Puget lowland forests

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Puget Lowland Forests
Beaver pond, Stanley park (2289561588).jpg
Lowland forest of Stanley Park, Vancouver
Puget lowland forests map.svg
Ecology
Realm Nearctic
Biome Temperate coniferous forests
Borders
Bird species195 [1]
Mammal species68 [1]
Geography
Area22,533 km2 (8,700 sq mi)
Countries
States
Conservation
Conservation status Critical/Endangered
Habitat loss41% [1]
Protected5.91% [1]

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

Contents

Setting

The WWF defines the ecoregion as inhabiting mainland coasts and islands the Georgia Depression, a glacially depressed area dominated by the Salish Sea and numerous inflowing rivers. This differs from the Strait of Georgia/Puget Lowland ecoregion defined by the CEC in that it explicitly excludes the lowlands along the east coast of Vancouver Island. The WWF considers these lowlands a part of the neighbouring Central Pacific coastal forests ecoregion.

The landscape features glacially striated tablelands and rolling hills underlain by sedimentary rocks. The majority of soils in the depression are formed from glacial till, glacial outwash, and Lacustrine deposits. [2] Elevations range from sea level to 460 m (1,509 ft), seldom exceeding 160 m (525 ft).

Climate

The ecoregion has a predominantly Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) with fresh, dry, sunny summers and cool winters with moderate precipitation and plentiful cloud cover. Further inland it gradually transitions into an Oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) with slightly milder, wetter summers. The mean annual temperature is 9 °C (48.2 °F), the mean summer temperature is 15 °C (59 °F), and the mean winter temperature is 3.5 °C (38.3 °F). Annual precipitation averages between 800 and 900 mm (31.5 to 35.4 in), but may be as high as 1,530 mm (60.2 in).

Ecology

Flora

Prairies of South Puget Sound Mazama Pocket gopher habitat.jpg
Prairies of South Puget Sound

Before European settlement, the Georgia Depression was dominated by dense coniferous forests of Coast Douglas-fir, Western Hemlock, Western Redcedar, shore pine, and western white pine. [3] The ecoregion was also home to extensive coastal wetlands and peat bog ecosystems scattered about in poorly drained areas. The lowlands south of Puget Sound were home to an extensive region of prairies. [4] These ecosystems have since been greatly reduced in size due to the repurposing of these lands for agriculture, grazing, industry, and urban development.

Fauna

Great horned owl at the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary in Delta, British Columbia Bubo virginianus -Canada-6.jpg
Great horned owl at the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary in Delta, British Columbia

Mammals that inhabit this ecoregion include black-tailed deer, coyote, raccoon, mink, sea otter, harbour seal, red fox, and the introduced Virginia opossum. Birds represent the majority of resident species, including cooper’s hawk, bald eagle, turkey vulture, owl, blue grouse, waterfowl, and numerous passerine species.

Threats and preservation

Development

This ecoregion lies within the most densely populated area of British Columbia and Washington, including the metropolitan areas of Vancouver and Seattle. Consequently, only 5% of the original lowland forest habitat within the region remains, and over 90% of these remaining areas have been heavily altered from their natural state. Most exist as tree farms, city parks, or as small state/provincial parks geographically isolated from one another.

Climate change

Sea-level rise threatens to permanently flood large swaths of coastal wetland and lowland forest. Regions at highest risk include the Fraser Lowland and Skagit Valley. [5] [6]

Preservation

The opportunity exists to use local conservation easements to protect remaining riparian and wetland areas, restore a portion of the old-growth forests, and provide connections to adjacent ecoregions. The best candidates for conservation include the establishment of more forest connections between the forests of the Olympic Peninsula and Cascade Mountains just south of Olympia and the protection of Burns Bog within Metro Vancouver.

Protected areas

Some protected areas of this ecoregion include:

See also

Related Research Articles

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Temperate rainforests are rainforests with coniferous or broadleaf forests that occur in the temperate zone and receive heavy rain.

<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">Scandinavian coastal conifer forests</span> Palearctic ecoregion located along the coast of Norway

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

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salish Sea</span> Marginal sea in British Columbia and Washington state

The Salish Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean located in the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. state of Washington. It includes the Strait of Georgia, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Puget Sound, and an intricate network of connecting channels and adjoining waterways.

The Lower Mainland Ecoregion is the biogeoclimatic region that surrounds Vancouver, British Columbia, comprising the eastern edge of the Georgia Depression and extending from Powell River, British Columbia on the Sunshine Coast to Hope at the eastern end of the Fraser Valley. It thus corresponds, for the most part, with the popular usage of the term "Lower Mainland." The Lower Mainland Ecoregion is a part of the Pacific Maritime Ecozone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scandinavian montane birch forest and grasslands</span> Tundra ecoregion in Scandinavia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hudson Bay Lowlands</span> Wetland located between the Canadian Shield and Hudson Bay

The Hudson Bay Lowlands is a vast wetland located between the Canadian Shield and southern shores of Hudson Bay and James Bay. Most of the area lies within the province of Ontario, with smaller portions reaching into Manitoba and Quebec. Many wide and slow-moving rivers flow through this area toward the saltwater of Hudson Bay: these include the Churchill, Nelson and Hayes in Manitoba, Severn, Fawn, Winisk, Asheweig, Ekwan, Attawapiskat, and Albany in Ontario, and the Harricana, Rupert and Eastmain in Quebec. This is the largest wetland in Canada, and one of the largest in the world. The region can be subdivided into three bands running roughly northwest to southeast: the Coastal Hudson Bay Lowland, Hudson Bay Lowland, and James Bay Lowland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New England–Acadian forests</span> Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest ecoregion of Canada and the United States

The New England-Acadian forests are a temperate broadleaf and mixed forest ecoregion in North America that includes a variety of habitats on the hills, mountains and plateaus of New England and New York State in the Northeastern United States, and Quebec and the Maritime Provinces of Eastern Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boreal Plains Ecozone (CEC)</span> An ecozone

The Boreal Plains Ecozone, as defined by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), is a terrestrial ecozone in the western Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. It also has minor extensions into northeastern British Columbia and south-central Northwest Territories. The region extends over 779,471 km2, of which 58,981 km2 is conserved.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willamette Valley (ecoregion)</span> Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion of the United States

The Willamette Valley ecoregion is a Level III ecoregion designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington. Slightly larger than the Willamette Valley for which it is named, the ecoregion contains fluvial terraces and floodplains of the Willamette River system, scattered hills, buttes, and adjacent foothills. It is distinguished from the neighboring Coast Range, Cascades, and Klamath Mountains ecoregions by lower precipitation, lower elevation, less relief, and a different mosaic of vegetation. Mean annual rainfall is 37 to 60 inches, and summers are generally dry. Historically, the region was covered by rolling prairies, oak savanna, coniferous forests, extensive wetlands, and deciduous riparian forests. Today, it contains the bulk of Oregon's population, industry, commerce, and agriculture. Productive soils and a temperate climate make it one of the most important agricultural areas in Oregon.

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

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allegheny Highlands forests</span> Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion of the United States

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

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

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interior Alaska–Yukon lowland taiga</span> Taiga ecoregion of Canada and the United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middle Atlantic coastal forests</span> Temperate coniferous forests ecoregion of the United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Hudson Bay taiga</span> Taiga ecoregion of Canada

The Southern Hudson Bay taiga is a terrestrial ecoregion, as classified by the World Wildlife Fund, which extends along the southern coast of Hudson Bay and resides within the larger taiga biome. The region is nearly coterminous with the Hudson Plain, a Level I ecoregion of North America as designated by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) in its North American Environmental Atlas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific Coastal Mountain icefields and tundra</span> Tundra ecoregion of Canada and the United States

Pacific Coastal Mountain icefields and tundra is a tundra ecoregion in Alaska, British Columbia, and Yukon, as defined by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) categorization system.

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. Parks Canada Agency, Government of Canada (2018-03-22). "Environment - Gulf Islands National Park Reserve". www.pc.gc.ca. Retrieved 2020-08-24.
  3. ""Lower Mainland Ecoregion": Narrative Descriptions of Terrestrial Ecozones and Ecoregions of Canada (#196)". Environment Canada. Archived from the original on January 27, 2007. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
  4. "The South Puget Sound Prairies: A Unique and Imperiled Landscape - The South Puget Sound Prairies // LandScope America". www.landscope.org. Retrieved 2020-08-24.
  5. "Delta-RAC Sea Level Rise Adaptation Visioning Study Policy Report" (PDF). fraserbasin.bc.ca. 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  6. Burnside, Jeff (2013-09-25). "Rising sea levels, storms could devastate Washington towns". KOMO. Retrieved 2020-08-24.