Driftwood Canyon Prov. Park, BC, Canada Photograph by ©2000 Province of British Columbia. All rights reserved. Reprinted with the permission of the Province of British Columbia   Northwestern North America: Western Canada Temperate Coniferous Forests   9,900 square miles (25,700 square kilometers) -- slightly larger than Maryland Vulnerable

· Where Rain Forest Meets Tundra
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
More Photos

Where Rain Forest Meets Tundra

The Northern Transitional Alpine Forests ecoregion has a diversity of habitats ranging from temperate rain forest to alpine tundra. This diversity carries over to wildlife, with beavers, moose, grizzly bears, and mountain goats representing just a few of the mammals.

Special Features

From its steep and heavily glaciated mountains to its broad and gently rolling valleys, the Northern Transitional Alpine Forests ecoregion is a mix of landscapes and habitats. High in the mountains you can find patches of permafrost (permanently frozen soil). Down in the valleys, large, elongated lakes lie within the eastern interior of British Columbia. Rainfall is abundant throughout the region, with as much as 100 inches (250 cm) falling per year in the rain forest areas of the western coast.

	Mountain goats are not true goats; they are close relatives that are sometimes referred to as goat-antelopes.

Wild Side

In the pristine rain forests of Muckaboo Creek, grizzly bears feast on the abundant salmon. Wolverines use their keen sense of smell to find dead caribou and elk hidden under winter snows. In the spring, wolves stalk newborn woodland caribou, moose wade in streams and lakes to nibble on water lilies, and mountain goats scale the peaks in search of tender young plants. Meadows of heather, sedge, and mountain avens are alive with bees and flies seeking nectar. In the forests, a diversity of trees, from cedars and hemlocks to fir, spruce, and pine, can be found.

Cause for Concern

Almost one-fourth of this ecoregion has been altered by logging, particularly in the valleys. What's most alarming is that all of the remaining forests, including the temperate old-growth forests, are slated to be cut in the next 60 years. Mineral exploration is another growing threat in the alpine and subalpine habitats. In both cases, new roads must be built to allow access to the forests, which will open up and fragment remote areas where caribou and other animals seek shelter. Bears and wolverines are often very shy and leave areas where people are. More people means less habitat for these sensitive, wide-ranging species.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.