Biogeoclimatic zones

British Columbia is divided into thirteen biogeoclimatic (BEC) zones. A biogeoclimatic zone is a geographic area featuring similar plant life, soils and climate characteristics. 

Knowledge and understanding of BEC zones is important in forestry as it allows for the selection of ecological suitable tree species that are well adapted to thrive in specific environments.

Biogeoclimatic zones of British Columbia

The biogeoclimatic zones in British Columbia range from the warm, dry bunchgrass (BG) zone to the cool and moist coastal western hemlock zone. While there are 13 zones, each zone can be further broken down into subzones although most forest management species decisions in B.C. happen at the BEC site level.

Each zone is divided into subzones based on differences in regional climate. Subzones are further differentiated into variants. Site classifications describing the ecosystems within a subzone/variant provide the framework for management interpretations, such as species selection.

Read more about each of the boigeoclimatic zones in British Columbia:

• Bunchgrass zone (BG)
• Boreal White and Black Spruce zone (BWBS)
• Coastal Douglas-fir zone (CDF)
• Coastal Western Hemlock (CWH)
• Engelmann Spruce – Subalpine Fir (ESSF)
• Interior Cedar – Hemlock (ICH) 
• Interior Douglas-fir (IDF)
• Mountain Hemlock (MH)
• Montane Spruce (MS)
• Ponderosa Pine (PP)
• Sub-Boreal Pine – Spruce (SBPS)
• Sub-Boreal Spruce (SBS)
• Spruce – Willow – Birch (SWB)