Description
In July 2004, areas within Birch Mountains Wildland Provincial Park were surveyed to document small patch ecological communities. Small patch ecological communities add considerably to the diversity of a site, harbouring flora and potentially fauna dependent on these specialized habitats. They are, however, often overlooked in vegetation studies because they are neither extensive nor common enough to be considered representative. The focus of this study was to look within the matrix of the representative ecological communities to find and document the small patch communities that may be significant in a provincial context. The Birch Mountains are one of several highland areas in northeastern Alberta. The slopes of the Birch Mountains are classified as part of the Lower Boreal Highlands Natural Subregion while the higher plateau areas are considered within the Upper Boreal Highlands Natural Subregion. As defined by the two subregions, the Birch Mountains cover approximately 13200 sq...