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| Public Safety | Contact Us Banff National Park Box 900 Banff, AB Canada T1L 1K2 Phone: 403-762-1550 Fax: 403-762-3380 Email: banff.vrc@pc.gc.ca
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Banff National Parks of Canada
Park Management
Fire and Vegetation Management
Ecoregions of Banff National Park
Banff National Park is divided into units based on vegetation, landforms
and soil. This system of land classification is used to identify and
inventory similar regions within the park in order to better manage
park ecosystems. The park is classified into ecoregions, which are further
divided into ecosections and ecosites. There are three ecoregions in
the park: montane, subalpine, and alpine.
Map of the ecoregions of Banff National Park
© Parks Canada |
Larger map of the Ecoregions of Banff National Park
Montane Ecoregion ©
Parks Canada / BNP |
Montane Ecoregion
The montane zone is the smallest ecoregion in Banff National Park making
up only 3% of the total area of the park. It occurs at lower elevations
between 1350 metres and 1500 metres on north-facing slopes, rising to
1650 metres on steep south-facing slopes. The vegetation of the montane
ecoregion is characterized by forests of Douglas-fir, trembling aspen
and lodgepole pine with patches of grasslands on dry sites. White spruce,
balsam poplar and shrub meadows occur on wetter sites.
Vegetation is actively managed in the montane ecoregion using prescribed
burning to maintain the open forests and grasslands that occur in this
ecoregion. Ungulate populations, particularly elk, are kept under control
to prevent overbrowsing and damage to aspen stands and shrubs.
Subalpine Ecoregion ©
Parks Canada / BNP |
Subalpine Ecoregion
The subalpine ecoregion lies between the montane and the treeless alpine
ecoregions. It is commonly subdivided into upper and lower subalpine
regions. The lower subalpine region covers about 27% of the park and
is mainly vegetated with dense forests of lodgepole pine, Englemann
spruce and subalpine fir.
The upper subalpine region makes up 26% of the park area. It is primarily
forested by Englemann spruce and subalpine fir, interspersed with dwarf-shrub
meadows, and avalanche path communities. The boundary between upper
and lower subalpine regions is at about 2000 metres. Prescribed burning
is used to maintain and restore vegetation in this ecosystem.
Alpine Ecoregion
© Parks Canada / BNP |
Alpine Ecoregion
The alpine ecoregion occurs above the treeline and covers 44% of the
park. Of this area, about 6% is covered by alpine meadows and shrubs.
The remaining thirty-eight percent of the park is unvegetated rock,
talus, moraines, snow, ice and water. There is no active management
of vegetation in the alpine ecoregion.
The same classification system is used to classify and describe land
and vegetation in the rest of Alberta. Visit their website:
http://www.cdtest.gov.ab.ca/preserving/parks/anhic/index.asp
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