Ecologically suitable species and landscape descriptions

The Tree Species Selection Tool provides:

• Landscape-level descriptions of the tree species for a given Biogeoclimatic ecosystem Classification (BEC) subzonevariant
• Information on ecologically suitable tree species (climatically suitable species and populations) for BEC site series without a management filter

On this page:

• About landscape-level species descriptions
• About ecologically suitable tree species information
• Links to the descriptions and information

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About landscape-level species descriptions

Landscape species descriptions have been developed to provide an overview of the tree species age class profile and a “snapshot” of the natural and managed landscape within a BEC subzone variant.

About ecologically suitable tree species information

(BEC) subzone/variant-ecologically suitable species information is provided to the site series level in a BEC zone Microsoft Excel workbook, with a tab for each of its subzone/variants. Each subzone variant’s ecologically suitable species list includes all the species that would be found naturally growing on the sites without being filtered with a management objective.

The workbook was created through peer review by regional ecologists, silviculturists, forest health specialists, and practitioners. The initial review began with a comparison of the species in the Reference Guide to develop FDP Stocking Standards (XLSX, 687KB) and the BEC ecological plots database.

The current set of ecologically suitable species lists have not been modified for future climates. 

• Look for new information on assisted range and population expansion of tree species.

The tree species included in the BEC zone workbooks are considered to be adapted to the site’s environmental conditions, including the variability in these conditions that may occur over time.

Links to the descriptions and information

• Bunchgrass zone (BG)
• Boreal White and Black Spruce zone (BWBS)
  • ​BWBS ecologically suitable species zone workbook (XLSX, 19KB)
• Coastal Douglas-fir zone (CDF)
• Coastal Western Hemlock (CWH)
  • ​CWH ecologically suitable species zone workbook (XLSX, 24KB)
• Engelmann Spruce – Subalpine Fir (ESSF)
  • ​(ESSF) ecologically suitable species zone workbook (XLSX, 24KB)
• Interior Cedar – Hemlock (ICH) 
  • ICH ecologically suitable species zone workbook (XLSX, 27KB)
• Interior Douglas-fir (IDF)
  • ​IDF ecologically suitable species zone workbook (XLSX, 18KB)
• Mountain Hemlock (MH)
  • ​MH ecologically suitable species zone workbook(XLSX, 17KB)
• Montane Spruce (MS)
  • ​MS ecologically suitable species zone workbook (XLSX, 16KB)
• Ponderosa Pine (PP)
• Sub-Boreal Pine – Spruce (SBPS)
  • ​SBPS ecologically suitable species zone workbook (XLSX, 17KB)
• Sub-Boreal Spruce (SBS)
  • ​SBS ecologically suitable species zone workbook (XLSX, 36KB)
• Spruce – Willow – Birch (SWB)