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Canada's vegetation is relatively young, for 15000 years ago the entire country except for the west coast was covered with ice during the glacial period.
The flora of Canada is quite diverse, due to the wide range of ecoregions and environmental conditions present in Canada. From the warm, temperate broadleaf forests of southern Ontario to the frigid Arctic plains of the Northern Canada, from the wet temperate rainforests of the west coast to the arid deserts, badlands and tundra plains, the biodiversity of Canada's plants is extensive. About 4,100 species of vascular plants are native to Canada, and about 1,200 additional non-native species are recorded as established outside cultivation there.
Many of the plants seen in Canada are introduced, either intentionally or accidentally.
The dominant vegetation of the country is forest. It covers almost 50% of Canada's landmass.
Canada's natural vegetation can be described as falling into five areas:
1). Boreal forest ("the great northern" forest)
It is the largest of the areas
Extends from coast to coast and covers almost 40% of the country
It is primarily coniferous, the dominant tree spices are the white spruce and balsam fir and jack pine are also common
In the West - alpine fir and lodgepole pine.
2). Grasslands
Prairies occupy Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.
The prairies are mostly cultivated and covered with grains.
3). Tundra
It is in the far north and thus is situated north to the tree-line.
It is mostly flat, barren, rocky region.
There are practically no trees or shrubs.
The most common plants are lichens and small wildflowers.
4). Forests of the southeast
The Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Lowland and the Appalachian region - south of the boreal forest.
This is the area of a mixed forest (coniferous - broad leaved).
It consists of conifers (evergreen softwood) and hardwoods.
Chief conifers are: hemlock and pine (white, red and jack pine).
The principal hardwoods are: oaks (red and white), ash, yellow birch, maples.
The sugar maple is one of Canada's best known symbols [the maple leaf is on Canada's flag]
5). Forests of the southwest
These forests in British Columbia contain a richer variety of species than elsewhere.
Douglas fir, cedar, western red cedar, western hemlock and Sitka spruc e.
Since much of Canada's land is still in a state of Wilderness, there is a concern for it's preservation of human activities expansion. Due to the northern location the ecology in most of the area is especially fragile.
Canada maintains 38 national parks, which cover about 2% of the country's landmass. Banff is the oldest (est. 1885), is located on the eastern slopes of Alberta's Rocky Mountains. As Banff is one of the world's most visited national parks,the health of its ecosystem has been threatened. In the mid-1990s, Parks Canada responded by initiating a two-year study, which resulted in management recommendations, and new policies that aim to preserve ecological integrity.
Canada also has over 1000 provincial parks and nearly 50 territorial parks.
Wild Life.
Canada has abundant wildlife, yet its conservation is a necessity. The fauna of Canada is considered to be diverse across Canada. Canada has multiple ecosystems, ranging from lush forests of British Columbia, to the prairies of Western Canada, to the tundra of the Northern Canada. With a large land mass, and small population density, the wild lands of Canada provide important habitat for many animals, both endangered and not. The most threatened wildlife species (with fauna too) of Canada are listed in the List of Wildlife Species at Risk according the Canadian Species at Risk Act.
Boreal forests
Mammals
the beaver - бобр
coyote - койот
moose - лось
mink - норка
otter - выдра
woodland caribou - лесной карибу
muskrat - ондатра
black bear - бурый медведь
red fox - рыжая лисица
mountain goat - снежная коза
mountain sheep - снежны баран
buffalo, bison - бизон
grizzly - гризли
white-tailed deer - белохвостый олень
Birds
the Canada jay - кукша
the white throated sparrow - белошейная
Fish
trout - форель
whitefish - сиг
sturgeon - осетр
perch - окунь
pike - щука
lobster - омар
salmon - лосось
herring - селедка
halibut - палтус
cod – треска
the Great Lowlands - St. Lawrence Lowlands
- white-tailed deer
- red deer
Atlantic coastal waters
- cod
- lobster
- herring
- and other fish
Canadian buffalo are bison. The bison now exists only in government parks.
Birds are numerous. There are about 500 species of birds in Canada.
Nature protection
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) aims to protect lands, waters, plants, animals, ecosystems and landscapes for the benefit of future generationsThe Nature Conservancy of Canada works with private landowners to secure ecologically significant lands that have been identified as priorities for conservation action.
Since the 19th century, humans have impacted Banff's environment through introduction of non-native species, controls on other species, and development in the Bow Valley, among other human activities. Bison once lived in the valleys of Banff, but were hunted by indigenous people and the last bison was killed off in 1858.Elk are not indigenous to Banff, and were introduced in 1917 with 57 elk brought in from Yellowstone National Park.The introduction of elk to Banff, combined with controls on coyote and wolves by Parks Canada beginning in the 1930s, has caused imbalance of the ecosystem.Other species that have been displaced from the Bow Valley include grizzly bears, cougars, lynx, wolverines, otter, and moose. Beginning in 1985, gray wolves were recolonizing areas in the Bow Valley. However, the wolf population has struggled, with 32 wolf deaths along the Trans-Canada Highway between 1987 and 2000, leaving only 31 wolves in the area.
The population of bull trout and other native species of fish in Banff's lakes has also dwindled, with the introduction of non-native species including brook trout, and rainbow trout. Lake trout, Westslope cutthroat trout, and Chiselmouth are also rare native species, while Chinook salmon, White sturgeon, Pacific lamprey, and Banff longnose dace are likely extirpated locally.The Banff longnose dace, once only found in Banff, is now an extinct species.
The Trans-Canada Highway, passing through Banff, has been problematic, posing hazards for wildlife due to vehicle traffic and as an impediment to wildlife migration. Grizzly bears are among the species impacted by the highway, which together with other developments in Banff, has caused fragmentation of the landscape. Grizzly bears prefer the montane habitat, which has been most impacted by development. Wildlife crossings, including a series of underpasses, and two wildlife overpasses, have been constructed at a number of points along the Trans-Canada Highway to help alleviate this problem.
Realia!!!
1) Tundra - It is in the far north and thus is situated north to the tree-line.
It is mostly flat, barren, rocky region.
There are practically no trees or shrubs.
The most common plants are lichens and small wildflowers.
2) Boreal forest ("the great northern" forest)
It is the largest of the areas
Extends from coast to coast and covers almost 40% of the country
It is primarily coniferous, the dominant tree spices are the white spruce and balsam fir and jack pine are also common
In the West - alpine fir and lodgepole pine.
3) conifers - The Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Lowland and the Appalachian region - south of the boreal forest. This is the area of a mixed forest (coniferous - broad leaved).
It consists of conifers (evergreen softwood) and hardwoods.
Chief conifers are: hemlock and pine (white, red and jack pine).
4) Hardwoods - Chief conifers are: hemlock and pine (white, red and jack pine).
The principal hardwoods are: oaks (red and white), ash, yellow birch, maples.
The sugar maple is one of Canada's best known symbols [the maple leaf is on Canada's flag]
5) Banff - Canada maintains 38 national parks, which cover about 2% of the country's landmass. Banff is the oldest (est. 1885), is located on the eastern slopes of Alberta's Rocky Mountains.
Canada also has over 1000 provincial parks and nearly 50 territorial parks.
6) caribou - The reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numeroussome of its subspecies are rare and one (or two, depending on taxonomy) has already gone extinct.
7) The Mountain Goat resides at high elevations and is a sure-footed climber, often resting on rocky cliffs that predators cannot reach.
8) The grizzly bear also known as the silvertip bear or just the grizzly or North American brown bear, is a subspecies of brown bear (Ursus arctos) that generally lives in the uplands of western North America.
9) the Canada jay - Canada jay - a jay of northern North America with black-capped head and no crest; noted for boldness in thievery.a Canada jay with a white head; widely distributed from Montana to Arizona
10) the halibut - is the largest flat fish, averaging 1113.5 kilorams (2430 lb), but catch as large as 333 kilograms (734 lb) have been reported. The name is derived from haly (holy) and butt (flat fish), for its alleged popularity on Catholic holy-days.Halibut live in both the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans and are highly-regarded food fish.
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