| Alberta Mountain forests | |
|---|---|
Spruce forest around Moraine Lake in Banff National Park |
|
| Ecology | |
| Biome | Temperate coniferous forests |
| Bird species | 179[1] |
| Mammal species | 57[1] |
| Geography | |
| Area | 39,800 km2 (15,400 sq mi) |
| Country | Canada |
| Conservation | |
| Habitat loss | 56.25%[1] |
| Protected | 63.85%[1] |
The Alberta Mountain forests are a temperate coniferous forests ecoregion of Canada.
Contents |
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]
Trees include aspen, Lodgepole Pine, Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii), and subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa).
These mountains are home to good numbers of large mammals including elk ((Cervus elaphus) which graze on the aspen bark, moose, Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis), mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus), black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus), reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos), American Black Bear (black bear (Ursus americanus), cougar and Gray Wolf (Canis lupus). Other wildlife is much smaller including the American Pygmy Shrew and the Banff Springs snail which is endemic to Banff National Park. Birds include Townsend's warbler, veery and bald eagle.
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, Bugaboo Provincial Park and Ghost River Wilderness Area.
This ecozone corresponds to the human region called Alberta's Rockies.