Okanagan dry forests

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Okanagan dry forests
Nature's colour palette, Kalamalka Lake.jpg
Dry forest along the north shore of Kalamalka Lake
Okanagan dry forests map.svg
Ecology
Realm Nearctic
Biome Temperate coniferous forests
Borders
Bird species199 [1]
Mammal species79 [1]
Geography
Area53,354 km2 (20,600 sq mi)
Countries
States
Climate type Cold semi-arid
Conservation
Conservation status Critical/Endangered
Habitat loss0.5% [1]
Protected9.52% [1]

Okanagan dry forests is a temperate coniferous forest ecoregion in the Pacific Northwest of North America, as defined by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) categorization system. It is closely associated with the Okanagan region of British Columbia and Washington. Only 20% of the ecosystem is still intact, and continues to be under threat for preservation due to land clearing and urban expansion, alongside the increasing threats of fire and extreme weather due to climate change.

Contents

Geography

This ecoregion occupies the south-central interior of British Columbia and adjacent Washington state between the Rocky Mountains to the east and the Pacific Ranges to the west. It is composed of gently rolling hills of Tertiary sediments and volcanic rocks between 1220 and 1525 metres (4000–5000 ft) in elevation. These hills are incised by numerous bodies of water such as the Columbia River, Thompson River, and Okanagan Lake.

Climate

The ecoregion has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk) with very warm to hot, dry summers and moderately cold winters with some snowfall. A strong elevational gradient in precipitation occurs, ranging from 250 mm (9.8 in) to over 1000 mm (39.4 in) per year. On average, precipitation is in the range of 400 mm (15.75 in) on the plateaus. The mean annual temperature is around 7 °C (44.6 °F), mean summer temperature ranges from 15 °C (59 °F) to 16.5 °C (61.7 °F), and mean winter temperature is around -2.5 °C (27.5 °F).

The driest place in Canada outside of the Arctic is in the Kamloops region of Thompson Country, which falls within the northwestern bounds of this ecoregion. [2]

The Okanagan dry forests ecoregion is sometimes referred to as a desert due to its hot, dry climate relative to the rest of Canada. [3] However, it and the neighbouring Columbia Plateau ecoregion near Osoyoos are semi-arid ecoregions and are not true deserts. [4]

Ecology

Flora

Antelope brush shrub-steppe located west of Osoyoos Lake Looking Eastward over the Southern Okanagan Valley on a Spring Afternoon.JPG
Antelope brush shrub-steppe located west of Osoyoos Lake

Vegetative cover in this region encompasses forests and grasslands that change in character with increasing altitude. Lower elevations contain communities of ponderosa pine, bluebunch wheatgrass, blue grass, June-grass, and Great Basin sagebrush. Mid-slope elevations are home to communities of Douglas-fir and pinegrass. Higher elevations are home to communities lodgepole pine, quaking aspen, white spruce, western larch, and Douglas-fir.

The southernmost portion of the ecoregion within Canada features a unique antelope brush plant community. [5]

Fauna

Mammals in this region include Columbian ground squirrels (Urocitellus columbianus), bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus), American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus), moose (Alces alces), yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris), and wapiti (Cervis canadensis). The population also boasts a large population of mule deer (Odocoileus hermionus) and American black bears (Ursus americanus).

Threats and preservation

Agricultural development of the Okanagan Valley near Okanagan Falls Black Sage Vineyards - panoramio (1).jpg
Agricultural development of the Okanagan Valley near Okanagan Falls

Approximately 20% of the Okanagan dry forests remains intact, with most parts having been heavily altered due to clearing of land for agricultural production. Growing urban expansion also threatens this ecoregion, most notably around the cities of Kamloops, Kelowna, and Spokane. [4] Connectivity between grasslands for wildlife is heavily impaired by the development of lowland valleys.

Human-caused climate change threatens to increase the frequency and intensity of droughts and wildfires in this ecoregion. Wildfires of note include the 2003 Okanagan Mountain Park fire, 2009 West Kelowna wildfires, and 2017 British Columbia wildfires. [6] [7]

Protected areas

Some of the largest protected areas of this ecoregion include:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Okanagan</span> Region of British Columbia, Canada

The Okanagan, also called the Okanagan Valley and sometimes the Okanagan Country, is a region in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. It is part of the Okanagan Country, extending into the United States as Okanogan County in north-central Washington. According to the 2016 Canadian census, the region's population is 362,258. The largest populated cities are Kelowna, Penticton, Vernon, and West Kelowna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aspen parkland</span> Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion of Canada and the United States

Aspen parkland refers to a very large area of transitional biome between prairie and boreal forest in two sections, namely the Peace River Country of northwestern Alberta crossing the border into British Columbia, and a much larger area stretching from central Alberta, all across central Saskatchewan to south central Manitoba and continuing into small parts of the US states of Minnesota and North Dakota. Aspen parkland consists of groves of aspen, poplar and spruce, interspersed with areas of prairie grasslands, also intersected by large stream and river valleys lined with aspen-spruce forests and dense shrubbery. This is the largest boreal-grassland transition zone in the world and is a zone of constant competition and tension as prairie and woodlands struggle to overtake each other within the parkland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Columbia mainland coastal forests</span> Temperate coniferous forest ecoregion in British Columbia, Canada and Washington, United States

British Columbia mainland coastal forests is a temperate coniferous forest ecoregion the Pacific coast of North America, as defined by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) categorization system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Okanagan Desert</span>

The Okanagan Desert is the common name for a semi-arid shrubland located in the southern region of the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia and Washington. It is centred around the city of Osoyoos and is the only semi-arid shrubland in Canada. Part of this ecosystem is referred to as the Nk'mip Desert by the Osoyoos Indian Band, though it is identical to the shrublands elsewhere in the region. To the northwest of this area lies an arid shrubland near Kamloops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cascade Mountains leeward forests</span> Temperate coniferous forest ecoregion in British Columbia, Canada and Washington, United States

The Cascade Mountains leeward forests are a temperate coniferous forest ecoregion of North America, as defined by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) categorization system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern forest–boreal transition</span> Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest ecoregion in Canada and the United States

The eastern forest–boreal transition is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion of North America, mostly in eastern Canada. It is a transitional zone or region between the predominantly coniferous Boreal Forest and the mostly deciduous broadleaf forest region further south.

<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">Gulf of St. Lawrence lowland forests</span> Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest ecoregion of Canada and the United States

The Gulf of St. Lawrence lowland forests are a temperate broadleaf and mixed forest ecoregion of Eastern Canada, as defined by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) categorization system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alberta Mountain forests</span> Temperate coniferous forests ecoregion of Alberta and British Columbia, Canada

The Alberta Mountain forests are a temperate coniferous forests ecoregion of Western Canada, as defined by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) categorization system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alberta–British Columbia foothills forests</span> Temperate coniferous forests ecoregion of Alberta and British Columbia, Canada

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. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yukon Interior dry forests</span> Taiga ecoregion of British Columbia and Yukon, Canada

The Yukon Interior dry forests is a taiga ecoregion of Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muskwa–Slave Lake forests</span> Taiga ecoregion of northwestern Canada

The Muskwa-Slave Lake forests ecoregion covers Canadian taiga in northwestern Alberta, northeastern British Columbia and a large portion of the southwestern Northwest Territories around the Mackenzie River valley and the Great Slave Lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Central Rockies forests</span> Temperate coniferous forests ecoregion of the United States

The South Central Rockies forests is a temperate coniferous forest ecoregion of the United States located mainly in Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. It has a considerably drier climate than the North Central Rockies forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Central Rockies forests</span> Temperate coniferous forest ecoregion in Canada and the United States

The North Central Rockies forests is a temperate coniferous forest ecoregion of Canada and the United States. This region overlaps in large part with the North American inland temperate rainforest and gets more rain on average than the South Central Rockies forests and is notable for containing the only inland populations of many species from the Pacific coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mid-Continental Canadian forests</span> Taiga ecoregion of western Canada

The Mid-Continental Canadian forests are a taiga ecoregion of Western Canada, as defined by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) categorization system.

<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">Southern Great Lakes forests</span> Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion of Canada and the United States

The Southern Great Lakes lowland forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forest ecoregion of North America, as defined by the World Wildlife Fund. Located near the Great Lakes, it lies mostly in the central northeastern United States and extends into southeast central Canada. In modern times, little of it remains intact due to land use, including agriculture and urban uses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Okanagan—Similkameen National Park Reserve</span> Proposed national park reserve in British Columbia, Canada

South Okanagan—Similkameen National Park Reserve is a proposed national park reserve located in the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen of British Columbia. The goal of the park is to work with the local First Nations to protect a large patch of Okanagan dry forests and part of the northern reach of the Columbia Plateau ecoregion in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwest Territories taiga</span> Taiga ecoregion located in the Northwest Territories and Yukon provinces of Canada

The Northwest Territories taiga ecoregion (WWF:NA0614) is located in the Northwest Territories and Yukon provinces of Canada. It covers forest and tundra along the Mackenzie River Valley and the surrounding highlands in the southern portion of the valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ogilvie–MacKenzie alpine tundra</span> Tundra ecoregion of Canada and the United States

The Ogilvie–MacKenzie alpine tundra ecoregion covers the mountainous middle of the Yukon Territory in Canada, with extensions into the Northwest Territories. The vegetation is alpine and subalpine open forest of stunted spruce, fir and pine. The area is rugged but sections appear to have been unglaciated in the late Pleistocene and there are therefore relic species in the region. The area is remote and supports large, sustainable predator-prey systems.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "The Atlas of Global Conservation". The Nature Conservancy. Archived from the original on 2012-03-05. Retrieved 2020-08-18.
  2. "WeatherStats: Weather Winners". Amateur Weather Statistics for Kamloops, British Columbia. Retrieved 2020-08-20.
  3. Society, The Royal Canadian Geographic (2014-10-16). "Desert - Ecozones - Return to the Wild". www.canadiangeographic.com. Retrieved 2020-08-20.
  4. 1 2 G.G.E. Scudder (15 February 1999). "The Osoyoos Desert Society: Experimental Studies on Ecological Restoration of the Shrub-Steppe Habitat; In: Proceedings of a Conference on the Biology and Management of Species and Habitats at Risk, Kamloops, B.C" (PDF). B.C. Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, Victoria, B.C. and University College of the Cariboo, Kamloops, B.C. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  5. "Spotlight on Species: Antelope Brush: Okanagan Old Growth Critically Imperiled" (PDF). OSCA.org. 2017-08-01. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  6. Klenner, Walt; Walton, Russ; Arsenault, André; Kremsater, Laurie (November 2008). "Dry forests in the Southern Interior of British Columbia: Historic disturbances and implications for restoration and management" (PDF). Forest Ecology and Management. 256 (10): 1711–1722. doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2008.02.047.
  7. "This is British Columbia's Second-Worst Wildfire Season. It's Far From Over". www.climatecentral.org. Retrieved 2020-08-20.