Alberta Mountain forests

Alberta Mountains forest
	Spruce forest around Lake Louise in Banff National Park
Ecology
Realm	Nearctic
Biome	Temperate coniferous forests
Borders	Alberta-British Columbia foothills forests, Central British Columbia Mountain forests and North Central Rockies forests
Bird species	179[1]
Mammal species	57[1]
Geography
Area	39,800 km2 (15,400 sq mi)
Country	Canada
Provinces	Alberta and British Columbia
Conservation
Conservation status	Relatively Stable/Intact[2]
Habitat loss	56.25%[1]
Protected	63.85%[1]

The Alberta Mountain forests are a temperate coniferous forests ecoregion of Western Canada, as defined by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) categorization system.[2]

Setting

This ecoregion covers the grand Rocky Mountains of Alberta including the eastern outliers of the Continental Ranges. Located almost entirely in Alberta and taking in the Alberta-British Columbia border from Banff north to Jasper, Alberta and Kakwa Wildlands Park. This is an area of glaciers and high mountains covered with a forest of tall trees. The highest points are the mountains around the Columbia Icefield the largest ice field in the Rockies.

The mountain valleys have a mild climate with warm, dry summers and snowy winters but the high mountain sides have a harsher climate. Average summer temperatures are 12 °C going down to -7 °C in winter.[2]

Flora

Trees include Trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides), Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta), Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii), White spruce (Picea glauca) and subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa).[2]

Fauna

These mountains are home to good numbers of large mammals. All five species of North American deer inhabit this ecoregion including woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), elk (Cervus elaphus), moose (Alces alces andersoni), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), and white-tailed deer (northern Rocky Mountains/tawny white-tail) (Odocoileus virginianus ochrourus). Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), and mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) can also be found here. Predators in the mountains and forests include lynx (Lynx canadensis), grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis), black bear (Ursus americanus cinnamomum), cougar (Puma concolor couguar), and wolf (Canis lupus). Smaller wildlife such as snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus), and American pygmy shrew (Sorex hoyi) can be found here as well and the Banff Springs snail (Physella johnsoni) which is endemic to Banff National Park. Birds include Townsend's warbler (Setophaga townsendi), veery (Catharus fuscescens), and bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus).[2]

Threats and preservation

80% of these forests are intact although some is being removed for urban development and tourism in the valley areas. Large areas of natural habitat remain in Banff National Park, Jasper National Park, Kakwa Wildlands, Willmore Wilderness Park, and Ghost River Wilderness Area.

This ecozone corresponds to the human region called Alberta's Rockies.

References

Hoekstra, J. M.; Molnar, J. L.; Jennings, M.; Revenga, C.; et al. (2010). Molnar, J. L. (ed.). The Atlas of Global Conservation: Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities to Make a Difference. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-26256-0.
"Alberta Mountain forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 2020-11-13.

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[Atlas-1] Hoekstra, J. M.; Molnar, J. L.; Jennings, M.; Revenga, C.; et al. (2010). Molnar, J. L. (ed.). The Atlas of Global Conservation: Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities to Make a Difference. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-26256-0.

[WWF-2] "Alberta Mountain forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 2020-11-13.