NATURAL AREAS AND REGIONS 



159 



with stunted tree growth of lodgepole 

 pine, white-bark pine (Pinus albicaulis] 

 and alpine fir. Among the grasses are 

 Agrostis humilis, Phleum alpinum, Dan- 

 thonia intermedia, Trisetum spicatum, 

 Koeleria cristata, and several species of 

 Fescues, while in the moister meadows 

 and swales Valeriana sitchensis, Castil- 

 lejas, Senecios and other herbaceous 

 plants occur. P. Z. C. 



C. NORTHERN AND MOUNTAIN 

 CONIFEROUS FOREST 



1. Second Wet Belt 



The forests in the second wet belt 

 resemble those on the coast and we have 

 the same transition in types. Giant 

 cedar and hemlock ranging from almost 

 pure cedar on the river-bottoms, where 

 the water-table is near the surface, 

 to a mixture of cedar and western hem- 

 lock on the lower mountain slopes, and 

 finally changing into hemlock-spruce 

 (here Engelmann) cedar type on the 

 higher benches or into the subalpine 

 (or spruce-lodgepole) type, which occurs 

 on the mountains at an elevation of 

 4000 and 6000 ft. Stands in the Second 

 Wet Belt will reach 20,000 to 30,000 ft. 

 B.M. per acre over considerable areas. 

 Much, however, depends on the age of 

 the stand and defect, which is sometimes 

 conspicuous, especially in cedar and 

 hemlock throughout the type. 



2. Northern sub-arctic or spruce-pine 

 type 



This is a continuation of the great 

 forest area that sweeps across Canada, 

 lying between the tundra on the one 

 hand and the plains or the pine-hard- 

 wood forests on the south. 



In British Columbia pine is repre- 

 sented by lodgepole. In the north both 

 white spruce (Picea canadensis) and 

 black spruce (Picea mariana) occur, 

 but farther south they are replaced by 

 the Engelmann spruce. This type occu- 

 pies the northern plateau, spreads over 

 the Rocky Mountains, and out across the 

 foot hills to the north-east corner of the 

 Province, where it joins the sub-arctic 



forests of Alberta. Extending northward 

 along the mountains it forms a belt, just 

 below the sub-alpine type, usually 

 occuring between the 4000 and 6000 ft. 

 contours. The type has been greatly 

 modified by fire and in many cases con- 

 verted into pure lodgepole pine, which 

 acts as an intermediary or nurse crop 

 for the spruce which subsequently comes 

 in under the pine. Islands of black 

 spruce swamp are frequently encoun- 

 tered or stands of pure cottonwood on 

 southern exposures. The average stand 

 per acre in mature forest is from 5000 

 to 10,000 ft., occasionally reaching 20,000 

 ft. or over near the lower limits of its 

 range. 



Typical cruises show. Elk River, 

 elevation 4500 to 6000 ft., average stand 

 20,000 ft. per acre: Engelmann spruce 

 75%; lodgepole pine 15%; alpine fir 

 10% ; Douglas fir 2%. Clearwater River, 

 plateau 4000 to 6000 ft. above sea-level; 

 average stand 8500 ft. per acre: spruce 

 65%; balsam 20%; lodgepole pine 5%. 

 While stands in Northern British Co- 

 lumbia, elevation 1000 to 2000 ft. will 

 run: spruce 70%; lodgepole pine 25%; 

 fir 5%. This type is of great commercial 

 importance from the standpoint of pulp- 

 manufacturing. P. Z. C. 



Fauna (E. A. P.). The northern part 

 of the area covered with this type of 

 forest is considered in the discussion of 

 the transcontinental coniferous forest 

 of central Canada of which it forms a 

 part. 



The commoner and more characteris- 

 tic mammals of its southern portion in- 

 clude the following : Dusky shrew (Sorex 

 obscurus obscurus)', Rocky Mountain 

 marsh shrew (Neosorex palustris navi- 

 gator] ; northwestern bat (Myotis longic- 

 rus) ; black and grizzly bears of several 

 races (distribution not worked out); 

 northwest marten (Martes a. caurina); 

 British Columbia mink (Mustela v. 

 energumenos) ; Bonaparte weasel (Mus- 

 tela cicognanii cicognanii); northern 

 deer mouse (Peromyscus m. borealis"); 

 western bushy-tailed wood rat (Neotoma 

 c. occidentalis); heather vole (Phena- 

 comys intermedius intermedius) ; British 



