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(Hs) Ecoregion Taiga Shield Low Subarctic

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(Hs) Ecoregion Taiga Shield Low Subarctic ECOLOGICAL REGIONS Taiga Shield High Subarctic (HS) Ecoregion The Taiga Shield High Subarctic (HS) Ecoregion occupies nearly peat plateaus are typical wetland vegetation. Permafrost is OF THE 125,000 km2, and includes 9 Level IV ecoregions that arc across continuous along the northern boundary but discontinuous the northern third of the Taiga Shield. Landscapes are dominated where bedrock is interspersed with mineral soils. Several large Eskers are a common glacial landscape feature NorTHWEST TerrITorIES by bedrock in the western half, and boulder till and sandy or rivers including the Coppermine, Snare, Snowdrift, Taltson, of the Taiga Shield and are particularly extensive Tundra-dwelling Arctic ground squirrels in the Taiga Shield High Subarctic (HS) Ecoregion. range south into the subarctic regions gravel outwash further east. Slow-growing, open white and black Thelon and Dubawnt flow through the Ecoregion; hundreds of They provide a wide range of conditions for Gyrfalcons are rare visitors throughout of the Taiga Shield, wherever suitable 2 plants, from sheltered lower slopes with enough most of the Taiga Shield but commonly habitat conditions occur. They are spruce woodlands with lichen and shrub understories grow on large lakes over 50 km in area and thousands of smaller lakes moisture for good tree growth to upper slopes breed in the Taiga Shield High Subarctic most common in the Taiga Shield lower slopes and valleys, shrub and lichen tundra occupies dot the landscape. that support only low shrubs and lichens. Eskers (HS) Ecoregion. Gyrfalcons prey on High Subarctic (HS) Ecoregion and provide important habitat for many different birds and mammals ranging in size from can be locally abundant in sites where TAIGA SHIELD songbirds to geese, and from voles to Arctic upper slopes and hilltops, and sedge marshes and polygonal wildlife species including barren-ground caribou, permafrost and surface bedrock are muskoxen, grizzly bears, wolves, foxes, wolverines, hares. Although they usually nest on cliffs, limited and thereby allow Photo: G. Grambo Photo: G. Grambo Photo: A. Kelly and ground squirrels. they will use trees when cliffs are unavailable. easier burrowing. Bedrock and boulder till in the Taiga Shield High Subarctic (HS) Ecoregion are covered by open and stunted spruce woodlands with understory Widely spaced and narrow spires Pingo is an Inuit word that refers to small hill. Treeless peat plateaus occur in low, wet or shrubs such as ground birch, willow, of stunted spruce on nutrient-poor These mounds of earth-covered ice are formed northern Labrador tea, bog cranberry, permanently frozen areas throughout the and often frozen soils that are when water freezes and forces the overlying red bearberry and crowberry, as well Taiga Shield High Subarctic (HS) Ecoregion insulated by a thick organic blanket soil upward; they can reach heights up to 70 as cotton-grass, mosses and lichens. and the northern parts of the Taiga Shield Treeless [tundra] areas consist of low- are common in the Taiga Shield metres along the Arctic coast. “Muskox Hill”, a Low Subarctic (LS) Ecoregion. The reddish- The Taiga Shield provides important growing shrubs, along with mountain High Subarctic (HS) Ecoregion. classic pingo that lies just north of the Northwest brown colour of these “polygonal” peat fall and winter habitat for several avens, reindeer lichens and cotton- Open white spruce forests with a Territories-Nunavut border near the Thelon River plateaus indicates an eroding peat surface, major herds of barren-ground caribou. grass tussocks on hilltops and other shrub and lichen understory are in the Taiga Shield High Subarctic (HS) Ecoregion, due to melting permafrost and drier surface Barren-ground caribou are considered a exposed sites; these become extensive common in the northwest portion is a very rare permafrost feature in the Northwest conditions. These deteriorating peat “keystone” species in that the survival towards the northern edge of the of the Ecoregion as well as along Territories outside of the lower Mackenzie River formations may be an indicator of changing and abundance of many other wildlife Photo: D. Downing Photo: R. Decker Photo: D. Downing Photo: D. Downing Ecoregion. the Thelon River valley to the east. delta and associated coastal plains. climate. species are dependent on them. Photo: A. Gunn Taiga Shield Low Subarctic (LS) Ecoregion Photo: B. Oosenbrug The Taiga Shield Low Subarctic (LS) Ecoregion contains 10 Level IV landscapes. Drumlins are extensive and conspicuous landforms ecoregions with an area of almost 115,000 km2 in a broad, in the southeastern portion of the Ecoregion, as are peatlands northwest-southeast band across the centre of the Taiga Shield.It underlain by permafrost. About one-quarter of the Ecoregion includes the gently sloping bedrock plateaus north of Great Slave is covered by water; the East Arm of Great Slave Lake and Ospreys are fish-eating birds of prey that Lake and the nearly level to hummocky plains south and east of Hottah Lake are the two largest lakes, and the Snare, are closely associated with larger lakes and White-crowned Sparrows are Photo: D. Fast rivers in the Taiga Shield. They are particularly common breeders in the Taiga Shield Healthy natural Great Slave Lake. Level to rolling and hilly bedrock with thin boulder Lockhart, Snowdrift, Taltson, and Dubawnt are the abundant in the Taiga Shield Low Subarctic Low Subarctic (LS) Ecoregion. They ecosystems are critical till, open black spruce-lichen woodlands and forests, and large burned largest rivers. (LS) Ecoregion southeast of Great Slave Lake, forage for seeds and insects near the where they often nest on small protruding ground and favour open woodlands, to our well-being; areas regenerating with dwarf birch and black spruce are characteristic offshore boulders in lakes and shallow ponds. recently burned forest and shrubby they provide us with These boulders provide nesting sites secure areas – habitats that are abundant Photo: J. Nagy Photo: D. Downing from many potential predators. within this Ecoregion. clean air and clean water, a wide rangeof Open spruce – lichen woodlands renewable resources, and closed stands of black spruce Glacial landscape features like outwash are typical of well-drained sites in and eskers are common in the Taiga Shield and the opportunity the Taiga Shield Low Subarctic (LS) Low Subarctic (LS) Ecoregion; open lichen to enjoy landscapes Ecoregion. Understory vegetation woodlands dominate these sandy or gravelly, consists mostly of lichens, with bog well-drained sites. Black spruce is most with their rich diversity cranberry, bog bilberry, crowberry, Peatlands such as at this site east common, but paper birch and white spruce can of plant and animal common Labrador tea and mosses. of Selwyn Lake, are widespread be locally abundant. Along the southern limits Peatlands are vegetated by low shrubs throughout the Taiga Shield Low of the Ecoregion jack pine occupies similar Muskoxen have recently expanded communities. Climate such as ground birch, willow, heaths, Subarctic (LS) Ecoregion. Sedge areas with black spruce. Common bearberry, their range southward into the Taiga and topography act as well as lichens, sphagnum mosses and cotton-grass meadows in bog cranberry and reindeer lichens dominate Shield Low Subarctic (LS) Ecoregion and sedges in wet depressions; black wet depressions and surrounded RADIUM the ground vegetation. North-facing slopes, and are now found in small numbers together to produce spruce and larch [tamarack] are by open forests of stunted black HILLS HS as in this photo of an esker near Gameti, can near the east end of Great Slave ecosystems that stunted and scattered on the elevated spruce with northern Labrador tea support robust and diverse growth, including Lake and to the southeast. They are peat plateaus. Exposed bedrock and and lichens on elevated plateaus of C dense stands with multiple tree species commonly associated with productive can range in size from lichen communities on a piece of granite boulder terrain are covered by lichens, frozen organic soil, is a recurring o South-facing slopes are very dry and often sedge-grass meadows throughout p p Photo: G. Grambo Photo: D. Downing and trees are scattered or absent. Photo: R. Decker pattern. Photo: R. Decker have patches of bare ground. the year. to landscapes the size of Great Slave Lake. Understanding what e Calder r m makes one area different from another is an important part of iver R in wisely managing the vast expanses of the Northwest Territories for e r e v i present and future generations. These differences can be described R COPPERMINE UPLAND HS by dividing larger landscapes into smaller areas that have unique RADIUM CALDER HILLS LS UPLAND LS combinations of climate, terrain, vegetation, soils and wildlife; these Chipping Sparrows are widely Taiga Shield High Boreal (HB) Ecoregion ll POINT se are called ecological regions (ecoregions). am UPLAND HS distributed in North America. They C Point Photo: D. Marsh range throughout the forested Lake Both timber wolves, which establish and R regions of the Northwest Territories i The Taiga Shield High Boreal (HB) Ecoregion occupies the south- Open jack pine-spruce woodlands and lichen-shrub communities v maintain territorial year-round home ranges, and are common in the Taiga Shield The Northwest Territories is developing an ecologically based e r and nomadic tundra wolves, occur in the Taiga landscape classification for environmental assessment, cumulative grow on rock outcrops, thin boulder till and outwash. Permafrost High Boreal (HB) Ecoregion, where western third of the Taiga Shield and also includes the somewhat Shield. Timber wolves are most common in they prefer to nest in conifer forests. effects management, biodiversity monitoring and reporting, lower elevations east and north of Great Slave Lake. It contains is discontinuous and typically associated with peatlands and SNARE the southern portions, including the Taiga PLAIN HS Shield High Boreal (HB) Ecoregion. They forest resource analysis and planning, wildlife habitat evaluation 2 5 Level IV ecoregions totaling nearly 85,000 km .
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