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Ecological sites and successional plant community types of the Peace River parkland subregion. Second approximation

Description

The Peace River Parkland Natural Subregion accounts for only 0.5 per cent of the province and is characterized by gently rolling cultivated plains and steep south-facing grassy and forested slopes... More ≫

Description

The Peace River Parkland Natural Subregion accounts for only 0.5 per cent of the province and is characterized by gently rolling cultivated plains and steep south-facing grassy and forested slopes along the Peace River and its tributaries. Vegetation is a mosaic and dominated by forests of aspen and white spruce, wetlands and small remnant grasslands on the uplands, and dry grasslands and aspen forests on valley slopes. This guide represents the analysis of 378 plots described in the Peace River Parkland subregion. These 378 plots represent 73 observed and described plant community types. An analysis of successional changes in the presence and absence of grazing disturbance for the grasslands (Appendix 1) and aspen (Appendix 2) dominated community types for the Peace region is also outlined in Appendices 1 and 2. Included in this approximation is a crosswalk table to the Alberta Wetland Classification System (AWCS) and a list of ecological sustainable stocking rates for each plant...

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Ecological sites of the Dry Mixedwood subregion. Third approximation

Description

The Dry and Central Mixedwood subregions cover nearly 40 per cent of the province and are dominated by aspen, with jack pine on coarse textured soils, and black spruce, willows, and sedges in the... More ≫

Description

The Dry and Central Mixedwood subregions cover nearly 40 per cent of the province and are dominated by aspen, with jack pine on coarse textured soils, and black spruce, willows, and sedges in the poorly drained areas. The vegetative communities in these subregions are important because they provide summer range for livestock, prime habitat for many species of wildlife, productive watersheds, recreational areas and timber production. As a result guides like this were developed to provide a framework that will easily group the vegetative community types. It is hoped these classification systems can be used by resource managers to assess the ecology of the sites and develop integrated management plans within each region. This guide represents the analysis of 1110 plots described within the Dry Mixedwood subregion. The dominant plant species, canopy cover, soils and environmental conditions are outlined for each type. Included in this approximation is a crosswalk table to the Alberta...

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Ecological sites of the Kazan Upland subregion. Second approximation

Description

The Kazan Uplands Natural Subregion occurs in the far northeastern corner of Alberta and occupies about 1.5 per cent of the province. The main area lies north of Lake Athabasca. This guide... More ≫

Description

The Kazan Uplands Natural Subregion occurs in the far northeastern corner of Alberta and occupies about 1.5 per cent of the province. The main area lies north of Lake Athabasca. This guide represents the analysis of 73 grass, shrubland, conifer and deciduous plots described in the subregion. The 73 plots represent 34 community types within 12 ecological sites. The dominant plant species, canopy cover, soils and environmental conditions are outlined for each type. Included in this approximation is a crosswalk table to the Alberta Wetland Classification System and new soil type descriptions.

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Ecological sites of the Boreal Subarctic subregion. Second approximation

Description

The Boreal Subarctic Natural Subregion is found on elevated plateaus of far northern Alberta, and encompasses about three per cent of the Boreal Forest Natural Region. It is dominated by open... More ≫

Description

The Boreal Subarctic Natural Subregion is found on elevated plateaus of far northern Alberta, and encompasses about three per cent of the Boreal Forest Natural Region. It is dominated by open black spruce bogs and peatland complexes with frozen organic soils and permafrost terrain. This guide represents the analysis of 142 grass, shrubland, conifer and deciduous plots described in the Boreal Subarctic Natural Subregion. The 142 plots represent 53 community types within 11 ecological sites. The dominant plant species, canopy cover, soils and environmental conditions are outlined for each type. Included in this approximation is a crosswalk table to the Alberta Wetland Classification System and new soil type descriptions.

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Ecological sites of the Lower Boreal Highlands subregion. Second approximation

Description

The second approximation of this guide represents the current analysis of 482 plots described in the Lower Boreal Highlands Natural Subregion. The boreal ecosection includes 227 plots that... More ≫

Description

The second approximation of this guide represents the current analysis of 482 plots described in the Lower Boreal Highlands Natural Subregion. The boreal ecosection includes 227 plots that represent 37 plant community types and the foothills ecosection includes 255 plots that represent 47 plant community types. The dominant plant species, canopy cover, soil and environmental conditions are outlined for each plant community type, ecological site and ecological site phase. Included in this approximation is a crosswalk table to the Alberta Wetland Classification System and new soil type descriptions.

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Ecological sites of the Upper Foothills subregion. Third approximation

Description

The Upper Foothills Natural Subregion includes about 34 per cent of the Foothills Natural Region area. It occupies a narrow belt between the Lower Foothills Natural Subregion at lower elevations... More ≫

Description

The Upper Foothills Natural Subregion includes about 34 per cent of the Foothills Natural Region area. It occupies a narrow belt between the Lower Foothills Natural Subregion at lower elevations and the Subalpine Natural Subregion at higher elevations, with one outlier on the highest elevations of the Swan Hills. This guide represents the analysis of over 2250 plots described in the Upper Foothills subregion, representing 106 community types. The dominant plant species, canopy cover, environmental conditions and response to grazing are outlined for each type.

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Ecological sites and successional plant community types of the Peace River Parkland subregion. First approximation

Description

The Peace River Parkland Natural Subregion accounts for only 0.5 percent of the province and is characterised by gently rolling cultivated plains and steep south-facing grassy and forested slopes... More ≫

Description

The Peace River Parkland Natural Subregion accounts for only 0.5 percent of the province and is characterised by gently rolling cultivated plains and steep south-facing grassy and forested slopes along the Peace River and its tributaries. Vegetation is a mosaic and dominated by forests of aspen and white spruce, wetlands and small remnant grasslands on the uplands, and dry grasslands and aspen forests on valley slopes. This guide represents the analysis of 345 plots described in the Peace River Parkland subregion. These 345 plots represent 70 observed and described plant community types. An analysis of successional changes in the presence and absence of grazing disturbance for the grasslands (Appendix 1) and aspen (Appendix 2) dominated community types for the Peace region is also outlined in Appendices 1 and 2.

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Ecological sites of the Dry Mixedwood subregion. 2nd approximation

Description

The purpose of this guide was to develop a framework that would easily group the ecological sites and vegetative community types in the Dry Mixedwood Natural Subregion of the province. Ecological... More ≫

Description

The purpose of this guide was to develop a framework that would easily group the ecological sites and vegetative community types in the Dry Mixedwood Natural Subregion of the province. Ecological site classification helps to organize our current understanding about ecosystem function. This organization is achieved by grouping research plots into similar and functional units that respond to disturbance in a similar and predictable manner.The ecological site classification system outlined in this document organizes ecological information into a format that facilitates understanding and provides a structure for ecologically based management. The system has been developed primarily as a field tool to complement the user's knowledge about ecological site classification, soil description, and plant identification.

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Ecological sites of the Upper Foothills subregion. Second approximation

Description

This guide represents the analysis of over 1,800 plots described in the Upper Foothills subregion, near Grande Cache (Willmore Wilderness Park), Swan Hills and west of Rocky Mtn. House and... More ≫

Description

This guide represents the analysis of over 1,800 plots described in the Upper Foothills subregion, near Grande Cache (Willmore Wilderness Park), Swan Hills and west of Rocky Mtn. House and Calgary. The 1,874 plots represent 99 community types. Early successional or disturbed plant community types, stocking rates for livestock and forage production values are described in the Range Plant Community guide for the Upper Foothills subregion. The dominant plant species, canopy cover and environmental conditions are outlined for each type. This publication is a revision of the guides to Ecological sites of West-central and Southwestern Alberta (1996) for the Upper Foothills subregion.

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Ecological sites of the Boreal Subarctic subregion. First approximation

Description

The Boreal Subarctic natural subregion is found on elevated plateaus of far northern Alberta, and encompasses about three per cent of the Boreal Forest Natural Region. It is dominated by open... More ≫

Description

The Boreal Subarctic natural subregion is found on elevated plateaus of far northern Alberta, and encompasses about three per cent of the Boreal Forest Natural Region. It is dominated by open black spruce bogs and peatland complexes with frozen organic soils and permafrost terrain. Moderately well drained upland areas have a variety of upland forests. It is characterized by short, cool summers and long, very cold winters. It is hoped the classification system presented in this resource can be used by field staff to assess the ecology of the sites and develop management prescriptions on lands within this region. Fifty-three community types are listed. The dominant plant species, canopy cover, soil group and subgroup, and environmental conditions are outlined for each type.

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