in Canada (but just a small section of the forest in the states)

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12
Q

Give an overview of the sub-alpine forest

A

LOCATION
the fragmented mountain highlands of BC and western AB
elevation varies with latitude

TEMP
cool, short summers
long, cold winters

PPT
highly variable, mostly snow (400-2200 mm/yr)

SPECIES
Engelmann spruce + subalpine fir are mature species
lodgepole pine in dry areas or post fire
less common: alpine larch, whitebark, limber pine
black and white spruce and trembling aspen near boreal
Df, amabilis fir, WH, WRC, yellow cypress, MH

OTHER

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13
Q

BC is the ___ largest province

A

third (944, 735 km2)

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14
Q

What allows BC to have such high diversity in its forests?

A

variable abiotic features -

BC is huge:
- variable rainfall/ppt - plant community structure

  • variable mean annual temperatures - different growing season lengths
  • variable parent rock material formed from a complex geological history
  • variable elevation from multiple mountain ranges - climate differences locally and regionally
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15
Q

How many soil orders are found in BC?

A

all 10 of the orders classified for Canada

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16
Q

What contributes to soil formation?

A

geological time
parent rock material
climate
biota (OM)
topography (elevation, aspect)
human activity

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17
Q

How does NPP vary across BC?

A

latitudinal gradient that increases southernly

elevation differences too

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18
Q

How does species richness vary across BC?

A

a latitudinal gradient that increases southernly

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19
Q

How much of BC is considered ‘forest’?

A

70%

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20
Q

What is BEC?

A

the biogeoclimatic ecosystem classification system for BC

21
Q

How many geographical zones are in the BEC? What groups them?

A

16 zones grouped based on a similar climate and dominant vegetation (usually trees)

22
Q

How are BEC zones named (after what)?

A

a dominant plant species and a geographic or climate modifier

23
Q

T or F: alpine areas usually are forested

A

false, typically non-forested

24
Q

What BEC zone do we live in?

A

Coastal Douglas-fir (CDF)

25
Q

What BEC zone is most of the island?

A

Coastal western hemlock (CWH)

26
Q

Why was the BEC system created?

A

for forest and forest resource management in BC - it’s important to know what species are where and why for replanting programs

27
Q

What is the current use of BEC?

A

has been modified to inform reforestation efforts in responses to climate change

helpful for forest and landscape conservation strategies - useful to know what areas or forest types are threatened or underrepresented in conservation

28
Q

how are ecosystems grouped in the BEC? describe the 3 groups

A

regionally (BEC unit) - based on vegetation, soils and topography of a geographical area with uniform climate

locally (subzones of BEC units) - sites within a BEC zone with different but uniform vegetation, soils or topography

chronologically - sites are arranged by site history and successional status or chronosequences for the site

29
Q

What 3 major features do BEC zones use to classify ecosystems?

A

vegetation
soils
topography

30
Q

What 4 major characteristics are BEC zones based on?

A

vegetation - plant composition, structure, diversity (indicates biotic factors)

climate - statistical ppt and temperature data

site - local environmental properties

seral stage - structural stage and succession of an ecosystem

31
Q

What are the 4 categories for naming BEC? Based on the 4 characteristics

A

the actual BEC zone
the subzone
the variants
the phase

32
Q

How is a BEC zone identified and described?

A

Bio - dominant tree species

Geo - geographical modifier (ex. montane, boreal)

Climatic - climatic modifier (ex. interior, coastal)

33
Q

How are subzones described?

A

by the regional climate - ie., the relative regional temperature, precipitation and continentality

34
Q

What are some examples of codes/terms for the BEC subzones for each category of descriptor (ppt, temp, continentality)

A

relative ppt:
- very dry (x)
- dry (d)
- moist (m)
- wet (w)
- very wet (v)

relative temp:
- hot (h)
- warm (w)
- mild (m)
- cool (k)
- cold (c)

relative continentality:
- hypermaritime (h)
- maritime (m)
- submaritime (s)

35
Q

How are variants within a BEC subzone defined?

A

specific, smaller regions within a subzone that are variable from the ppt and temperature conditions of the rest of the subzone

indicated by a numbering system from south to north

36
Q

How are phases of a BEC subzone defined?

A

by the variation caused by local topography (slope, aspect)

indicated by alphabetical code

37
Q

What does the BEC zone code: BWBS dk 1 mean?

A

BEC zone: BWBS = Boreal Black and White Spruce zone

subzone: dk = dry, cool

subzone variant: 1 = Stikine

38
Q

What does the BEC zone code: CWH vh 2 mean?

A

BEC zone: CWH = Coastal Western Hemlock

subzone: vh = very wet, hypermaritime

subzone variant: 2 = central

39
Q

How much total area of BC is covered by alpine tundra (AT)?

A

16.9-18.4%
no subzones because low density of trees (not of value to forestry)

40
Q

What are the 3 regions designated within alpine tundra of BC?

A

Boreal Altai Fescue Alpine (Northern Interior)
- dry, cold

Coastal Mountain-heather Alpine (Coastal)
- mild, higher snowfall

Interior Mountain-heather Alpine (souther interior)
- more variable snowfall

41
Q

Give an example of a warm, dry BEC zone in BC?

A

Bunch Grass zone
one of the warmest and driest
semi-arid
long, warm/hot summers, very little rain
cold winters, little ppt

species: Doug fir and Ponderosa Pine

42
Q

Which is the largest forested BEC zone ?

A

Boreal white and black spruce in northeastern BC

continental, cold and long winters, short warm summers

43
Q

Compare and contrast the CDF and CWH BEC zones

A

Similarities:
- both coastal
- both are not limited by ppt

differences:
- CWH is MUCH higher ppt annually (rainshadow of the Olympics)
- CDF has warmer, drier summers = Arbutus and GO
- CWH very productive and old conifer forests - WH and WRC
- CDF is least protected zone, CWH is well protected

44
Q

Which BEC zones have a high level of protected areas?

A

Englemann Spruce-Subalpine fir (mountains and interior plateau)

CWH

Interior Cedar-hemlock

Mountain hemlock zone

Montane spruce

sub-boreal pine-spruce

45
Q

Which BEC zones are the least protected/most threatened?

A

CDF
Ponderosa Pine
Interior Df (Southern BC)

46
Q

Which BEC zone is most difficult to categorize? why?

A

the sub-boreal spruce zone because it’s super scattered and has a diversity of border zones
a lot of subzones and variants

47
Q

Generally, what type of BEC zones are more vulnerable?

A

smaller zones
zones with more fragmentation
zones with high levels of human activity and invasive species
zones in areas more susceptible to climate change impacts

48
Q

Which are the most threatened BEC zones?

A

Bunchgrass
CDF
Ponderosa pine
IDF

Forest Ecology (12 decks)

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