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Description: |
DISTRIBUTION: The CWHmm1
is mainly restricted to Vancouver Island where it
occurs along the leeward side of the Vancouver Island
Ranges above the CWHxm subzone. It also occurs at
higher elevations on Quadra, Sonora, and West and
East Thurlow islands. It has a discontinuous distribution,
often occurring in the upper portions of valleys
draining the eastern slopes of the Vancouver Island
Ranges. Elevational limits range from approximately
450 to 700 m (above the CWHxm if present), although
it extends lower in isolated cases.
CLIMATE: The CWHmm1 has climatic conditions intermediate
between the CWHxm and the CWHvm subzones. It has
moist, mild winters and cool but relatively dry
summers. Historically, dry summers have occasionally
resulted in stand-replacing wildfires, which have
contributed to the abundance of Fd in this variant.
Climatic data are unavailable for the CWHmm1.
VEGETATION: Forests on zonal sites are dominated
by Hw, Ba, and Fd. Shrub layers commonly include
red huckleberry, Alaskan blueberry, and, to a lesser
extent, salal and dull Oregon-grape. Hylocomium
splendens, Rhytidiadelphus loreus, and Rhytidiopsis
robusta dominate the well-developed moss layer.
Stands established following fire tend to have a
greater component of Fd and its associated understorey
vegetation (more salal, dull Oregon-grape, vanilla-leaf,
etc.).
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