Special Report Series 6 ECOSYSTEMS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA FEBRUARY 1991 BC Ministry of Forests ISSN 0843-6452 Ecosystems of British Columbia Compiled and Edited by Del Meidinger 1 and Jim Pojar 2 1 Research Branch 2 Forest Sciences Section B.C. Ministry of Forests B.C. Ministry of Forests 31 Bastion Square Bag 5000 Victoria, B.C. V8W 3E7 Smithers, B.C. V0J 2N0 February 1991 BC Ministry of Forests Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data Main entry under title: Ecosystems of British Columbia (Special report series, ISSN 0843-6452 ; no. 6) Includes bibliographical references: p. ISBN 0-7718-8997-6 1. Forest ecology - British Columbia. 2. Bio- climatology - British Columbia. 3. Biogeography - British Columbia. I. Meidinger, Dellis Vern, 1953- . II. Pojar, Jim, 1948- . III. British Columbia. Ministry of Forests. IV. Series: Special report series (British Columbia. Ministry of Forests) ; no. 6. QK938.F6.E26 1991 581.5'2642'09711 C91-092061-3 1991 Province of British Columbia Published by the Research Branch Ministry of Forests 31 Bastion Square Victoria, B.C. V8W 3E7 Copies of this and other Ministry of Forests titles are available from Crown Publications Inc., 546 Yates Street, Victoria, B.C. V8W 1K8. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Numerous individuals contributed to this report, including not only the authors of the separate sections (see ``List of Authors and Af®liations''), but also their associates who have helped over several years in the research on which the report is based. All the authors are or were employed in the B.C. Ministry of Forests research program or the B.C. Ministry of Environment Wildlife Branch. Useful reviews were provided by colleagues in these groups. For example, Andy MacKinnon and Ted Lea reviewed the entire manuscript; wildlife sections were reviewed by Andrew Harcombe, Chris Dodd, Bill Munro, and Dave Clark. External review of many of the wildlife sections was provided by Wayne Campbell and Keith Moore, and Chris Clement reviewed the zone description chapters. Kamil Apt and Ted Murray reviewed the recreation comments; and Dennis Demarchi reviewed the range use information and the ®rst four chapters. The wildlife lists were the work of Peter Holmes, who compiled the ®rst draft from the Wildlife Branch Sub-Regional Habitat Maps, and Bill Harper, who completed the tables and provided the overall technical guidance. Bill Harper also edited all sections dealing with wildlife. The production of the ®nal printed manuscript also involved many individuals. Louise Gronmyr did the majority of the typing and corrections to the manuscript. Other word processing operators who helped produce the text include Cheryl Ward, Maria Romeo, Karen Reid, and Christina Stewart. Paul Nystedt and Peggy Frank drew the cross sections. Carmen Cadrin produced the ®rst draft of the species list; Anne Heitkamp helped review it. George Reynolds compiled the climate data and produced the diagrams. David Izard did the computer graphics used in this publication. Dave Butcher, of T.D. Mock and Associates, prepared the vegetation diagrams. Georgina Montgomery provided a ®nal edit of the manuscript and Beth Collins typeset the document. Therese Britton was responsible for paste-up and production of many ®gures. We greatly appreciate everyone's help. iii AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS Rick Annas, Consulting Ecologist, #7-10841-135 Street, Edmonton, Alta. T5M 1J8 Tom Braumandl, Regional Ecologist, Nelson Forest Region, B.C. Ministry of Forests, 518 Lake Street, Nelson, B.C. V1L 4C6 Steve Chatwin, Hydrologist and Manager of Fish/Forestry Program, Research Branch, B.C. Ministry of Forests, 31 Bastion Square, Victoria, B.C. V8W 3E7 Ray CoupÂe, Ecologist, Cariboo Forest Region, B.C. Ministry of Forests, 540 Borland Street, Williams Lake, B.C. V2G 1R8 Craig DeLong, Ecologist, Prince George Forest Region, B.C. Ministry of Forests, 1011-4th Avenue, Prince George, B.C. V2L 3H9 Dennis Demarchi, Habitat Classi®cation Specialist, Wildlife Branch, B.C. Ministry of Environment, 780 Blanshard Street, Victoria, B.C. V8V 1X5 Wayne Erickson, Range Development Agrologist, Prince Rupert Forest Region, B.C. Ministry of Forests, Bag 5000, Smithers, B.C. VOJ 2NO Evelyn Hamilton, Ecologist, Research Branch, B.C. Ministry of Forests, 31 Bastion Square, Victoria, B.C. V8W 3E7 Bill Harper, Habitat Inventory and Enhancement Specialist, Wildlife Branch, B.C. Ministry of Environment, 780 Blanshard Street, Victoria, B.C. V8V 1X5 Graeme Hope, Consulting Soil Scientist, 1193 Wildwood Drive, Kamloops, B.C. V2C 5E1 Maureen Ketcheson, Consulting Ecologist, J.M.J. Holdings Inc., Box 784, Nelson, B.C. V1L 5P9 Karel Klinka, Ecologist and Associate Professor, V.J. Krajina Chair in Silvics and Silviculture, Department of Forest Sciences, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, #270 - 2357 Main Mall, Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1W5 Dennis Lloyd, Regional Ecologist, Kamloops Forest Region, B.C. Ministry of Forests, 515 Columbia Street, Kamloops, B.C. V2C 2T7 Andy MacKinnon, Ecologist and Manager of Ecology Program, Research Branch, B.C. Ministry of Forests, 31 Bastion Square, Victoria, B.C. V8W 3E7 Del Meidinger, Ecologist and Provincial Correlator, Ecosystem Classi®cation Program, Research Branch, B.C. Ministry of Forests, 31 Bastion Square, Victoria, B.C. V8W 3E7 Bob Mitchell, Regional Pedologist, Kamloops Forest Region, B.C. Ministry of Forests, 515 Columbia Street, Kamloops, B.C. V2C 2T7 iv Alison Nicholson, Ecologist and Radio Personality, Research Branch, B.C. Ministry of Forests, 31 Bastion Square, Victoria, B.C. V8W 3E7 Fred Nuszdorfer, Regional Ecologist, Vancouver Forest Region, B.C. Ministry of Forests, 4595 Canada Way, Burnaby, B.C. V5G 4L9 Jim Pojar, Forest Science Of®cer and Ecologist, Prince Rupert Forest Region, B.C. Ministry of Forests, Bag 5000, Smithers, B.C. VOJ 2NO Ordell Steen, Regional Ecologist, Cariboo Forest Region, B.C. Ministry of Forests, 540 Borland Street, Williams Lake, B.C. V2G 1R8 Andy Stewart, Wildlife Habitat Technician, Wildlife Branch, B.C. Ministry of Environment, 780 Blanshard Street, Victoria, B.C. V8V 1X5 Greg Utzig, Consulting Ecologist, Kutenai Nature Investigations Ltd., 602 Richards Street, Nelson, B.C. V1L 5K5 Brian Wikeem, Range Scientist, Research Branch, B.C. Ministry of Forests, 3015 Ord Road, Kamloops, B.C. V2B 8A9 v TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................. iii AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS ........................................... iv Chapter 1 Introduction Ð J. Pojar and D. Meidinger ..................... 1 Chapter 2 Concepts Ð J. Pojar, D. Meidinger, and K. Klinka .............. 9 Chapter 3 British Columbia: The Environmental Setting Ð J. Pojar and D. Meidinger .............................................. 39 Chapter 4 Resource Values Ð A. MacKinnon, W.L. Harper, S. Chatwin, and B.M. Wikeem ............................................. 69 Chapter 5 Coastal Douglas-®r Zone Ð F.C. Nuszdorfer, K. Klinka, and D.A. Demarchi ................................................ 81 Chapter 6 Coastal Western Hemlock Zone Ð J. Pojar, K. Klinka, and D.A. Demarchi ................................................ 95 Chapter 7 Mountain Hemlock Zone Ð J. Pojar, K. Klinka, and D.A. Demarchi ................................................ 113 Chapter 8 Bunchgrass Zone Ð A. Nicholson, E. Hamilton, W.L. Harper, and B.M. Wikeem ............................................. 125 Chapter 9 Ponderosa Pine Zone Ð G.D. Hope, D.A. Lloyd, W.R. Mitchell, W.R. Erickson, W.L. Harper, and B.M. Wikeem .................. 139 Chapter 10 Interior Douglas-®r Zone Ð G.D. Hope, W.R. Mitchell, D.A. Lloyd, W.R. Erickson, W.L. Harper, and B.M. Wikeem ....... 153 Chapter 11 Interior Cedar Ð Hemlock Zone Ð M.V. Ketcheson, T.F. Braumandl, D. Meidinger, G. Utzig, D.A. Demarchi, and B.M. Wikeem ................................................. 167 Chapter 12 Montane Spruce Zone Ð G.D. Hope, W.R. Mitchell, D.A. Lloyd, W.L. Harper, and B.M. Wikeem ..................... 183 Chapter 13 Sub-Boreal Pine Ð Spruce Zone Ð O. Steen and D.A. Demarchi ............................................ 195 Chapter 14 Sub-Boreal Spruce Zone Ð D. Meidinger, J. Pojar, and W.L. Harper .................................................. 209 Chapter 15 Engelmann Spruce Ð Subalpine Fir Zone Ð R. CoupÂe, A.C. Stewart, and B.M. Wikeem ................................ 223 Chapter 16 Boreal White and Black Spruce Zone Ð C. DeLong, R.M. Annas, and A.C. Stewart ................................. 237 Chapter 17 Spruce Ð Willow Ð Birch Zone Ð J. Pojar and A.C. Stewart 251 Chapter 18 Alpine Tundra Zone Ð J. Pojar and A.C. Stewart ............. 263 vii Chapter 19 Non-tidal Wetlands Ð J. Pojar ............................... 275 Appendices ................................................................ 281 General References ........................................................ 295 Selected References ........................................................ 298 TABLES 1. Relative soil moisture regime classes and characteristics ................. 15 2. Classi®cation of actual soil moisture regimes ............................ 16 3. Differentia and examples for classi®cations and categories of Biogeoclimatic Ecosystem Classi®cation ................................. 20 4. Climatic characteristics for the biogeoclimatic zones of British Columbia 56 5. Occurrence of trees in the biogeoclimatic zones of British Columbia ...... 59 6. Volume of all wood products billed in ®scal year 1988-89, by species ...... 71 7. Domestic water sources in British Columbia ...........................