Carolinian forest

Last updated

The Carolinian forest refers to a life zone in eastern North America characterized primarily by the predominance of deciduous (broad-leaf) forest. [1] The term "Carolinian", which is most commonly used in Canada, refers to the deciduous forests which span across much of the eastern United States from the North Carolina northward into southern Ontario, Canada. [2] [3] These deciduous forests in the United States and southern Ontario share many similar characteristics and species hence their association. [4] Today the term is often used to refer to the Canadian portion (northern limit) of the deciduous forest region while the portion in the United States is often referred to as the "Eastern deciduous forest". [2] [3] [5]

Contents

Location and extent

The Carolinian zone spans across much of the eastern United States, [1] with extensive coverage in the Virginias, Kentucky, Tennessee, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, parts of southern New York state, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, eastern Ohio, and small parts of southern Michigan, Indiana, and western Ohio. It extends up into Southern Ontario, Canada which is located in the fertile ecozone of the Mixedwood Plains and includes ecodistricts 7E-1 to 7E-6.

Trees found here include various species of ash, birch, chestnut, hickory, oak, and walnut; tallest of all is the tulip tree. Fruit trees native to this zone include the pawpaw. [6] Animal life includes raccoons, opossums, squirrels (including the relatively rare southern flying squirrel), nuthatches, and chickadees. [6]

Carolinian Canada

The Carolinian forest in Canada is located at the southern tip of Ontario between Lake Erie, Lake Huron and Lake Ontario. [4] The region contains an extremely high biodiversity of species, over 500 of which are considered rare. [7]

Climate

The reason for the high biodiversity in this region is its unique climate; ranging from humid subtropical to a mild humid continental. the Carolinian forest of Ontario has the warmest average annual temperatures, the longest frost-free seasons, and the mildest winters of any region in Ontario and Canada in general. [8] This distinctive climate is largely due to the nearby Great Lakes which moderate the temperature of the surrounding land.

Status

Canada warbler (Cardellina canadensis) who use the Carolinian forests as their breeding grounds.A southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans) in the branches of a red maple tree. Canada warbler (5834587846).jpg
Canada warbler (Cardellina canadensis) who use the Carolinian forests as their breeding grounds. Southern Flying Squirrel-27527-1.jpg A southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans) in the branches of a red maple tree.

The high fertility of the land has seen the region become highly developed and populated, with agricultural, industrial, commercial and urban areas. [1] [9] Today, the Carolinian Zone contains major cities and is home to one quarter of Canada's population despite being 0.25% of the total land area. [10] The deforestation of the region for this development has led to significant habitat loss and fragmentation, leaving the remaining portions of land scattered and disconnected, with some areas still threatened by human development. [10] In total, it is estimated that forest cover has been reduced from 80% to 11.3% while wetlands reduced from 28.3% to 5.1%. [11] In addition to habitat loss and fragmentation, the native Carolinian species are also being threatened by invasive species such as garlic mustard and buckthorn, and overgrazing by white-tailed deer. [12] These factors have contributed to the Carolinian zone becoming the most threatened region in Ontario, with over 125 species of plants and animals listed as either vulnerable, threatened or endangered by the federal or provincial governments. [7] This is over one-third of all vulnerable, threatened or endangered species in Canada. [8]

Conservation efforts

Some parts of the remaining natural area in the Carolinian zone are protected in an effort to conserve the region and its unique, diverse biota. For example, today there are many protected areas including Point Pelee National Park, 21 provincial parks, and many conservation areas. [13] Some of the best preserved areas of Canada's Carolinian forest are located in Windsor's Ojibway Prairie Complex and Rondeau Provincial Park near Morpeth, Ontario; another is the Niagara Glen Nature Reserve near Niagara Falls, Ontario. [14] There are also organizations like the Carolinian Canada Coalition who aim to restore the region as much as possible. Carolinian forests are complex ecosystems that cannot be replicated in gardens or other small areas. The only way to preserve this unique habitat is continue to keep larger areas of land protected from development and agriculture.

Other conservation efforts have included the reduction of the white-tailed deer population from their peak density of 55 deer km−2 to 7 deer km−2, between the years of 1996-2009. [15] However, studies have found that while this helps reduce further forest damage, continued decline in the forest canopy can still occur, indicating the recovery from overgrazing by herbivores on the forest canopy is a long process without immediate results. [15] Maintaining a lower density of white-tailed deer, while increasing the seed sources of native trees and protecting tree saplings in herbivore exclosures are all suggested ways of helping the Carolinian forest recover or at least conserve what is remaining. [15] [16]

Examples of species

Fauna: [17] [18]

Flora: [19] [20]

Rivers and creeks

Other

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halton Hills</span> Town in Ontario, Canada

Halton Hills is a town in the Regional Municipality of Halton, located in the northwestern end of the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada with a population of 62,951 (2021).

Bosanquet is a former township of Lambton County in Ontario, Canada located northeast of Sarnia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rondeau Provincial Park</span> Provincial park in Ontario

Rondeau Provincial Park is the second oldest provincial park in Ontario, Canada, having been established with an order in council on 8 September 1894. The park is located in Southwestern Ontario, on an 8 km long crescentic sand spit extending into Lake Erie. Rondeau is home to the largest area of Carolinian forest in Canada, a long sand beach, a large marsh, approximately half of Rondeau Bay, campgrounds and a cottage community. The name of the park comes from the French words "ronde eau" or "round water" which describes the shape of the harbour sheltered by the peninsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southwestern Ontario</span> Secondary region in Ontario, Canada

Southwestern Ontario is a secondary region of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. It occupies most of the Ontario Peninsula bounded by Lake Huron, including Georgian Bay, to the north and northwest; the St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair, and Detroit River, to the west; and Lake Erie to the south. To the east, on land, Southwestern Ontario is bounded by Central Ontario and the Golden Horseshoe. The region had a population of 2,796,367 in 2021. It is sometimes further divided into "Midwestern Ontario" covering the eastern half of the area and the heart of Southwestern Ontario encompassing the western half of the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laurentian Mixed Forest Province</span> Forested ecoregion in North America

The Laurentian Mixed Forest Province, also known as the North Woods, is a forested ecoregion in eastern North America. Among others, this terminology has been adopted by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Similar, though not necessarily entirely identical regions, are identified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as Northern Lakes and Forests, and by the World Wildlife Fund by regions such as the Western Great Lakes forests and Eastern forest-boreal transition.

Cootes Paradise is a property with many boundaries, but is primarily a property of the Royal Botanical Gardens at the western end of Lake Ontario, but is also remnant of the larger 3700 acre Dundas Marsh Crown Game Preserve established by the province of Ontario in 1927., dominated by a 4.5 km long rivermouth wetland, representing the lake's western terminus. It is found on the west side of Hamilton Harbour and is located in the municipality of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Cootes Paradise Environmentally Sensitive Area is larger "core area" within the City of Hamilton's Natural Heritage System and has a very similar boundary to the original Dundas Crown Game Preserve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dibru-Saikhowa National Park</span> National park in India

Dibru-Saikhowa National Park is a national park located in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts, Assam, India. It was designated a Biosphere Reserve in July 1997 with an area of 765 km2 (295 sq mi), including a core area of 340 km2 (130 sq mi) and a buffer zone of 425 km2 (164 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Short Hills Provincial Park</span> Provincial park in Ontario, Canada

Short Hills Provincial Park is a provincial park located in the centre of the Niagara Peninsula, bordering the city of St. Catharines and the town of Pelham in the Niagara Region in southern Ontario, Canada. It occupies an area of 660 hectares. It also borders the new vineyard sub-appellation called the Short Hills Bench.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mammals of the Indiana Dunes</span>

Thirty-seven species of mammals have been identified at Indiana Dunes National Park. Four other species are thought to inhabit the park, but have not been documented: the northern long-eared myotis, the Indiana bat, the hoary bat, and the southern bog lemming

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fauna of Toronto</span>

The fauna of Toronto include a variety of different species situated within the city limits. Toronto contains a mosaic of ecosystems that includes forests, rivers, streams, and wetlands, which allows it to support a large variety of fauna. Approximately 87 to 90 per cent of the city's indigenous flora and fauna inhabit the city reside within the Toronto ravine system. The city's ravine system, creeks and rivers are wildlife corridors that allow animals to travel from one area of the city to another. Although most animals in Toronto reside within the ravine system, several animals also live in the city's urban environment and parks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grands-Jardins National Park</span> National park of Quebec

Grands-Jardins National Park is a provincial park, located in the Unorganized Territory of Lac-Pikauba, in the Charlevoix Regional County Municipality, an administrative region of Capitale-Nationale, in Quebec, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wapack National Wildlife Refuge</span>

Wapack National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge of the United States located in southern New Hampshire. It was the state's first refuge and was established through a donation by Lawrence and Lorna Marshall in 1972. The 1,672-acre (677 ha) refuge is located about 20 miles (32 km) west of Nashua, New Hampshire and encompasses the 2,278-foot (694 m) North Pack Monadnock Mountain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ecotourism in the United States</span>

Ecotourism in the United States is commonly practiced in protected areas such as national parks and nature reserves. The principles and behaviors of ecotourism are slowly becoming more widespread in the United States; for example, hotels in some regions strive to be more sustainable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Great Lakes lowland forests</span> Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest ecoregion of Canada and the United States

The Eastern Great Lakes lowland forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forest ecoregion of North America, as defined by the World Wildlife Fund. It lies mostly in south and eastern Ontario and Quebec in Canada, and Upstate New York and Vermont in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ecology of the Rocky Mountains</span> Ecology of the Rocky Mountain range in North America

The ecology of the Rocky Mountains is diverse due to the effects of a variety of environmental factors. The Rocky Mountains are the major mountain range in western North America, running from the far north of British Columbia in Canada to New Mexico in the southwestern United States, climbing from the Great Plains at or below 1,800 feet (550 m) to peaks of over 14,000 feet (4,300 m). Temperature and rainfall varies greatly also and thus the Rockies are home to a mixture of habitats including the alpine, subalpine and boreal habitats of the Northern Rocky Mountains in British Columbia and Alberta, the coniferous forests of Montana and Idaho, the wetlands and prairie where the Rockies meet the plains, a different mix of conifers on the Yellowstone Plateau in Wyoming, the montane forests of Utah, and in the high Rockies of Colorado and New Mexico, and finally the alpine tundra of the highest elevations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mixedwood Plains Ecozone (Canada)</span>

The Mixedwood Plains Ecozone is the Canadian ecozone with the most southern extent, covering all of southwestern Ontario, and parts of central and northeastern Ontario and southern Quebec along the Saint Lawrence River. It was originally dominated by temperate deciduous forest growing mostly on limestone covered by glacial till. It is the smallest ecozone in Canada, but it includes the country's most productive industrial and commercial region, and is home to nearly half of Canada's population, including its two largest cities, Toronto, Ontario and Montreal, Quebec. Hence, little of the original forest cover remains, making protection of the remaining forests a high conservation priority. This ecozone includes two regions described by J.S. Rowe in his classic Forest Regions of Canada: the entire Deciduous Forest Region, and the southern portions of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Forest Region. In the province of Ontario, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources maps this area as Site Regions 6E and 7E.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Great Lakes forests</span> Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest ecoregion in Canada and the United States

The Western Great Lakes forests is a terrestrial ecoregion as defined by the World Wildlife Fund. It is within the temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome of North America. It is found in northern areas of the United States' states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, and in southern areas of the Canadian province of Manitoba and northwestern areas of the province of Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volga-Kama Nature Reserve</span> Nature reserve in Tatarstan, Russia

Volga-Kama Nature Reserve is a Russian 'zapovednik' at the confluence of the Volga River, the Kama River, and the Myosha River. There are two sections to the reserve, one on the left bank terraces of the Volga, at the actual meeting point of the rivers, the other section about 100 km up the Volga on the western outskirts of the city of Kazan. The reserve is situated in the Zelenodolsky Districts and Laishevsky District of Tatarstan. It was formally established in 1960 to protect remaining forest and forest-steppe habitat of the middle Volga region, and has an area of 8,024 ha (30.98 sq mi). A particular focus of scientific study is the effects of the Kuybyshev Reservoir on the local environment. The reservoir was completed in the mid-1950s, and is the largest reservoir in Europe. The Volga-Kama Reserve is part of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carp Hills</span> Landform in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

The Carp Hills are a small range of rocky hills between the shallow valleys of the Carp River and Constance Creek, entirely within the West Carleton-March Ward of Canada's capital, Ottawa, Ontario. It runs roughly from Kinburn Side Road southeast to the village of Carp and the South March Highlands at March Road.

The Eastern Temperate Forests is a Level I ecoregion of North America designated by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) in its North American Environmental Atlas. The region covers much of the Eastern and Midwestern United States, the U.S. Interior Highlands, and parts of Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Discovering the beauty of Ontario's southern belle: the Carolinian Forest". Parks Blog. 2014-08-12. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  2. 1 2 Rowe, J.S. (1972). Forest Regions of Canada. Ottawa: Fisheries and Environment Canada, Canadian Forest Service. p. 21.
  3. 1 2 "Carolinian Species & Habitats - Forests". caroliniancanada.ca. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
  4. 1 2 "Conserve Ontario's Carolinian Forests: preserve songbird species at risk, chapter 1". aem. 2014-02-27. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
  5. ↑ "Eastern Deciduous Forest (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
  6. 1 2 "Carolinian Indicator Species". caroliniancanada.ca. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
  7. 1 2 "Rare Species and Ecosystems - Carolinian Species & Habitats". caroliniancanada.ca. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  8. 1 2 "Appreciating the Uniqueness of Carolinian Canada". caroliniancanada.ca. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  9. ↑ A Nature Guide to Ontario. University of Toronto Press. 1997. p. 24. ISBN   978-0-8020-2755-9.
  10. 1 2 "The Big Picture project - Conservation Programs". caroliniancanada.ca. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  11. ↑ "Carolinian Canada: Canada's Deep South" (PDF). caroliniancanada.ca.
  12. ↑ Perrow, Martin R.; Davy, A. J. (2002). Handbook of Ecological Restoration. Cambridge University Press. p. 515. ISBN   978-0-521-79129-8.
  13. ↑ "Explore Carolinian Canada". Carolinian Canada. 2015-04-27. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  14. ↑ "Niagara Glen". Niagaraparksnature.com. Retrieved 2011-08-21.
  15. 1 2 3 Tanentzap, Andrew J.; Bazely, Dawn R.; Koh, Saewan; Timciska, Mika; Haggith, Edward G.; Carleton, Terry J.; Coomes, David A. (2011-01-01). "Seeing the forest for the deer: Do reductions in deer-disturbance lead to forest recovery?". Biological Conservation. 144 (1): 376–382. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2010.09.015. ISSN   0006-3207.
  16. ↑ Tanentzap, Andrew J.; Taylor, Peter A.; Yan, Norman D.; Salmon, James R. (2007-10-01). "On Sudbury-Area Wind Speeds—A Tale of Forest Regeneration". Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology. 46 (10): 1645–1654. Bibcode:2007JApMC..46.1645T. doi: 10.1175/JAM2552.1 . ISSN   1558-8424.
  17. ↑ "Representative Carolinian Species - Carolinian Species & Habitats". caroliniancanada.ca. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  18. ↑ "Carolinian Indicator Species". caroliniancanada.ca. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  19. ↑ "Carolinian Species & Habitats - Forest Flora". caroliniancanada.ca. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  20. ↑ Almas, Andrew D.; Conway, Tenley M. (2016). "The role of native species in urban forest planning and practice: A case study of Carolinian Canada". Urban Forestry & Urban Greening. 17: 54–62. doi:10.1016/j.ufug.2016.01.015. ISSN   1618-8667.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.