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Boreal Plains Ecozone (CEC)#EcoRegions

{{Short description|An ecozone}}

{{Infobox ecoregion

|name = Boreal Plains

|image = Sagitawa Lookout, Peace River, Alberta.jpg

|image_size =

|image_alt =

|caption = Peace Lowland ecoregion of the Boreal Plains ecozone

|map =

|map_size =

|map_alt =

|map_caption =

|biome =

|animals =

|bird_species =

|mammal_species =

|border1 = Boreal Cordillera

|border2 = Boreal Shield

|border3 = Montane Cordillera

|border4 = Prairies

|border5 = Taiga Plains

|border6 = Taiga Shield

|area = 737,287

|country = Canada

|state1 = Alberta

|state2 = British Columbia

|state3 = Manitoba

|state4 = Northwest Territories

|state5 = Saskatchewan

|region_type = Provinces

|elevation =

|coordinates =

|geology =

|seas =

|rivers =

|climate = Humid continental and subarctic

|soil =

|conservation =

|global200 =

|habitat_loss =

|habitat_loss_ref =

|protected =

|protected_ref =

|embedded =

}}

The Boreal Plains Ecozone, as defined by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), is a terrestrial ecozone in the western Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. It also has minor extensions into northeastern British Columbia and south-central Northwest Territories.{{cite web

|url=http://ecozones.ca/english/zone/index.html

|title=Terrestrial Ecozones of Canada

|work=Teacher Resource Centre

|publisher=Parks Canada

|accessdate=2016-05-14}}{{cite web|title=Ecozones – Maps (2014)|url=http://www.ccea.org/ecozones-maps/|publisher=Canadian Council on Ecological Areas (CCEA)|accessdate=12 August 2017}} The region extends over 779,471 km2, of which 58,981 km2 is conserved (7.6 percent).{{cite web |last1=Canada |first1=Environment and Climate Change |title=Canada's conserved areas - Canada.ca |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/environmental-indicators/conserved-areas.html |website=www.canada.ca |date=9 February 2010 |accessdate=26 October 2018 |language=en}}

Wood Buffalo National Park, the largest national park in Canada, and Whooping Crane Summer Range, the only nesting and breeding area for the critically endangered whooping crane, are both located in the northern portion of this ecozone.{{cite web |title=Wood Buffalo National Park|url=http://indicators-map.canada.ca/App/Detail?id=08719700000&GoCTemplateCulture=en-CA |website=indicators-map.canada.ca |publisher=Government of Canada |accessdate=26 October 2018 |language=en}}

Industry in this ecozone once consisted primarily of forestry and agriculture, but in 1967 Great Canadian Oil Sands Limited began extracting bitumen from the Athabasca oil sands. Operations there have expanded significantly since 2003, and the oil sands are becoming an increasingly significant economic factor in the region.

Geography

Overlaying a bedrock of Cretaceous shale and Tertiary sediments are thick deposits of soil that form a flat terrain in the Interior Plains.{{cite web

|url=http://canadianbiodiversity.mcgill.ca/english/ecozones/borealplains/borealplains.htm

|title=Boreal Plains

|work=Canada's Ecozones, Canadian Biodiversity project

|last=Bernhardt

|first=Torsten

|publisher=McGill University, Redpath Museum

|accessdate=2008-02-03

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080125221003/http://canadianbiodiversity.mcgill.ca/english/ecozones/borealplains/borealplains.htm

|archive-date=2008-01-25

|url-status=dead

}} It borders the Montane Cordillera to the west, closely following the border between Alberta and British Columbia. To its south is the Prairies ecozone for its entire extent, while to the north are the Taiga Plains, with its northeastern periphery adjacent to the Taiga Shield. 20 sub-region are located within the ecoregion.{{cite web|title=Ecoregions|url=http://ecozones.ca/english/zone/BorealPlains/ecoregions.html|website=Ecological Framework of Canada|accessdate=14 May 2016}}

Covering {{convert|650,000|km2|sqmi}}, it is a region of subdued relief with few lakes. However, meltwater from glacial retreat between 11,000 and 8,000 years ago resulted in extensive deltas and dunes, forming Lake Winnipegosis at the eastern end of this zone.{{cite web

|url=http://ecozones.ca/english/zone/BorealPlains/land.html

|title=Landforms and Climate of the Boreal Plains Ecozone

|work=Boreal Plains Ecozone

|publisher=Environment Canada

|accessdate=2016-05-14}} It is a remnant of Lake Agassiz, a large glacial lake. Most rivers originate in the Rocky Mountains, flowing eastward through the zone.

Oil, Forestry, and agriculture are the largest industries. The region is nearly covered by timber, about 84% of the region,{{cite web

|url=http://ecozones.ca/english/zone/BorealPlains/land.html

|title=Boreal Heartland

|work=Boreal Plains Ecozone

|publisher=Environment Canada

|accessdate=2016-05-14}} The Athabasca oil sands area around {{convert|141,000|km2|sqmi}} of land. Agriculture takes place mainly in the Peace River Country in Alberta and British Columbia. This can employ up to 20% of the land area, though it is typically less than that. Large communities include, Fort St. John, Grande Prairie, Fort McMurray, Hayriver, La Ronge, and The Pas.

=Ecoprovinces=

This ecozone can be further subdivided into three ecoprovinces:{{Cite web|last=Secretariat|first=Treasury Board of Canada|title=National Ecological Framework for Canada - Open Government Portal|url=https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/3ef8e8a9-8d05-4fea-a8bf-7f5023d2b6e1|access-date=2020-11-07|website=open.canada.ca}}

Climate

Lying east of the Rocky Mountains, the region experiences low precipitation, averaging {{convert|450|mm}} annually, with {{convert|300|mm}} in the west and {{convert|650|mm}} in the east. However, this is greater than the rate of evaporation by over {{convert|100|mm}} in the south, and {{convert|300|mm}} in the north and at the foothills of the Rockies. The excess moisture promotes the development of wetlands and peat bogs, which account for between 25–50% of the ecozone's area.{{cite web

|url=http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/forests/measuring-reporting/classification/13209

|title=Boreal Plains

|work=Forest Ecozones of Canada

|date=10 July 2013

|publisher=Natural Resources Canada

|accessdate=2016-05-14}}

Summers are moderately warm, with mean July temperatures of {{convert|13|to|15|C}}, whereas winters may be very cold, with mean January temperatures of {{convert|−17.5|to|−11|C}}.

EcoRegions

Each province continues to work on defining subregions within the larger

national ecozone system.{{cite web|title=Ecozones Introduction|url=http://www.ccea.org/ecozones-introduction/|publisher=Canadian Council on Ecological Areas (CCEA)|accessdate=12 August 2017|quote=This level of generalization is well suited for national scale reporting. In the last 20 years, all Provinces and Territories have refined and automated their respective regional ecological framework. It is important, then, to provide a current national perspective which accurately reflects current regional efforts. ... Detailed ecological information remains with jurisdictions.}}

The Alberta Natural Subregion – Natural Regions (2006) found within this ecozone are:{{cite web|title=Natural Regions and Subregions of Alberta – Alberta Parks|url=https://www.albertaparks.ca/media/2942026/nrsrcomplete_may_06.pdf|publisher=Alberta Parks|accessdate=12 August 2017}}

  • Peace River Parkland – Parkland
  • Dry Mixedwood – Boreal Forest
  • Central Mixedwood – Boreal Forest
  • Peace-Athabasca Delta – Boreal Forest

The Manitoba Ecoregions within this ecozone are:{{cite journal|issue=Technical Bulletin 98–9E|last1=Smith|first1=R.E.|last2=Veldhuis|first2=H.|last3=Mills|first3=G.F.|last4=Eilers|first4= R.G.|last5=Fraser|first5=W.R.|last6=Lelyk |first6=G.W.|title=Terrestrial Ecozones, Ecoregions, and Ecodistricts of Manitoba An Ecological Stratification of Manitoba's Natural Landscapes|date=1998|publisher=Land Resource Unit, Brandon Research Centre, Research Branch, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|pages=170|url=http://www.publications.gc.ca/site/eng/9.838414/publication.html|accessdate=12 August 2017}}

  • Mid-Boreal Lowland Ecoregion
  • Boreal Transition Ecoregion
  • Mid-Boreal Uplands Ecoregion
  • Interlake Plain Ecoregion

The Saskatchewan Ecoregions within this ecozone are:{{cite web|title=Saskatchewan's Ecoregions|url=http://www.biodiversity.sk.ca/eco.htm|publisher=Saskatchewan Conservation Data Center|accessdate=12 August 2017}}

  • Mid-Boreal Upland
  • Mid-Boreal Lowland
  • Boreal Transition

Protected areas

A number of protected areas have been established to protect representative and/or significant portions of this ecozone. These include:

=Alberta=

  • Cross Lake Provincial Park{{cite web|title=Cross Lake Provincial Park|url=http://www.albertaparks.ca/parks/northeast/cross-lake/park-research-management/|publisher=Parks Alberta|accessdate=12 August 2017}}
  • Dunvegan Provincial Park{{cite web|title=Dunvegan Provincial Park|url=http://www.albertaparks.ca/parks/northwest/dunvegan/park-research-management/|publisher=Parks Alberta|accessdate=12 August 2017}}
  • Elk Island National Park{{cite web|title=Executive Summary – 2011 Elk Island National Park management plan|date=31 January 2017 |url=http://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/ab/elkisland/info/plan/exec|publisher=Parks Canada|accessdate=12 August 2017|quote=The park's purpose is to protect a representative portion of the Southern Boreal Plains and Plateaux Natural Region... }}
  • Lakeland Provincial Park{{cite web|title=Lakeland Provincial Park|url=http://www.albertaparks.ca/parks/northeast/lakeland-pp/park-research-management/|publisher=Parks Alberta|accessdate=12 August 2017}}
  • Thunder Lake Provincial Park{{cite web|title=Thunder Lake Provincial Park|url=http://www.albertaparks.ca/parks/central/thunder-lake/park-research-management/|publisher=Parks Alberta|accessdate=12 August 2017}}
  • Wood Buffalo National Park including the Whooping Crane Summer Range{{cite web|title=Wood Buffalo National Park|url=http://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/nt/woodbuffalo|publisher=Parks Canada|accessdate=12 August 2017|quote=Today, it protects an outstanding and representative example of Canada's Northern Boreal Plains.}}

=Manitoba=

  • Birch Island Provincial Park
  • Birds Hill Provincial Park{{cite web |title=Birds Hill Provincial Park|url=http://indicators-map.canada.ca/App/Detail?id=08460004017&GoCTemplateCulture=en-CA |website=indicators-map.canada.ca |publisher=Government of Canada |accessdate=26 October 2018 |language=en}}
  • Brokenhead Wetland Ecological Reserve{{cite web |title=Brokenhead Wetland Ecological Reserve|url=http://indicators-map.canada.ca/App/Detail?id=08460001027&GoCTemplateCulture=en-CA |website=indicators-map.canada.ca |publisher=Government of Canada |accessdate=26 October 2018 |language=en}}
  • Clearwater Lake Provincial Park{{cite web |title=Clearwater Lake Provincial Park|url=http://indicators-map.canada.ca/App/Detail?id=08460004022&GoCTemplateCulture=en-CA |website=indicators-map.canada.ca |publisher=Government of Canada |accessdate=26 October 2018 |language=en}}
  • Chitek Lake Anishinaabe Provincial Park{{cite web |title=Chitek Lake Anishinaabe Provincial Park |url=http://indicators-map.canada.ca/App/Detail?id=08460002004&GoCTemplateCulture=en-CA |website=indicators-map.canada.ca |publisher=Government of Canada |accessdate=26 October 2018 |language=en}}
  • Duck Mountain Provincial Park{{cite web |title=Duck Mountain Provincial Park|url=http://indicators-map.canada.ca/App/Detail?id=08460004029&GoCTemplateCulture=en-CA |website=indicators-map.canada.ca |publisher=Government of Canada |accessdate=26 October 2018 |language=en}}
  • Dog Lake Wildlife Management Area{{cite web |title=Dog Lake Wildlife Management Area|url=http://indicators-map.canada.ca/App/Detail?id=08460005013&GoCTemplateCulture=en-CA |website=indicators-map.canada.ca |publisher=Government of Canada |accessdate=26 October 2018 |language=en}}
  • Elk Island Provincial Park{{cite web |title=Elk Island Provincial Park|url=http://indicators-map.canada.ca/App/Detail?id=08460004032&GoCTemplateCulture=en-CA |website=indicators-map.canada.ca |publisher=Government of Canada |accessdate=26 October 2018 |language=en}}
  • Fisher Bay Provincial Park{{cite web |title=Fisher Bay Provincial Park/App/Detail?id=08460002014&GoCTemplateCulture=en-CA |url=http://indicators-map.canada.ca |publisher=Government of Canada |accessdate=26 October 2018 |language=en}}
  • Grand Island Provincial Park{{cite web |title=Grand Island Provincial Park|url=http://indicators-map.canada.ca/App/Detail?id=08460002047&GoCTemplateCulture=en-CA |website=indicators-map.canada.ca |publisher=Government of Canada |accessdate=26 October 2018 |language=en}}
  • Goose Islands Provincial Park{{cite web |title=Interactive indicator maps|url=https://indicators-map.canada.ca/App/CESI_ICDE?keys=Conserved_Areas&GoCTemplateCulture=en-CA |website=indicators-map.canada.ca |publisher=Government of Canada |accessdate=10 January 2021 |language=en}}
  • Grass River Provincial Park{{cite web |title=Palsa Hazel Ecological Reserve / Grass River Provincial Park|url=http://indicators-map.canada.ca/App/Detail?id=08460004035&GoCTemplateCulture=en-CA |website=indicators-map.canada.ca |publisher=Government of Canada |accessdate=26 October 2018 |language=en}}
  • Hecla-Grindstone Provincial Park{{cite web |title=Hecla / Grindstone Provincial Park|url=http://indicators-map.canada.ca/App/Detail?id=08460004061&GoCTemplateCulture=en-CA |website=indicators-map.canada.ca |publisher=Government of Canada |accessdate=26 October 2018 |language=en}}
  • Hilbre Wildlife Management Area{{cite web |title=Hilbre Wildlife Management Area|url=http://indicators-map.canada.ca/App/Detail?id=08460005015&GoCTemplateCulture=en-CA |website=indicators-map.canada.ca |publisher=Government of Canada |accessdate=26 October 2018 |language=en}}
  • Kinwow Bay Provincial Park{{cite web |title=Kinwow Bay Provincial Park|url=http://indicators-map.canada.ca/App/Detail?id=08460002049&GoCTemplateCulture=en-CA |website=indicators-map.canada.ca |publisher=Government of Canada |accessdate=26 October 2018 |language=en}}
  • Little Birch Wildlife Management Area{{cite web |title=Little Birch Wildlife Management Area|url=http://indicators-map.canada.ca/App/Detail?id=08460005020&GoCTemplateCulture=en-CA |website=indicators-map.canada.ca |publisher=Government of Canada |accessdate=26 October 2018 |language=en}}
  • Little Limestone Lake Provincial Park{{cite web |title=Little Limestone Lake Provincial Park|url=http://indicators-map.canada.ca/App/Detail?id=08460002152&GoCTemplateCulture=en-CA |website=indicators-map.canada.ca |publisher=Government of Canada |accessdate=26 October 2018 |language=en}}
  • Long Point Ecological Reserve{{cite web |title=Long Point Ecological Reserve|url=http://indicators-map.canada.ca/App/Detail?id=08460001020&GoCTemplateCulture=en-CA |website=indicators-map.canada.ca |publisher=Government of Canada |accessdate=26 October 2018 |language=en}}
  • Mars Hill Wildlife Management Area{{cite web |title=Mars Hill Wildlife Management Area|url=http://indicators-map.canada.ca/App/Detail?id=08460005023&GoCTemplateCulture=en-CA |website=indicators-map.canada.ca |publisher=Government of Canada |accessdate=26 October 2018 |language=en}}
  • Narcisse Wildlife Management Area{{cite web |title=Narcisse Wildlife Management Area|url=http://indicators-map.canada.ca/App/Detail?id=08460005027&GoCTemplateCulture=en-CA |website=indicators-map.canada.ca |publisher=Government of Canada |accessdate=26 October 2018 |language=en}}
  • Palsa Hazel Ecological Reserve
  • Peonan Point Wildlife Management Area{{cite web |title=Peonan Point Wildlife Management Area|url=http://indicators-map.canada.ca/App/Detail?id=08460005037&GoCTemplateCulture=en-CA |website=indicators-map.canada.ca |publisher=Government of Canada |accessdate=26 October 2018 |language=en}}
  • Proulx Lake Wildlife Management Area{{cite web |title=Proulx Lake Wildlife Management Area|url=http://indicators-map.canada.ca/App/Detail?id=08460005039&GoCTemplateCulture=en-CA |website=indicators-map.canada.ca |publisher=Government of Canada |accessdate=26 October 2018 |language=en}}
  • Red Deer Lake Wildlife Management Area{{cite web |title=Red Deer Lake Wildlife Management Area|url=http://indicators-map.canada.ca/App/Detail?id=08460005161&GoCTemplateCulture=en-CA |website=indicators-map.canada.ca |publisher=Government of Canada |accessdate=26 October 2018 |language=en}}
  • Reindeer Island Ecological Reserve{{cite web |title=Reindeer Island Ecological Reserve|url=http://indicators-map.canada.ca/App/Detail?id=08460001023&GoCTemplateCulture=en-CA |website=indicators-map.canada.ca |publisher=Government of Canada |accessdate=26 October 2018 |language=en}}
  • St. Malo Wildlife Management Area{{cite web |title=St. Malo Wildlife Management Area|url=http://indicators-map.canada.ca/App/Detail?id=08460005047&GoCTemplateCulture=en-CA |website=indicators-map.canada.ca |publisher=Government of Canada |accessdate=26 October 2018 |language=en}}
  • Ste. Anne Bog Ecological Reserve{{cite web |title=Ste. Anne Bog Ecological Reserve|url=http://indicators-map.canada.ca/App/Detail?id=08460001033&GoCTemplateCulture=en-CA |website=indicators-map.canada.ca |publisher=Government of Canada |accessdate=26 October 2018 |language=en}}
  • Sleeve Lake Wildlife Management Area{{cite web |title=Sleeve Lake Wildlife Management Area|url=http://indicators-map.canada.ca/App/Detail?id=08460005043&GoCTemplateCulture=en-CA |website=indicators-map.canada.ca |publisher=Government of Canada |accessdate=26 October 2018 |language=en}}
  • Stuartburn Wildlife Management Area{{cite web |title=Stuartburn Wildlife Management Area|url=http://indicators-map.canada.ca/App/Detail?id=08460005048&GoCTemplateCulture=en-CA |website=indicators-map.canada.ca |publisher=Government of Canada |accessdate=26 October 2018 |language=en}}
  • Rat River Wildlife Management Area{{cite web |title=Rat River Wildlife Management Area|url=http://indicators-map.canada.ca/App/Detail?id=08460005041&GoCTemplateCulture=en-CA |website=indicators-map.canada.ca |publisher=Government of Canada |accessdate=26 October 2018 |language=en}}
  • Riding Mountain National Park{{cite web|title=Riding Mountain National Park of Canada and Riding Mountain Park East Gate Registration Complex National Historic Site of Canada Management Plan 2007|url=http://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/mb/riding/info/plan/~/media/05D4274E841643D6B5503CBF38839350.ashx|publisher=Parks Canada|accessdate=12 August 2017|quote=RMNPC was established in 1929 to contribute to this network of national parks by: Protecting an area representative of the southern boreal plains and plateaux natural region of Canada;}}
  • Sturgeon Bay Provincial Park{{cite web |title=Sturgeon Bay Provincial Park|url=http://indicators-map.canada.ca/App/Detail?id=08460002149&GoCTemplateCulture=en-CA |website=indicators-map.canada.ca |publisher=Government of Canada |accessdate=26 October 2018 |language=en}}
  • Walter Cook Caves Ecological Reserve{{cite web |title=Walter Cook Caves Ecological Reserve|url=http://indicators-map.canada.ca/App/Detail?id=08460002150&GoCTemplateCulture=en-CA |website=indicators-map.canada.ca |publisher=Government of Canada |accessdate=26 October 2018 |language=en}}
  • Watson P. Davidson Wildlife Management Area{{cite web |title=Watson P. Davidson Wildlife Management Area|url=http://indicators-map.canada.ca/App/Detail?id=08460005053&GoCTemplateCulture=en-CA |website=indicators-map.canada.ca |publisher=Government of Canada |accessdate=26 October 2018 |language=en}}

=Saskatchewan=

  • Duck Mountain Provincial Park{{cite web|last1=Gauthier, Lorena Patino|first1=David A.|title=Conservation Areas|url=http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/conservation_areas.html|website=The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan|publisher=Canadian Plains Research Center, University of Regina|accessdate=12 August 2017}}
  • Greenwater Lake Provincial Park
  • Meadow Lake Provincial Park
  • Narrow Hills Provincial Park
  • Prince Albert National Park{{cite web|title=Prince Albert National Park DRAFT Management Plan 2017|url=http://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/sk/princealbert/info/plan/~/media/A374729348674E31992F20F14DB63CC8.ashx?modified=20170627125509|publisher=Parks Canada|accessdate=12 August 2017|quote=The park is in a transition zone from the Great Plains to aspen parkland to mixed wood boreal forest, representing the Southern Boreal Plains and Plateaux natural region.}}

References

{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Ecozones of Canada

Category:Ecozones and ecoregions of Manitoba

Category:Ecozones and ecoregions of Saskatchewan

Category:Ecozones and ecoregions of Alberta

Category:Ecozones and ecoregions of British Columbia

Category:Ecozones and ecoregions of the Northwest Territories