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NATURALIST'S GUIDE TO THE AMERICAS 



The northwest painted turtle 

 (Chrysemys marginiata belli}, and the 

 northwest garter snake (Thamnophis 

 sirtalis concinnus}, inhabit southeastern 

 British Columbia near the coast. 



2. Forest types (P. Z. C.) 



The climatic factors previously de- 

 scribed largely determine the main forest 

 types, of which a brief description fol- 

 lows : 



a. Lower coast or Douglas fir-cedar type. 

 This is the prevalent type at the lower 

 altitude in southern, eastern, and 

 central portions of Vancouver Island 

 and along the Mainland and adjacent 

 islands to Knight Inlet. In general it 

 may be said that this type occurs in 

 sections where the annual precipitation 

 is less than 75 in., reaching its best 

 development when precipitation is be- 

 tween 50 and 60 in. The type extends 

 from sea-level up to 2000 ft. and occa- 

 sionally to 3000 ft. This is one of our 

 chief commercial types. Stands of 

 50,000 ft. B.M. per acre extend over 

 large areas and sometimes stands reach 

 200,000 or even 300,000 ft. B.M. per acre. 

 Typical stands show in south and east 

 Vancouver Island: Douglas fir 70%; 

 giant cedar (Thuja plicata} 17%; western 

 hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla} 6%; and 

 white fir or "balsam" (Abies amabilis} 

 2%. Other species, including western 

 white pine (Pinus monticola}, Sitka- 

 spruce, etc., 5%. 



b. Giant cedar-hemlock type. This 

 type occupies a zone immediately above 

 or just north of the lower coast type. 

 The mean temperature is slightly lower 

 and rainfall heavier, ranging from 90 

 to 100 in., where optimum growth is 

 obtained. This type centres around 

 Broughton Island, Smith and Seymour 

 Inlets, but also extends down the Coast 

 where it forms a belt above the Douglas 

 fir-cedar type up to an elevation of some- 

 times 4000 ft. Commercially giant 

 cedar is the most important species 

 and forms the principal part of the stand. 

 Associated therewith are western hem- 

 lock, white fir, sitka spruce and yellow 

 cypress (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis) . 

 The species run in percentages: 



Giant cedar 60%; western hemlock 

 22%; white fir 11%; sitka spruce (Picea 

 sitchensis) 4%; others 3% at Seymour 

 Inlet; while typical stands on slopes at 

 Capilano give 31,000 ft. per acre; giant 

 cedar 57%; western hemlock 17%; white 

 fir 9%; Douglas fir 8%; yellow cedar 

 (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis} 8%; and 

 western white pine (Pinus monticola) 1%. 



c. Western hemlock-sitka spruce type. 

 This type centres on Queen Charlotte 

 Islands where Sitka spruce attains its 

 maximum growth. On the Mainland 

 the type occupies the lower slopes of the 

 North Coast and especially the valley- 

 bottoms, being found in isolated stands 

 at the head of inlets as far south as 

 Vancouver. 



The temperature averages 5 colder 

 than in the Douglas fir type and rain- 

 fall varies from 45 to 120 in. On the 

 Queen Charlottes, where the best spruce 

 is found, the rainfall averages 52 in. 

 In this type hemlock represents 25 to 

 40% of the stand. Sitka spruce averages 

 about 30%, associated species being 

 giant cedar, yellow cypress and white 

 fir, except on Queen Charlotte Islands 

 where white fir is not found. 



d. Hemlock-white fir type. This type 

 occupies the more exposed sites and 

 higher altitudes. It is the prevailing 

 type on Vancouver Island around 

 Quatsino Sound and generally extends 

 in a belt along western slopes just 

 below the sub-alpine type reaching 

 an elevation of 4000 ft. on the lower 

 coast. The species are chiefly western 

 hemlock and white fir. Associated with 

 these, however, are Sitka spruce, giant 

 cedar and lodgepole pine (Pinus con- 

 torta}. Typical stands of this type run 

 at Quatsino Sound: hemlock 50%; white 

 fir 23%; giant cedar 17%; sitka spruce 

 10%. At Kitimat, at an elevation of 

 1700 ft: hemlock 60%; white fir 39%; 

 the stand averaging 2,000 to 15,000 ft. 

 B.M. per acre. On the Naas River 

 this is the prevailing type. Species 

 represented are: hemlock 45% or over; 

 white fir 15 to 20%; sitka spruce 15 to 

 30%, giant cedar 2 to 15%. Stands 

 average 15,000 to 20,000 ft. per acre, 

 reaching 40,000 to 50,000 ft. per acre. 



