Montane Cordillera

The ecosystems range from alpine tundra and dense conifer forests to dry sagebrush and grasslands. Wetlands and small lakes dot the landscape,but there are also large,deep lakes and major river systems, including the Fraser and the columbia river headwaters.

Most pacific air carried by westerly winds, which means the wind blowing form the west drops large amounts of rain and snow as it ascends (rises through the air) the winward side of the Coast Mountains.

Much of this ecozone is rugged and montainous. The major plains are more extensive in the north and extend out as intermontane valleys towards the southern half of the ecozone. Most of these plains and valleys are covered by glacial moraine and to some degree ancient riverbed and lakebed deposits, whereas the mountains consists largely of fallen rock debris and rocky outcrops.

The Columbia and rocky mountains within this ecozones have a complex geology consisting largely of folded and faulted sedimentary bedrock.

Much of this ecozone has interior continental climate dominated by easterly moving air masses that produce cool wet winters and warm dry summers. repeatedly flooding by dry, high-pressure, continental air masses results in a few cold winter days and a few hot summer days.

Vegative cover varies widely;alpine environments contain various herbs,lichen ad shrubs,where areas the subalpine regions are dominated by tree species such as alpine Fir and Engelmann Spruce. With decreasing elevation,the mountainous slopes and rolling plains split into the forest groups:a marginal band at upper elevations characterized by Engelmann spruce, Alpine Fir and Lodgepole Pine: a second zone characterized by Ponderosa Pine, interior Douglas Fir, Lodgepole Pine and trembling Aspen in much of the southwest and central portions:and other featuring western Hemlock,western Red Cedar,interior Douglas-fir,and western White Pine in the southeast.

The Engelmann Spruce-Subalpine Fir belt occurs at elevations between 1200 and 2300 metres. It forms a continuous cover at its lower and mid elevations and becomes subalpine parkland at its upper limits. Lodgepole Pine is widespread after fire and is predominant in the drier regions. Other common species include Whitebark Pine and Alpine Larch. subalpine heather and grassy meadows are also common. snow avalanche tracks are evident throughout much of the high-snowfall areas.

High-elevation forest gives way to one dominated by white Spruce,interior Douglas Fir and Lodgepole Pine at mid elevations of 400 to 1500 metres. where the precipitation is relatively high (up to 1500 every year) an interior wet belt forms,dominated by tree cover of western Red Cedar and western hemlock. This area is concentrated on the lower slopes of the Columbia Mountains and the windward side of the Rockies and much of the Shuswap and Quesnel highlands.

At lower elevations, partically along dry valleys, Ponderosa Pine is dominant. wildfires play an important role maintaining these forests. Stands are often open and park-likewith an overlaying of blue bunch wheatgrass. More moist sites are characterized by Douglas Fir, water and paper birches,while the dry southern interior is devoid of trees and dominated instead by big sagebrush,rabbit-brush and antelope-brush.

Grasslands,bunch grasses and other grasses and also shrubs appear in the valley bottoms and on plateaus in south-cantal B.C. from Riske Creek in the north to the Canada-U.S. border. Similar grasslands occupy smaller areas in the kootenays of the southern B.C.

Extensive wetlands are infrequent in the mountainous portions of this ecozone. On slopes,wetlands are generally restricted to small transitional and non-forested bogs,marshes and skunk cabbage swamps. Much of the valley wetlands have been destroyed by urbanization and agriculture. Less than 15% of the original wetlands of the Okanagan Valley remains and is under constant threat from development.

Subtopic

Human Activities ion Montane Cordillera include industry which is Economic activity concerned with the processing of raw materials and manufactor of goods in factories.

Orchard is a piece of land planted with fruit trees.

Ranching is a large farm, especially in the western U.S. and Canada, where the cattle or other animals are bred and raised.

Wildlife is as diverse as the vegative cover. In the alpine tundra, the snowpack does not melt until well into summer and plantlife is sparse. Several species have adapted to the harsh climate, including Mountain Goat, Gyrfalcon, White-taled and willow Ptarmigan, Water Pipit and Rosy Finch, Mule Deer, Rocky Mountain Elk, Stone Sheep, Grizzly Bear and Black Bear are common in the lush meadow habitats.

Throughout the middle and upper elevations ungulates (a hoofed mammal) such as Mountain Goat, Moose, Caribou and Mule Deer are common. Rocky Mountain Elk, Bighorn Sheep, White-taled Deer and Stone Sheep are found less frequently.

Grizzly Bear and Black Bear are the most common mammals. The conifer forests are also important habitat for fur-bearers such as Marten, Fisher, Red Squirrel and Wolverine and a diverse collection of birds that feed on conifer seeds, bark insects and small mammals. Common birds include Pileated Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Clark's Nutcracker and Red Cross-bill.

The treeless bunchgrass areas are small relative to the adjacent and the diversity of wildlife. This is partly due to wide range of habitats created by the juxtaposition of grassland, scrublands, wetlands and forest.

This ecoregion covers the Rocky Mountains of southeastern British Columbia including the Continental Ranges, where elevations rise to over 3000 m along the continental divide. the ecoregion includes the western portion of the Columbia Icefield as well as the highest mountain in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, Mount Robson, at just over 3600 m. Low-elevation valleys are marked by warm, showery summers and mild, and snowy winters.