Alpine Tundra zones BAFA CMA IMA

Biogeoclimatic Zones
Three alpine zones are recognized on high mountains
throughout the Province (see inset map for ranges). Long,
cold winters and a short, cool growing season create conditions
too severe for most woody plants __ except in dwarf form.
Although essentially treeless, as mapped here, the alpine
includes areas of parkland __ small patches of trees interspersed
with alpine meadows. The alpine is dominated by dwarf shrubs Bennett

Alse
Lake
and heaths, herbs, mosses and lichens.
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T ( C A N A D A

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of British Columbia
Alpine tundra dominated by grasses, sedges, dwarf willows R
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i ( C A N A DA )
and lichens; 'Camel Hump', Telkwa Mountains near Smithers www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/pubs/docs/Bro/Bro56.htm

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Atlin Lake

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This is a subalpine zone occurring in the severe climate of the

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north of the Province, at elevations above the boreal forest

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and below the alpine tundra. At lower elevations, the zone is

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characterized by open forests of primarily white spruce and

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subalpine fir; upper elevations are dominated by deciduous

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shrubs including scrub birch and willow. In some high wide Fo

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valleys, cold air collects resulting in a mosaic of scrub, r Nelson

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grasslands and wetlands.

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Kotcho

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Lake
Open spruce forests bordering valley-bottom meadows and

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shrub-carrs; Beaver Valley, northwestern BC www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/pubs/docs/Bro/Bro61.htm

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Land Cover

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FORT NELSON

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Boreal White and Black Spruce BWBS

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Various factors, other than the site's potential,
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Fort These factors include both human and natural
This zone is part of the extensive belt of boreal coniferous Lake
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I disturbances. As a result, the actual land cover,

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forest occurring across Canada. It occupies the northern Dease
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valleys west of the Rocky Mountains and the gently rolling Dease U
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topography of the Great Plains. Winters are long and cold and rna g a

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the potential natural plant community.

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the growing season short; the ground remains frozen for much FO

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of the year. Numerous past fires have created extensive

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successional forests of aspen and lodgepole pine. Where flat,
Lakes/Wetlands

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the landscape is typically a mosaic of black spruce bogs and RI VER

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Mosaic of post-fire forests and wetlands characteristic of this white spruce and trembling aspen stands.

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zone; near Prophet River www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/pubs/docs/Bro/Bro49.htm

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Urban/Agriculture

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Sub-Boreal Pine _ Spruce Alpine Barren

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SBPS

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The SBPS zone occurs on the high plateau of the west central

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ay Non-Forest
interior in the rainshadow of the Coast Mountains in an area

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with a cold, dry climate. As a result of an extensive fire history, Smithers
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the zone is characterized by many even-aged lodgepole pine

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stands. The plateau landscape is dotted with numerous non- Young Forest

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forested wetlands. Prince

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River
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NI C ! George

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Mosaic of lodgepole pine and spruce forests with wetlands

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www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/pubs/docs/Bro/Bro59.htm

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Sub-Boreal Spruce SBS R

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Occuring in the central interior of the Province primarily on

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gently rolling plateaus, this zone has a fairly severe climate,

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however, the winters are shorter and the growing season

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longer than in boreal areas. Hybrid Engelmann-white spruce The Biogeoclimatic System R iver

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O
Kamloops
and subalpine fir are the dominant trees; extensive stands of of Ecosystem Classification !

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lodgepole pine occur in the dryer portions of the zone due to Bowser

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FORT

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Lake River ! ST JOHN

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numerous past fires. Wetlands are abundant, dotting the
landscape in poorly drained areas. TAYLOR

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!
Nelson

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Extensive forests of lodgepole pine and white spruce with Pe a

A
Williston !
scattered wetlands; Mandalay Creek www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/pubs/docs/Bro/Bro53.htm
Each day, throughout British Columbia, HUDSON'S

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Lake
HOPE ! Vancouver

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!

foresters and other resource managers

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STEWART DAWSON

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!

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CREEK
Data Source:

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Mountain Hemlock MH !
make decisions that affect ecosystems, the

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Pouce ! Baseline Thematic Mapping;

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Germansen Coupe Integrated Land Management Bureau;
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basic units of the natural landscape. These Landing CHETWYND Ministry of Agriculture and Lands.

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As a subalpine zone occurring at high elevations along the
Pacific coast, the growing season is short and the annual

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snowfall is high. Throughout most of the zone, the forest is decisions may involve harvesting, planting,

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continuous with mountain hemlock and amabilis fir as the

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dominant trees, as well as varying amounts of yellow-cedar. fertilizing, grazing, recreational development, Takla

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In the upper elevations, forests thin out into open parkland,

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where trees are clumped and interspersed with sedge or or fish and wildlife management. Lake ! MACKENZIE

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mountain-heather communities. New Hazelton New Hazelton

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!
TUMBLER

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!
Forests of mountain hemlock and amabilis fir opening up into Aiyansh !
!
RIDGE

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parkland and alpine; Nooseseck River www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/pubs/docs/Bro/Bro51.htm

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To assist managers making decisions affecting SS
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Ecoprovinces

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In British Columbia, an alternate approach to ecological land

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ecosystems, Ministry of Forests Research personnel,

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Engelmann Spruce _ Subalpine Fir

A L B E R T
ed
ESSF Granisle classification is the Ecoregion Classification. This classification

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in consultation with the resource users, have developed is primarily physiographic but takes into account broad climatic

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This is a subalpine zone occurring at high elevations
SMITHERS ! processes. The classification is hierarchical__Ecoprovinces are
throughout much of the interior. The climate is severe, an ecosystem classification for the Province. This classification TELKWA
Babine
Lake divided into Ecoregions and Ecosections, and generalized into

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!
DUNDAS

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producing short cool growing seasons and long cold winters. ISLAND Ecodomains and Ecodivisions.
is intended to provide decision makers with a common and

( C A N A D
D I X Stuart
Only those trees capable of tolerating extended periods of O N E N T R !
A
frozen ground occur. Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir, and N C E TERRACE Taiga Plains
lodgepole pine are the dominant trees. The landscape at the consistent language in managing forest and range resources. HOUSTON
Lake ! FORT

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Cape Knox ST JAMES
upper elevations is open parkland, with trees clumped and PRINCE RUPERT
!
Northern Boreal Mountains
!

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interspersed with meadow, heath, and grassland.

O U
BURNS
Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir stands grading into alpine LAKE
tundra and avalanched slopes www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/pubs/docs/Bro/Bro55.htm In 1975 the Ministry of Forests adopted the biogeo- MASSET ! Boreal Plains
!

N T
climatic system of Dr. V.J. Krajina and his students to

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! KITIMAT VANDERHOOF PRINCE
FR
AS
ER
Sub-Boreal Interior
GRAHAM is Lake ! Ri v e
Franco FRASER ! r

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Morice ko GEORGE
serve as a framework for ecosystem classification. In LAKE

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Montane Spruce MS
Lake
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! Central Interior

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DOUGLAS

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the biogeoclimatic system, climate is considered to be !
Port CHANNEL Tahtsa ive
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C Southern Interior Mountains

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The MS zone occurs in the south-central interior at middle

N S
A

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Clements PITT Lake
elevations and is most extensive on plateau areas. The winters the principal environmental factor influencing ecosystem R

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Southern Interior

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ISLAND
are cold and summers moderately short and warm. Engelmann Oo
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B
Lak VE
development. British Columbia has been divided into fourteen
ISLAND
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and hybrid spruce, and varying amounts of subalpine fir are e

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Queen BANKS C hilako
Georgia Depression
!
E

the characteristic tree species, however, due to past wildfires Kemano

Charlotte ISLAND
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broad, climatically homogeneous areas usually characterized

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successional forests of lodgepole pine, Douglas-fir and City McBride

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A

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trembling aspen are common. !
Sandspit Coast and Mountains
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by the general occurrence of dominant climax tree species.

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Extensive lodgepole pine forests with some spruce and a few HAIDA
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U Northeast Pacific
These areas, called Biogeoclimatic Zones, are differentiated

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wetlands www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/pubs/docs/Bro/Bro62.htm Butedale RI Wells
!
AD
!
N
RO
ST T
C
LOUISE
by distinct patterns of vegetation and soil. In the past decade, GWAII ISLAND W
E
Nazko A Data Source: The Ecoregions of British Columbia;
PRINCESS
! ! QUESNEL O I !VALEMOUNT Ecosystems Branch; Ministry of Environment.

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Bunchgrass BG N

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the Ministry of Forests has been refining the biogeoclimatic L

R i ve
ROYAL

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FRASE
CAAMANO
SOUND ISLAND
DE
A S

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MORESBY LYELL

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system and developing a detailed classification framework to

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ISLAND
ISLAND

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This grassland zone is confined to the lower elevations of the

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U

R I

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driest and hottest valleys of the southern interior. Bluebunch
aid in site-specific forest and range management. Foresters and Likely

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!
ARISTAZABAL Quesnel
wheatgrass is the dominant bunchgrass on undisturbed sites.

V E
Lake

T
ISLAND

K
N
At the lower elevations big sagebrush is common particularly
other resource managers are now able to prescribe management

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R
S

on overgrazed areas. Ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir I

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Kinbasket

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T

T
occasionally occur in draws and on coarser textured soils A
R

although the harsh climate restricts their growth. practices that consider ecological variables such as climate, terrain, LAREDO OCEAN Clearwater

A
Horsefly
A

A
SOUND Lake
FALLS ! Hagensborg
I

soils and vegetation for almost any site within the Province. This has Bella Lake

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T

U
I

ilc
Grassland terraces leading down to Fraser River King Coola Charlotte WILLIAMS
! Blue River

o
MILBANK

tin
www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/pubs/docs/Bro/Bro54.htm SOUND Lake
led to significant advances in land management. KUNGHIT LAKE
O
N
!

R iver
ISLAND ! Bella Island Alexis

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Bella !
Creek

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Mahood
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CO L U M B
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Ponderosa Pine PP

Tasek o
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ompso n

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Namu CLEARWATER AR

Th
The PP is the warmest and driest forest zone. It is confined to Climate

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Q U E E N 100 MILE !

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a narrow band in the driest and warmest valleys of the

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Owikeno
! HOUSE
Lake
N

ER
RIVE
southern interior where it often borders the Bunchgrass Zone GOLDEN !
The Biogeoclimatic zones are an expression of the way in which regional climate influences ecosystem development over time. S

i n aklini
along its lower or drier limits. Ponderosa pine is the dominant

A
R
Rive

North
tree and frequent ground fires are important for creating and Within a zone, places that are similar with respect to site characteristics such as soil and topography have the potential to develop similar
CALVERT
ISLAND
Tatlayoko P

r
U

S
C H A R L O T T E

Kl
Lake
maintaining widely-spaced pine stands with a bunchgrass plant communities, given enough time. Four of the most important climatic variables determining ecosystem development are depicted.
R

H
! Bonaparte
understorey. Douglas-fir is common on the colder and moister
sites. Data Sources: 1961 to 1990 Meteorological Service of Canada data interpolated by Chris Daley of Oregon State University Rive
r Lake
M C

E
SMITH Chilko Adams
Lake E
and further interpolated by Wang et al. 2006. Intl. J. Climatology 26:383-397
O
Lake

Dun
Very open ponderosa pine - Douglas-fir stands; south of SOUND
L

E
k !

o
th Taseko Barriere
Penticton

can
www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/pubs/docs/Bro/Bro60.htm S O U N D ma
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!
REVELSTOKE
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Ho
Cape Lakes

Rive
Shuswap
Caution Clinton
o
( oC)
! Lake
Mean Minimum Temperature, January ( C) Mean Maximum Temperature, July N

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S
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T
! SICAMOUS !
Radium Hot Springs

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Interior Douglas-fir IDF

L
!
Heffley !
!INVERMERE
QU
CHASE
A
EE Kamloops
Creek

O
N

K
4 29

U
Lake
KNIGHT ! CACHE ! SALMON ARM
INLET CREEK Upper

U
CH
This is the second warmest forest zone of the dry southern

N T
AR
LO ASHCROFT Arrow
LILLOOET ENDERBY Mabel

R
TT ! !

I
Cape Scott Lake
interior, occurring in the rainshadow of the Coast, Selkirk and

N
E
! KAMLOOPS ! Lake
Purcell mountains. Douglas-fir is the dominant tree. Fires -6 24 ST

N
! RA

T
PORT HARDY
IT
LOGAN ARMSTRONG
have frequently resulted in even-aged lodgepole pine stands Alert

A I
LAKE ! !
Meadow

A
SPALLUMCHEEN

S
at higher elevations while ponderosa pine is the common Bay BUTE !

Kootenay
!
PORT !
! Lillo NAKUSP Creek Elkford !
INLET oet !

I
seral tree of the lower elevations. Along its drier limits the -14 19 McNEILL

M
TOBA VERNON

N S
Johnstone St

N
zone often becomes savannah-like, supporting bunchgrasses Nimpkish
rai t
INLET ! !
LUMBY
!
including rough fescue and bluebunch wheatgrass. QUATSINO !

O
Lake COLDSTREAM

S
SOUND PORT V NEW
ALICE
!
Sayward PEMBERTON !
Mosaic of Douglas-fir forests and grasslands; looking across -23 14 A DENVER

U
Lillooet !
Lytton
!
SPARWOOD !
Fraser River from Empire Valley www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/pubs/docs/Bro/Bro47.htm N ! LAKE COUNTRY SILVERTON
! ! KASLO

Ri
Lake

N T

ve
Slocan
C !MERRITT

r
Lake
O
Powell KIMBERLEY
-32 2 Cape Cook

U
Lake
KELOWNA SLOCAN
!

Ri v
!
WHISTLER !
! Lower
!

A I
Coastal Douglas-fir CDF V Edgewood

er
Arrow ! FERNIE
Kyuquot !
CAMPBELL !
! Zeballos
E RIVER
JERVIS
INLET PEACHLAND !
Lake ! Balfour !CRANBROOK
KYUQUOT Kootenay
SOUND !
Tahsis R POWELL
Okanagan Lake

N S
S

Lake
!
T

In the lee of the Olympic and Vancouver Island mountains a mild RIVER NELSON
R

!
A

SUMMERLAND

R
"mediterranean" type of climate prevails. These rainshadow
IT

ANC OUVE

VER
Harrison

R
coastal forests are dominated by Douglas-fir, with an understorey NOOTKA ! GOLD SQUAMISH !

VE
COURTENAY T
E I
RIVER ! ! COMOX X Lake
commonly consisting of salal and/or Oregon grape. Western A R Lake

WEST VANCOU

MAPL ADOWS M
ISLAND D E
CUMBERLAND A HOWE ! PENTICTON Koocanusa

A
redcedar is typical of wetter sites and Garry oak and arbutus are ! PRINCETON ! CASTLEGAR

I
! IS SOUND

PITT COQUITL

OY
PORT MOODY
L !
A Rive
abundant on drier sites. The latter two trees are unique to this NOOTKA N r !SALMO CRESTON

NORTH V

GE
D LIONS

M
! SOUND Roberts ! )
zone and occur nowhere else in Canada. ! BAY ! ( U S A

E RID
T A N A

Belcarra
SECHELT Creek !
! QUALICUM O F !
HOPE
TRAIL ! FRUITVALE M O N

ME
! ! HARRISON !

PORT
Great
! !!! BEACH GIBSONS WARFIELD! ! )
( U S A
! Central ! OLIVER
Douglas-fir forests on the lee side of Vancouver Island; near PARKSVILLE ! ! ! HOT SPRINGS ! Greenwood GRAND MONTROSE
! KEREMEOS ! O
I D A H
!

en
Lake
! Flores
I ! VANCOUVER !
!
FORKS ROSSLAND
Qualicum www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/pubs/docs/Bro/Bro30.htm

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Island ! ! Midway
PORT
S ! ALBERNI BURNABY! ! ! ! !

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! COQUITLAM MISSION OSOYOOS
G NEW WESTMINSTER
!

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Si
E
O RICHMOND !SURREY
! A NANAIMO ! R !LANGLEY
G !DELTA
TOFINO
! ABBOTSFORD ( U S A )
Mean Winter Precipitation (mm) Mean Summer Precipitation (mm) N
IA
W A S H I N
G T O N
Interior Cedar _ Hemlock
!
ICH D !
WHITE
LADYSMITH ROCK
UCLUELET !

This zone occurs at lower to middle elevations in the 7000 2000 LAKE !
DUNCAN
interior wet belt of the Province. Winters are cool and wet,
BARKLEY
SOUND
!
Bamfield
COWICHAN
! A print file of this map may be obtained at:
and summers are generally warm and dry. This zone has the ftp.for.gov.bc.ca/HRE/external/!publish/becmaps/papermaps
SIDNEY
widest variety of coniferous tree species of any zone in the 1300 500 ! Glaciers
Province. Western hemlock and western redcedar are CENTRAL c 2014 Government of British Columbia
!
VIEW SAANICH Published by the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, Victoria, British Columbia
characteristic species but spruce (white-Engelmann hybrids), JUA
N ! Port Renfrew
DE ROYAL !SAANICH
and subalpine fir are not unusual. Douglas-fir and lodgepole 400 340 FU LANGFORD!! ! !OAK BAY
pine are generally found on drier sites. CA
ST COLWOOD! !VICTORIA For further information contact the Forest Analysis and Inventory Branch:
A mosaic of western hemlock stands on mid slopes and western
Alpine Tundra Zones RA
IT SOOKE! ! ESQUIMALT
METCHOSIN B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
redcedar stands on lower slopes; Rocky Mountain Trench www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/pubs/docs/Bro/Bro48.htm Coastal Mountain-heather Alpine (CMA) _ P.O. Box 9512 Stn Prov Govt
250 225 The CMA has a very deep, warm, maritime Victoria, BC V8W 9C2 1:2,000,000
snow pack. The vegetation is characteristically 0 25 50 100 150 200 250
extensive mountain-heather dominated communities. Or one of the Regional Ecologists in the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations:
Coastal Western Hemlock CWH 120 95 Northern Area Regional Operations
BAFA Coastal Regional Operations Southern Regional Operations Kilometres
Interior Mountain-heather Alpine (IMA) _ The 2100 Labieux Road 1011-4th Avenue 515 Columbia Street
IMA has deep, interior snow pack and relatively CMA Nanaimo, BC V9T 6E9 Prince George, BC V2L 3H9 Kamloops, BC V2C 2T7 Projection: Albers, NAD83
The northern latitude rainforests comprising this zone occur warm winter temperatures, which limits ground- !

at low elevations along the coast. Western hemlock and

freezing. Vegetation is diverse, depending upon Data Sources:
amabilis fir are the dominant climax trees, although several
other species are also common. Abundant rainfall and mild
regional climate but communities with a component Biogeoclimatic Subzone/Variant Map (v9.0), May 2014. Forest Analysis and Inventory Branch,
temperatures make these forests the most productive in of mountain-heathers are common. Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
Canada. In the old growth forests, Douglas-fir can approach Base map: Digital Baseline Mapping at 1:2,000,000 (v1.0), GeoBC,
100 metres in height; on river bottom soils, western redcedar Boreal Altai Fescue Alpine (BAFA) _ The BAFA has a IMA Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
and Sitka spruce can reach up to four metres in diameter. thin, windblown, tundra-like snowpack. Typical vegetation Hill shade: Gridded DEM (V1.1), GeoBC,
Extensive western hemlock and western redcedar forests; has a high component of grasses, characteristically Altai fescue Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
the mouth of the Bella Coola River www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/pubs/docs/Bro/Bro31.htm or small-awned sedge.
Cartography: Clover Point Cartographics Ltd., Victoria, BC
August 2016

1:2,000,000