Ecozones

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Note/Map
Areas can be grouped as separate ecological zones based on the way geologic, landform, soil, vegetation, climate, water, wildlife, and human factors are linked to each other. Change in one part of the system will result in adjustment in the rest of the system. For example, a shift in temperature within an ecosystem will affect the growth of plants which will in turn affect animals' ability to obtain food. Ecozones represent such ecological units.

CANADA'S ECOZONES
Canada has an almost infinite number of different natural environments. How can these be grouped into a manageable number of ecological regions? In doing this, we face a variation of Goldilocks' problem: how many is too many, and how many is too few? We must decide on a number that is "just right." If too few zones are created, the result is inaccurate: any given zone will have environments within it that are very different. On the other hand, if too many zones are created, the result could be confusing: no one could hope to keep 30 or more zones clear in their mind.  Scientists decided on 15 ecozones as a reasonable compromise. Any ecozone differs from its neighbours because of a combination of several factors, including landforms, climate, natural vegetation, soils, wildlife, and human activities. To see how this works, let's compare the Boreal Shield ecozone and the Mixedwood Plains ecozone. We can see significant differences in factors such as the landforms and human activities found in each. For other factors though, such as soil characteristics, there are few, if any, important differences. In other parts of Canada, human activities might be relatively unimportant in establishing ecozone boundaries. This would be the case, for example, with the Northern Arctic and Southern Arctic ecozones. Here, however, there are differences in climate, since the Northern Arctic is colder.  The term "bioregion" is sometimes used in the same way as ecozone." This is often the case in the United States and other countries.  In addition to the 15 land ecozones discussed here, there are five marine ecozones that cover the oceans that surround Canada.  If you want to examine Canada in more detail, there are more smaller regions called ecoregions, ecoprovinces, and ecodistricts that you can use.

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Why Ecozones Are a Useful Idea
 Before the concept of ecozones was created, people had a tendency to put the information about a particular place into separate "file folders": one for landform information, another for climate data, a third for facts about the population characteristics, and so on. This book is called Making Connections: Canada 's Geography to remind you of the importance of the many ways in which these geographic factors are linked (or "connected") to each other. The ecozone concept allows us to bring together a collection of information about unique parts of Canada. Each ecozone can be thought of as a single "information folder" into which we can put ail that we learn about an area of Canada. In this chapter, we concentrate primarily on the physical characteristics of the ecozones.

A Tour of Canada's Ecozones
 Canada's ecozones are described in the following section. You should start your tour of Canada's ecozones with the one in which you live. From there, you can gradually move outward from neighbouring ecozones to more distant ones that may be very different from your own. By using this approach, you will be able to compare the other regions to the area that you know best.

 GDP is the value of all economic production in the ecozone.  Growing season is the average number of days per year when the average temperature is more than 5 degrees Celsius.  All figures are from 1991, except for city populations which are from 1996.

 Mixedwood Plains Ecozone: (Area 113 000 km squared.)
<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Landforms: Plains and rolling hills; Great Lakes are an important feature <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Climate: Cool, short winters (-7 degrees Celsius); relatively long, mild summers (20 degrees Celsius); precipitation 700 to 1000 mm; growing season 180 to 260 days <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Vegetation: Coniferous (white pine, eastern hemlock, red pine) mixed with deciduous (sugar maple, red oak, basswood); little natural vegetation remains <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Soils: Leached, wet-climate soils <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Human Activities: Total population 14 016 000; GDP $325.2 billion; urbanization, manufacturing, agriculture, recreation <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Major Cities: Toronto (4 263 575), Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec, Hamilton, Windsor, London <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> A Video to go with the Mixedwood Plains Ecozone....I don't think the guy is Russian, but he puts on a pretty solid accent.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Boreal Shield Ecozone: (Area 1 774 000 km squared)
<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Landforms: Plains and low hills of the Canadian Shield <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Climate: Long winters (-15 degrees Celsius); short summers (17 degrees Celsius); precipitation 400 to 1000 mm; growing season 130 to 190 days <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Vegetation: Coniferous (black spruce, white spruce, Jack pine, balsam fir) mixed with deciduous (yellow birch, sugar maple, black ash) <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Soils: Heavily leached soils; bare rock; swampy areas <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Human Activities: Total population 1 695 000; GDP $49 billion; forestry, mining, tourism, recreation, trapping <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Major Cities: St. John's (174 051), Chicoutimi, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay, Thompson

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Atlantic Maritime Ecozone: (Area 196 000 km squared.)
<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Landforms: Hills and coastal plains <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Climate: Long, mild winters (-4 degrees Celsius); moderately warm summers (17 degrees Celsius); precipitation 1000 to 1400 mm; growing season 180 to 210 days <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Vegetation: Coniferous (white pine, red spruce, red pine) mixed with deciduous (sugar maple, red oak, yellow birch) <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Soils: Leached, wet-climate soils <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Human Activities: Total population 2 510 000; GDP $39.9 billion; forestry, agriculture, fishing, tourism, urbanization <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 29px;">Major Cities: Halifax (332 518), St. John's, Fredericton, Saint John, Charlottetown

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Prairie Ecozone: (Area 441 000 km squared.)
<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Landforms: Flat to rolling plains <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Climate: Moderately long, cold winters (-15 degrees Celsius); moderately warm summers (18 degrees Celsius); precipitation 250 to 700 mm; growing season 170 to 190 days <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Vegetation: Short-grass prairie in drier areas; long-grass prairie in welter areas; some trees; little natural vegetation remains <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Soils: Rich, grassland soils; Human Activities: Total population 3 851000; GDP $90.8 billion; agriculture, urbanization, oil and gas development <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Major Cities: Edmonton (862 597), Calgary, Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Boreal Plains Ecozone: (Area 657 000 km squared.)
<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Landforms: Level to gently rolling plains <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Climate: Long, cold winters (-20 degrees Celsius); short, warm summers (17 degrees Celsius); precipitation 450 mm; growing season 130 to 165 days <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Vegetation: Coniferous forests (white spruce, black spruce, balsam fir, Jack pine, and tamarack) mixed with deciduous (aspen, poplar, and white birch); extensive marsh areas <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Soils: Rich soils formed under forests; marsh soils in some areas <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Human Activities: Total population 708 000; GDP $13.7 billion; forestry, farming, tourism, oil and gas development <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Major Cities: Hinton (9961), La Ronge, The Pas, Flin Flon, Peace River, Fort Smith

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Montane Cordillera Ecozone: (Area 461 000 km squared.)
<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Landforms: Mountains, plains and plateaus <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Climate: Temperatures vary with latitude and elevation; moderate winters (-12 degrees Celsius); moderate summers (15 degrees Celsius); precipitation varies widely with elevation and physical aspects, 500 to 1000 mm; growing season 140 to 240 days <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Vegetation: Enormous variations depending on elevation; dominated by coniferous (Engelmann spruce, ponderosa pine, Douglas fir) <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Soils: Wide variety of mountain soils; Human Activities: Total population 452 000; GDP $14 billion; forestry, agriculture, tourism; Major Cities: <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Kamloops (84 914), Prince George, Penticton

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Pacific Maritime Ecozone: (Area 196 000 km squared.)
<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Landforms: Mountains with small areas of coastal plains; Climate: Mild winters (3 degrees Celsius);cool summers (15 degrees Celsius); precipitation 600 to 2000 mm; growing season 200 to 260 days <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Vegetation: Varies with elevation; coniferous trees (western red cedar, Douglas fir, western hemlock, sitka, spruce) <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Soils: Wide variety of mountain soils; Human Activities: Total population 2 504 000; GDP $58.2 billion; forestry, urbanization, agriculture, fish processing <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Major Cities: Vancouver (1 831 665), Victoria, Prince Rupert

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Boreal Cordillera Ecozone: (Area 432 000 km squared.)
<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Landforms: Mountainous, some hills <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Climate: Long, cold winters (-20 degrees Celsius); short, cool summers (12degrees Celsius); very dry, precipitation 300 to 500 mm; growing season 125 to 150 days <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Vegetation: Mainly coniferous (white spruce, subalpine fir); Soils: Variety of mountain soils; Human Activities: Total population 16 000; GDP $0.9 billion; hunting, trapping, forestry, tourism, mining; <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Major Cities: Whitehorse (21 808), Dawson

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Taiga Cordillera Ecozone: (Area 246 000 km squared.)
<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Landforms: Mountainous <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Climate: Long, cold winters (-24 degrees Celsius); short, cool summers (13 degrees Celsius); very dry, precipitation 250 to 400 mm; growing season 90 to 130 days <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Vegetation: Tundra of all types; areas of scattered forest; Soils: Variety of poor quality soils; bare rock <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Human Activities: Total population 360; GDP $0.005 billion; hunting, trapping, forestry, tourism <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Major Cities: Old Crow (300)

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Taiga Plains Ecozone: (Ares 563 000 km squared.)
<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Landforms: Interior Plains and some foothills; <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Climate: Long, cold winters (-23 degrees Celsius); short, cool summers (12 degrees Celsius); dry, precipitation 200 to 400 mm; growing season 80 days to 150 days; <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Vegetation: Open forest to dense forest (black spruce, white spruce, Jack pine, tamarack, paper birch, trembling aspen); <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Soils: Continuous permafrost in north; scattered permafrost further south; wide variety of poor quality soils; <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Human Activities : Total population 21000; GDP $0.5 billion; hunting, trapping, tourism, oil and gas development, agricultural <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Major Cities: Hay River (3611), Inuvik, Fort Simpson

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Taiga Shield Ecozone: (Area 1 269 000 km squared.)
<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Landforms: Plains and hills of Canadian Shield; Climate: Moderately long, cold winters (-25 degrees Celsius); moderately short, cool summers (12 degrees Celsius); precipitation 300 to 900 mm; growing season 100 to 140 days <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Vegetation: Black spruce, jack pine, paper birch, trembling aspen; Soils: Thin, highly-leached soils; bare rock <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Human Activities: Total population 34 000; GDP $1.1 billion; tourism, mining, hunting, trapping <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Major Cities: Yellowknife (17 275), Uranium City, Happy Valley-Goose Bay

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Hudson Plains Ecozone: (Area 350 000 km squared.)
<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Landforms: Low-lying, swampy plains <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Climate: Moderately long, cold winters (-17 degrees Celsius); moderately short, cool summers (14 degrees Celsius); precipitation 400 to 700 mm; growing season 90 to 150 days <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Vegetation: Ground-hugging tundra; increasingly dense forest in south (white spruce, black spruce, tamarack, Jack pine) <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Soils: Scattered permafrost occurs; poorly developed organic and permafrost soils <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Human Activities: Total population 10 000; GDP $0.1 billion; hunting, trapping, recreation <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Major Cities: Moosonee (1939), Churchill, Attawapiskat

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Southern Arctic Ecozone: (Area 776 000 km squared.)
<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Landforms: Plains and hills of Canadian Shield <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Climate: Long winters (-25 degrees Celsius), short summers (10 degrees Celsius), dry, precipitation 200 to 300 mm; growing season 80 days <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Vegetation: Tundra, including shrubs <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Soils: Permafrost everywhere; tundra soils, bare rock <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Human Activities: Total population 10 000; GDP $0.15 billion; hunting, trapping, tourism, mineral development <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Major Cities: Rankin Inlet (2058), Tuktoyaktuk, Povungnituk

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Northern Arctic Ecozone: (Area 1 433 000 km squared.)
<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Landforms: Plains and upland areas <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Climate: Long winters (-30 degrees Celsius), short summers (5 degrees Celsius); precipitation 200 mm; growing season 50 days <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Vegetation: Tundra; ground-hugging plants <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Soils: Permafrost; tundra soils; Human Activities <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Total population 16 000; GDP $0.38 billion; hunting, tourism, some mining <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Major Cities: Iqaluit (3500), Cambridge Bay, Resolute

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Arctic Cordillera Ecozone: (Area 239 000 km squared.)
<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Landforms: Innuitian Mountains <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Climate: Long winters (-40 degrees Celsius), short summers (0 degrees Celsius); precipitation less than 200 mm; virtually no growing season <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Vegetation: Mostly no vegetation; tundra <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Soils: Permafrost; tundra soils; bare rock <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Human Activities: Total population 1000; GDP $0.012 billion; hunting, tourism <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Major Cities: Pond Inlet (400), Clyde River, Broughton Island