Catalogue no. 12-607-X ISBN 978-0-660-24501-0 Ecological Land Classification, 2017 Release date: March 1, 2018 How to obtain more information For information about this product or the wide range of services and data available from Statistics Canada, visit our website, www.statcan.gc.ca. You can also contact us by email at [email protected] telephone, from Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the following numbers: • Statistical Information Service 1-800-263-1136 • National telecommunications device for the hearing impaired 1-800-363-7629 • Fax line 1-514-283-9350 Depository Services Program • Inquiries line 1-800-635-7943 • Fax line 1-800-565-7757 Standards of service to the public Note of appreciation Statistics Canada is committed to serving its clients in a prompt, Canada owes the success of its statistical system to a reliable and courteous manner. 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Ecological Land Classification Table of contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................4 Status .................................................................................................................................................. 4 Purpose of the Ecological Land Classification (ELC) ........................................................................... 4 Preface ................................................................................................................................................. 4 What’s new? ......................................................................................................................................... 4 Ecological Land Classification (ELC) 2017 ........................................................................................... 4 Conceptual framework and definitions ................................................................................................ 5 Classification structure and codes ....................................................................................................... 5 Conformity to relevant nationally recognized framework ..................................................................... 6 Explanatory Notes ................................................................................................................................ 7 Classification structure .............................................................................................................9 01 - Arctic Cordillera ............................................................................................................................. 9 02 - Northern Arctic .............................................................................................................................. 9 03 - Southern Arctic ........................................................................................................................... 13 04 - Taiga Plains ................................................................................................................................. 15 05 - Taiga Shield ................................................................................................................................. 17 06 - Boreal Shield ............................................................................................................................... 19 07 - Atlantic Maritime ......................................................................................................................... 23 08 - Mixedwood Plains ....................................................................................................................... 25 09 - Boreal Plains ............................................................................................................................... 26 10 - Prairies ........................................................................................................................................ 30 11 - Taiga Cordillera ........................................................................................................................... 33 12 - Boreal Cordillera.......................................................................................................................... 34 13 - Pacific Maritime .......................................................................................................................... 35 14 - Montane Cordillera ...................................................................................................................... 36 15 - Hudson Plains ............................................................................................................................. 38 Reference Maps ......................................................................................................................39 Terrestrial ecozones and ecoprovinces of Canada ............................................................................ 39 Statistics Canada – Catalogue no. 12-607-X 3 Ecological Land Classification Introduction Status This standard was approved as a departmental standard (http://www.statcan.gc.ca/eng/subjects/standard/napcs/ notice/compulsory) on November 20, 2017. Purpose of the Ecological Land Classification (ELC) The purpose of the Ecological Land Classification (ELC) is to delineate and classify ecologically distinct areas of the earth’s surface, and to provide a consistent national spatial context for better monitoring and reporting. The use of these ecological units can provide a common framework for local to national assessments and reporting of ecological indicators on the state of the environment in Canada. Preface The Ecological Land Classification (ELC) is Statistics Canada’s official classification for ecological areas in Canada. The ELC was developed to enable the production of integrated statistics for ecological areas. It is a hierarchical framework that classifies ecological areas or ecosystems and that incorporates all major components of ecosystems: air, water, land and biota. All boundaries in the ecological framework are matched to soil landscape polygons from the Soil Landscapes of Canada (SLC). The ELC provides unique names and codes for the ecozones, ecoprovinces, ecoregions and ecodistricts of Canada. The range of geographical units is convenient for data collection and compilation, and is useful for spatial analysis of environmental, economic and social statistics. This classification is based on the following reports: Ecological Stratification Working Group. 1995. A National Ecological Framework for Canada. Agriculture and Agri- Food Canada, Research Branch, Centre for Land and Biological Resources Research and Environment Canada, State of the Environment Directorate, Ecozone Analysis Branch. Ottawa/Hull. Marshall, I.B., Schut, P.H., and Ballard, M. 1999. A National Ecological Framework for Canada: Attribute Data. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Research Branch, Centre for Land and Biological Resources Research and Environment Canada, State of the Environment Directorate, Ecozone Analysis Branch. Ottawa/Hull. http://sis.agr. gc.ca/cansis/nsdb/ecostrat/1999report/index.html (accessed July 4, 2017). What’s new? The Ecological Land Classification is a departmental standard. Ecological Land Classification (ELC) 2017 Ecological Land Classification (ELC) is a common hierarchical framework and terminology for classifying ecologically distinctive areas. According to Ed Wiken, a member of the original committee on land classification, it is: a process of delineating and classifying ecologically distinctive areas of the surface. Each area can be viewed as a discrete system which has resulted from the mesh and interplay of the geologic, landform, soil, vegetative, climatic, wildlife, water and human factors which may be present. The dominance of any one or more of these factors varies with the given ecological land unit. This holistic approach to land classification can be applied incrementally on a scale-related basis from site-specific ecosystems to very broad ecosystems.1 1. Ecological Stratification Working Group. 1995.A National Ecological Framework for Canada. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Research Branch, Centre for Land and Biological Resources Research and Environment Canada, State of the Environment Directorate, Ecozone Analysis Branch. Ottawa/Hull. p. 1. 4 Statistics Canada – Catalogue no. 12-607-X Ecological Land Classification Conceptual framework and definitions The conceptual framework uses concepts set out by the Canadian Committee on Ecological Land Classification. It is based on a hierarchy system using four levels of generalization: ecozone,