The different kinds of vegetation that are present during each season in the Canadian Western Cordillera...?

Q: For a socials project we have to pick a physiographic region of Canada and write about different aspects of it during each season. I picked the Western Cordillera, and I'm having trouble finding out the different kinds of vegetation in each season. Oh, and I picked around the Anderson Lake Region. Please help if you can!

A: When you are searching the vegetation, don't do such a broad search as "western cordillera". The western cordillera is a very broad area, with many many micro-regions within it. There are plenty of wet areas and rain-shadow areas. The vegetations can be very very different between the two. Anderson Lake is just north of Pemberton and for all purposes, it's in the interior plateau region. The area is arid; it is within a rainshadow produced by the larger coast mountains which block the precipitation that comes from the coast. Along with the arid climate, the soil isn't as fertile as the soils 20 k to the west; without the precipitation, the soil does not have the same nutrients, and the sandy nature of much of the region means that it's cannot hold the same amount of moisture as the darker soils elsewhere. I'm not an expert on plants, but in the times that I have been through the region, I have noticed douglas fir and pondarosa pines. The plants that are in this region will be sturdy and be able to withstand extremes in temperatures: from +40 C in the summer to -20 C in the winter. Something you might find interesting in your research, is to look into the current infestation of Mountain Pine Beetles. Due to climate change, the province has been having milder winters, and without the extreme winter temperatures, the beetles have been responsible for many many dead forests. I hope this helps.

Related items