Alberta–British Columbia foothills forests

Alberta–British Columbia foothill forests
	Forests of Crimson Lake Provincial Park, Alberta
Ecology
Realm	Nearctic
Biome	Temperate coniferous forests
Borders	List Alberta Mountain forests; Canadian aspen forests and parklands; Central British Columbia Mountain forests; Mid-Continental Canadian forests; Muskwa-Slave Lake forests; North Central Rockies forests; Northern Cordillera forests;
Bird species	182[1]
Mammal species	61[1]
Geography
Area	120,500 km2 (46,500 sq mi)
Country	Canada
States	Alberta and British Columbia
Conservation
Conservation status	Critical/Endangered
Habitat loss	5.0598%[1]
Protected	47%[1]

The Alberta–British Columbia foothills forests are a temperate coniferous forests ecoregion of Western Canada, as defined by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) categorization system.[2] This ecoregion borders Canada's taiga and contains a mix of subarctic forest and temperate forest species as a result. This makes the region an ecotone region, or a region that acts as a buffer between two other biomes.

Setting

This ecoregion covers two separate areas: the rolling foothills of the Rocky Mountains of Alberta and further west a smaller area of the hills and valleys of central British Columbia. The Clear Hills in the north of the region are steeper.[3]

Average annual temperature vary from −0.5 to 2 °C (31 to 36 °F) with the summer temperatures around 14 °C (57 °F) dropping in winter to −17.5 °C (0 °F) in the north and −10 °C (14 °F) in the south.

Flora

The forests are a mixture dominated by lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), jack pine (Pinus banksiana), trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides), black spruce (Picea mariana), and white spruce (Picea glauca). Other trees include balsam poplar (populus balsamifera), paper birch (Betula papyrifera) and balsam fir (Abies balsamifera).

Fauna

These foothills are home to the largest populations of moose (Alces alces) in North America. Other mammals include snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus), beaver (Castor canadensis), muskrat (Ondatra zibethica), wolf (Canis lupus) and two subspecies of black bear the cinnamon bear (Ursus americanus cinnamomum) of the Rocky Mountains and the eastern black bear (Ursus americanus americanus) of the Canadian Taiga.

Birds of the area include sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis), ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus), spruce grouse (Falcipennis canadensis) and large numbers of waterbirds and New World warblers (Parulidae).

Threats and preservation

These forests have been extensively altered by human activity, especially clearance for planting.

References

Hoekstra, J. M.; Molnar, J. L.; Jennings, M.; Revenga, C.; Spalding, M. D.; Boucher, T. M.; Robertson, J. C.; Heibel, T. J.; Ellison, K. (2010). Molnar, J. L. (ed.). The Atlas of Global Conservation: Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities to Make a Difference. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-26256-0.
"Northern Canadian Shield taiga - Ecoregions - WWF".
"Alberta-British Columbia foothills forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.

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[Atlas-1] Hoekstra, J. M.; Molnar, J. L.; Jennings, M.; Revenga, C.; Spalding, M. D.; Boucher, T. M.; Robertson, J. C.; Heibel, T. J.; Ellison, K. (2010). Molnar, J. L. (ed.). The Atlas of Global Conservation: Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities to Make a Difference. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-26256-0.

[wwl-2] "Northern Canadian Shield taiga - Ecoregions - WWF".

[3] "Alberta-British Columbia foothills forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.