Description
The Subalpine subregion is a Rocky Mountain altitudinal vegetation zone. The valley bottoms of the region are used for recreational horseback riding and commercial trail riding operations. As well, in the southern part of the subregion, extensive areas of the subalpine are used to forage cattle. However, there is little information available on how grazing influences the plant community. To help develop range management prescriptions for the province, carrying capacity guides are being developed, including a plant classification system, for each natural and subregion in the province. This guide represents an analysis of the Alpine subregion, identifying over 100 plant community types. The dominant plant species, canopy cover, environmental conditions, response to grazing, forage production and carrying capacity are outlined for each type. This is a revision of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd approximations of the supalpine guide.