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Northern Cordillera forests

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Northern Cordillera forests
Coniferous forest and deciduous shrubs along the Stewart–Cassiar Highway near Good Hope Lake
Ecology
RealmNearctic
BiomeBoreal forests/taiga
Borders
Bird species165 [1]
Mammal species55 [1]
Geography
Area262,884 km2 (101,500 sq mi)
CountryCanada
Provinces/territoriesBritish Columbia, Northwest Territories, and Yukon
Climate typeSubarctic
Conservation
Conservation statusVulnerable
Habitat loss0%[1]
Protected11.6%[1]

Northern Cordillera forests is a taiga ecoregion that extends across the northern interior of British Columbia, southern Yukon, and a small area of the Northwest Territories as defined by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) categorization system.

Setting

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This ecoregion occupies a transitional region of mountains, valleys, and high plateaus between the Coast and Saint Elias Mountains to the west, and the Northern Rocky Mountains to the east.

Climate

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This ecoregion has a predominantly subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc ) with cool summers and cold winters. Mean annual precipitation is approximately 350-600 mm, but increases up to 1000 mm at higher elevations. The highest elevations feature an alpine tundra climate.

Ecology

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Flora

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The lower mountains and valleys are dominated by alpine fir, lodgepole pine, and black and white spruce all intermixed with a variety of deciduous shrubs. Higher elevations are dominated by dwarf birch, willow, and a variety of dwarf ericaceous shrubs. The highest elevations are dominated by grass, lichen, and moss.[2]

Fauna

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Fauna found throughout this ecoregion include grizzly bear, black bear, moose, mountain goat, beaver, red fox, wolves, ptarmigan, and snowy owl.[2]

Conservation

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Some protected areas of this ecoregion include:

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "The Atlas of Global Conservation". maps.tnc.org. Archived from the original on 2012-03-05. Retrieved 2020-10-28.
  2. ^ a b "Northern Cordillera forests | Ecoregions | WWF". World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
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