British Columbia Mainland Coastal Forests

• Category: Forest Biomes.
• Geographic Location: North America.
• Summary: Extensive snowpack, glaciers, and rainforests grading to drier, rain-shadow forests characterize this spectacularly scenic and relatively intact ecosystem.

The British Columbia Mainland Coastal Forests extend from the rugged North Pacific shoreline of western Canada inland for some 100 miles (160 kilometers). The inside passage to Alaska, a waterway between the mainland and Vancouver Island, extends alongside much of this biome. The landmass is buttressed by ancient granite, crowned with extensive glaciers and alpine meadows, over what is primarily a forested, continuous north-south mountain range the Coast Mountains, wet on the ocean side and drier on its eastern side, in the lee of the Pacific Ocean's moisture.

Extensive fjords make up the long coastline, which is similar to the coast of Norway, except that these fjords are largely sheltered from ocean storms by extensive offshore islands. Also different from Norway is the survival of much of the forest—as much as 40 percent is considered fully intact habitat—from logging, due primarily to the extremely steep and rugged nature of the mountains on which these forests grow. Rich biological resources, with such iconic features as cedar trees and salmon, have long supported Native American peoples here. Current threats also revolve around these same two resources, in the form of overfishing, fish farming, and clear-cut logging. Salmon and cedar trees are related because the salmon contribute significantly to forest fertility. Totem poles and large oceangoing dugout cedar canoes are the most familiar symbols of this culture.

The British Columbia Mainland Coastal Forests encompass about 47,000 square miles (122,000 square kilometers). Elevation ranges from sea level to the tree line on the shoulders of Mount Waddington, the highest peak in the Coast Mountains at 13,186 feet (4,019 meters). The climate of the biome is temperate rainforest, with mild winters and cool summers. Rainfall of 58 to 138 inches (1.5 to 3.5 meters) annually makes this one of the most moist ecosystems outside of the tropics.

Plant Types

Vegetation regimes in the biome are generally classified according to three elevation zones: coastal plain forest, mountain forest, and alpine tundra. These can be further subdivided by moisture and temperature into such habitats as western slope forests, riparian areas, alpine meadow, and tree line scrub.

Western hemlock (Tsuga heteropylla), western red cedar (Thuja plicata), and amabilis fir (Abies amabilis) are typical arboreal denizens of the coastal plain forest. Below them are found ferns, flowering berry shrubs, and a multitude of mosses and fungi. Riparian areas and other clearing areas often harbor a scattering of deciduous trees such as maples and cottonwoods. These low-lying habitats give way at higher elevations to a mix of mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana), Alaska yellow cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis), and amabilis fir. At the highest extent of the biome are found alpine tundra meadows that feature varieties of lupine (Lupinus spp.), sedge (Carex spp.), and colonies of moss and lichens.

Fauna of the Forest

Most stunning among the animal species here is the rare Kermode bear (Ursus americanus kermodei), a black bear subspecies known to the Indigenous people here as the spirit bear. There are thought to be not more than 1,000 individuals in the wild. Other large mammals include the grizzly bear (Ursus arctos), moose (Alces alces), grey wolf (Canis lupus), and the woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou). Smaller denizens range from the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus) to the American mink (Mustela vison), marten (Martes americana), and northern river otter (Lontra canadensis).

An iconic species of this well-watered biome is the coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch). Its core status is earned, in part, by virtue of its ability to robustly fertilize almost any area of the forest through the distribution of its internal nutrients when excreted by the predators that have hunted it in downstream environments and brought its meat up and across the forest.

Avian species here range from the trumpeter swan (Cygnus buccinator), a very cold-tolerant waterfowl that favors estuary areas for its tidal feeding cycles; sandhill crane (Grus canadensis), at home in the peat bogs and wetlands of the coastal plain; to the northern saw-whet owl (Aegolius acadicus), an endangered species most comfortable in old-growth forest and especially on the many offshore islands that are an extension of the biome; and the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), which tends to overwinter in the rainforest.

Threats and Preserves

Significant levels of urban development encroach on the southern reaches of the British Columbia Mainland Coastal forests. Mining and logging have been and still are a threat to the ecology of the area. Logging tends to occur in low-altitude ranges. Environmentalists have sounded the alarm on the government's endorsement of clear cut logging in the area and scientists warn of the dire consequences if practices continue as they have the past century. Besides logging, the region's intertidal and estuary zones are also affected by pollution from shipping and recreation craft.

A network of parkland and associated reserves help maintain the forest in its least-fragmented state; among the largest such areas are the Kitlope and Garibaldi Provincial Parks and the Hakai Recreation Park. Together, these three comprise some 2,400 square miles (6,200 square kilometers).

The British Columbia Mainland Coastal Forests were once a powerful carbon sink. However, because of global warming and climate change, the forests have become net emitters. This means that the trees release more carbon dioxide than they take in. Like all trees, those in the forests of British Columbia pull carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it. However, they only do this while they are still alive. Because of rising temperatures and droughts, wildfires have become more frequent, destroying many trees. Slash-and-burn farming and logging have also taken a toll. The government's plan is to keep the trees in the forests alive long enough for the country to develop alternative energy strategies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Bibliography

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