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:
- Landscape-level species descriptions
- Ecologically suitable tree species information
- Landscape-level descriptions and ecologically suitable tree species information
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.
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.
Landscape-level descriptions and ecologically suitable tree species information
- 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)