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Description: |
British Columbia's
coastal subalpine lands lie within the Mountain
Hemlock Zone. Dense, closed-canopy forests
are characteristic of the lower part of
this ecological zone; but at higher elevations
forests thin out to open parkland, heath
and meadow. Here the growing season is shorter
because the climate is colder and the snowpacks
are deeper. The Mountain Hemlock Zone provides
wildlife habitat for many species, especially
during the warmer summer months. The Mountain
Hemlock Zone occupies subalpine elevations
along the entire British Columbia coast.
It also extends north into Alaska and south
along the Washington and Oregon coast. In
the south, the zone ranges from 900 to 1800
meters above sea level; in the north, it
ranges from 400 to 1000 meters above sea
level. The zone is located between the densely
forested Coastal Western Hemlock Zone and
the treeless Alpine Tundra Zone. Much of
Strathcona Park on Vancouver Island and
Garibaldi Park on the south coast mainland
lie within the Mountain Hemlock Zone.
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