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Description: |
The Engelmann
Spruce – Subalpine Fir Zone occupies the
highest forested elevations in British Columbia’s
many mountain ranges. Steep, snow-covered
mountain sides are blanketed with old-growth
spruce and subalpine fir forests. The deep
snows provide good skiing and give rise
to clear, fast-flowing mountain streams
that carry moisture to picturesque high-elevation
park–lands and herb meadows. Several major
provincial parks are located here, and outdoor
recreation and timber harvesting are both
important economic resources.
The Engelmann Spruce – Subalpine Fir
Zone occupies the uppermost forested elevations
in the southern three-quarters of the interior
of British Columbia. The zone rings the
province’s vast Interior Plateau, encircling
an enormous area from below the United States
border north almost to Dawson Creek and
from the Coast Mountains east across into
Alberta. The zone occurs mainly in steep
and rugged terrain and takes in parts of
all of the major mountain ranges south of
the Peace River region, including the Selkirks,
the Purcells, the Columbia and Rocky Mountains,
and the Skeena, Babine, and Omineca ranges.
The zone is predominantly mountainous and
includes some high valley bottoms as well
as tracts of gentler, hilly terrain in areas
such as the Quesnel and Shuswap highlands.
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