The Boreal Shield
Glossary Terms!
• Muskeg
• Taiga
• Timberland
The Boreal Shield
• The Boreal Shield is a
combination of two
important natural
features:
– The rocky Canadian
Shield
– The coniferous northern
forest
The Boreal Shield
• The Boreal Shield is a huge ecozone, in some
places stretching over 1000 kilometres wide.
• It as been called the Amazon of the North
Landscape
• The Boreal Shield has a very distinct look.
• This is due mostly to glaciers that scraped the
land and exposed the granite bedrock,
leaving behind thin soils and many
depressions.
• These depressions fill with water creating
bogs, swamps and lakes.
Natural Vegetation
• The natural vegetation
of the Boreal Shield is
well adapted to cold
winters and short, hot
summers
• It has just enough
precipitation to support
a dense forest.
Natural Vegetation
Black Spruce and balsam
fir are used in high
quantity for the pulp and
paper mills.
Hardy deciduous trees like
birch and poplar are found
on the southern edges of
the region.
Lichens and shrubs are
also found in this area.
Wildlife
• 230 different birds live in
the Boreal Shield
• Aquatic animals
– Seals, whales, pike, trout
and pickerel
• Smaller animals
– Beaver, fox, marten, otter
• Large animals
– Black bear, lynx, coyote,
moose
People
• About 4 million people
live in the Boreal Shield
• Mines and mills are
major resources in this
ecozone.
• Remote hunting and
fishing lodges create a
prosperous tourism
industry.
People
• Many Aboriginal peoples
live in the Boreal Shield
• Some maintain their
traditions of hunting and
fishing
• while others work in
resources, businesses,
construction or tourism.
People
• In Newfoundland and
Labrador, fishing formed
the basis of the economy.
• However, recent
overfishing has led to the
collapse of major fish
stocks
• This has impaired many
coastal fishing
communities.
Threats
• Logging, mining, the building of oil and gas
pipelines, and hydroelectric development all
threaten the ecozone.
• Forestry industry
– Clear-cutting methods leave few trees behind in
logging areas
– Only a few tree species are being replanted.
Threats
Roads
› Road building through the
ecozone forces sediment
buildup in streams and
rivers
› Roads separate animal
habitats, leaving them
vulnerable
› Road access brings more
motorized vehicles into an
area leading to more
pollution, risk of fire and an
overall negative impact on
the wildlife.
Mixedwood Plains
Glossary
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Escarpment
Dolomite
Caprock
Differential Erosion
Aggregates
Landscape
• The Niagara Escarpment is a
725-kilometre-long cliff.
• Winds along western shore
of Lake Ontario, up to the
tip of Bruce peninsula.
Landscape
• Considered the backbone of this ecozone.
• Declared a UNESCO (United Nations
Educational, Scientific, and Cultural
Organization) World Biosphere Reserve,
making it an internationally recognized
ecosystem.
• When the glaciers
melted at the end of the
Ice Age, sand and gravel
settled on sedimentary
rock in the area.
• The rock layers at the
bottom of the cliff (shale
and sandstone) are
softer than the rock
layers on the top of the
cliff (dolomite
limestone).
Case Study
• Case study “The Holes in The Niagara
Escarpment” pgs. 140-143
Vegetation
• because so many people
live in this small ecozone,
much of the natural
vegetation is gone.
• there are some heavily
forested areas along some
lakeshores.
Vegetation
• Agriculture, logging, and city growth have
wiped out much of the forests (only 10%
of Southern Ontario’s original forests
remain)
• More than 90% of the wetlands in the area
have been converted to farmland or urban
areas.
Vegetation
• Before the farmland and urban sprawl took
over, the area had a mix of coniferous (pines
and hemlocks) as well as deciduous (maple,
oak, and elm) trees.
Wildlife
• Like the forests, much of
the wildlife of this
ecozone has been pushed
out
• Their homes (the trees)
have been chopped
down.
• Some species that remain
include white-tailed deer,
foxes and squirrels.
Wildlife
• Other species (coyotes, raccoons, mice,
and groundhogs) have adapted to city life
• but the people living there aren’t too
happy with that.
People
• smallest ecozone in Canada
(9% of total land area of
Canada) but has the most
people (60% of the
country’s population live
here).
• more than half the top
quality agriculture in
Canada is in this ecozone.
• Many fruits and vegetables
grown there.
People
• Industrial Heartland –
many products (designer
clothes, cars, furniture,
food) are manufactured
here.
• The many banks and
corporations around the
western shore of Lake
Ontario has led to the
nickname The Golden
Horseshoe.
People
• Lots of tourism – Niagara
Falls, CN Tower, Royal
Ontario Museum.
• Sports – baseball, hockey,
football, and basketball
franchises.
• Lots of cottage areas.
People
• More than 100 people
per square kilometre.
• 12.8 million people in
Ontario – 90% of them in
the Mixedwood Plains
• 8 million people in
Quebec – 80% of them in
Montreal, Quebec City,
and Trois Rivieres, all
found in Mixedwood
Plains
Threats
• quarries on the Niagara
Escarpment – holes are
being blasted into the
rock.
• expanding urban areas
threatening forests and
wildlife
• people breathe in smog
caused by cars, factories,
and thermal-electricity
plants.
Montane Cordillera
Glossary Words!
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Orographic precipitation
Windward
Alpine tundra
Leeward
Mountain pine beetle
Landscape
Montane Cordillera
• This eco zone lies mostly in
British Columbia, with 10%
in Alberta
• It consists of rows of
mountains separated by
wide valleys and plateaus
(areas of elevated, flat land)
• The montane cordillera is a
land of exceptional natural
history
Montane Cordillera
Natural Vegetation
• Natural vegetation
varies greatly in the
Montane Cordillera.
• This depends upon the
location on mountains
or in valleys
• Why does vegetation
vary?
– Orographic
precipitation
Page 123 (fig. 3.22)
Orographic Precipitation
Windward Slopes of Mountains
• These slopes are located on
the west side of the
mountain ranges where
wind brings moisture from
the Pacific.
• Most precipitation is found
on the windward side of
mountains, so the lower
parts of windward slopes
are dense with coniferous
forests (spruce, pine).
Orographic Precipitation
Near the Top of the Mountain
• The mountain top is too
cold and windswept for
trees to grow
• so alpine tundra
vegetation grows here
(moss, lichen, and
grasses).
• Mountain Peaks
– Have permanent ice.
Orographic Precipitation
The leeward side of Mountains
• This side of the mountain is
more protected and
therefore does not receive
much precipitation.
• Grasses and sagebrush grow
in valleys of these regions.
Orographic Precipitation
Wildlife
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Big horned sheep
Mountain goats
Grizzly Bear
White tailed deer
Mink
People
• Forestry
– Coniferous forests of the
lower and middle slopes
are a great resource for
logging companies.
• Tourism
– Hiking, mountain climbing,
hunting, fishing, etc.
People
• Farming
– Climate and soil conditions in valleys provide
ideal conditions for fruit farming and vineyards
People
• Mining
– Coal deposits in ancient
sedimentary rock provides a
great resource for mining
companies
• Cattle Ranching
– Grasslands on interior
plateaus are perfect for cattle
ranching
Threats
• Logging
– Logging, replanting and
maintaining forest cover
is essential for sustaining
wildlife habitats
– Urban growth,
industrialization,
agriculture and tourism
are encroaching on
grasslands and increasing
pressure on water
supplies.
Threats
• The Mountain Pine Beetle
– Kills trees by eating holes in
the inner bark, laying eggs
there.
– This leaves a mass of dying
red trees, costing the
provincial economy millions
of dollars
– Both B.C and Alberta are
burning forests in an
attempt to contain and kill
the pest.
The Prairie Ecozone
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Glossary Words!
Potholes
Slough
Drought
Badlands
Grasslands
Shelterbelt
Windbreak
Chinook
Landscape
• The Prairie land is very
distinct
• From above, the land
appears flat. However, a
closer view reveals
depressions in the soil
(potholes) that are left
behind by glaciers.
• Many depressions have
become wetlands which
support a variety of
plant life and wildlife
Landscape
• Other aspects of the
Prairie landscape include:
– River valleys
– Hills and eroded
badlands (an unusual
landscape created by
the erosion of soft
sedimentary rock.)
– Gently rolling
grasslands
• A mixture of
different grasslands
– Impressions of the
Prairie Ecozone (p128)
Landscape
• The Prairies are a continental
climate. This is because:
– They are located in the
centre of the continent.
– The Rocky Mountains to
the west act as barriers
against rain bearing winds.
– Dry arctic masses move in
from the north, making the
winters long and cold.
– They are far from the
moderating effects of
bodies of water.
Vegetation
• Wet and rich nutrient filled
areas give way to fertile soil
• Tall grasses grow in wet
areas, while shorter grasses
grow in drier areas.
• Drought resistant plants such
as sagebrush and short
grasses grown in drier areas.
• 90% of the Prairie landscape
is used for agriculture.
Disappearing Grasslands
 Less that half of the prairie's
original wetlands, potholes
and sloughs remain.
 Many have been drained and
cleared for farming and urban
development.
 This development has led to
the disappearance of much of
the wildlife in the area.
 Human activities, such as
building dams for irrigation,
hydroelectricity and flood
control, have forever changed
the river systems of the
prairies.
Grasslands (p.134)
Wildlife
• Plain bison were once
plentiful in the prairie
ecozone.
• Overhunting in the
late 1800s drastically
decreased their
numbers, virtually
wiping them out
• Today, plain bison are
protected in national
parks, where their
numbers are growing
Wildlife
• An abnormally large number
of animals have disappeared
from this ecozone. Many are
extinct, extirpated,
endangered or threatened
because of habitat loss.
• This includes:
– The grizzly bear
(disappeared from area)
– The swift fox (disappeared
from area)
– The peregrine falcon
(endangered in the area)
– Whooping crane
(endangered in the area)
Humans
• The gently rolling land of
the prairies is suitable for
food production
• The grasslands have
fertile soil and a long
enough growing season
for a variety of crops.
• The rivers can be
dammed for irrigation
and hydroelectricity
• Oil and gas deposits in
sedimentary rock are
excellent for the mining
industries.
Threats
• Modern farmers have
almost wiped out keystone
species in the area (swift
fox, prairie dogs) much like
early settlers almost wiped
out the bison population.
• Extensive agriculture uses
land and destroys wildlife
habitats
• Farming overworks the soil
and reduces nutrients
• Wastes from farms and
urban areas pollutes the
waters.
Threats
• Oil and gas development
creates pollution and
contributes to greenhouse
gas emissions, which
eventually changes the
climate.
• Dams and reservoirs built
for power, flood control
and irrigation alter rivers
and wildlife habitats.
• Conservation efforts and
government regulations
aim to restore some
wildlife and grasslands.
Southern
Arctic
Landscape
a lot of this ecozone is made
up of piles of sand and gravel
left over by glaciers that
melted 8500 years ago.
Now there are lots of
moraines (mounds of dirt)
and eskers (long ridges of
sand).
The glaciers tore up the land,
leaving many holes that were
filled with the melting ice. As
a result, there are lots of
lakes and ponds found here.
Landscape
• There’s a lot of
permafrost
(permanently frozen
ground) in this
ecozone, often just a
few centimetres below
the surface.
• Although there is little
precipitation, moisture
gets caught just under
the surface.
Vegetation •
The treeline is found along
the southern part of the
Southern Arctic. The trees get
much smaller and eventually
disappear above this line.
• As a result, there aren’t many
large plants in the area.
Mostly shrubs and, in the
summer, berries.
• The cold air and dry winds
make it difficult for taller
trees to grow.
Wildlife
• Due to the cold most of the
year, the number of species
found in the Southern
Arctic drops the further
north you go.
• Caribou, foxes, bears,
moose, and hawks are
some of the animals and
birds you can expect to find.
• Close to a million caribou
migrate south each year.
People
• The Inuit make up
80% of the population
of the Southern Arctic.
• There are less than
10 000 people in this
ecozone, spread out
over 17 communities.
Threats
The area is very rich in
minerals and oil and gas.
This means a lot of the land
is being destroyed to exploit
these resources.
Global warming is also
having negative effects on
the area, causing much
warmer than normal
temperatures.
Wildlife and vegetation in the
area, not being used to the
warmer weather, are
migrating or dying.