Many
of us who live in British Columbia appreciate its natural beauty - scenic landscapes,
beautiful parks, and diverse plants and animals. When we visit different parts of our
province, we encounter a diversity of climates and land forms. This diversity results in a
tremendous variety of forest and plant communities.
British Columbia has about 40 different species of native trees, but you won't find all
of them everywhere you go. Some trees, like lodgepole pine, grow throughout the province,
but others only grow in places where they are adapted to the particular climate. For
example, western redcedar grows mostly on the coast and in the wetter parts of the
Interior, where there is abundant rainfall and temperatures are mild. Englemann spruce
grows at higher elevations, where winters are very cold and snowfall can be heavy.
The information in this book will help you to identify the native trees in your
neighbourhood and understand why they grow where they do.
We hope that discovering the uniqueness of trees will be the first step to opening the
door on the natural world, which also includes other plants, animals, insects and fungi -
all part of the ecosystems of British Columbia. We hope the Tree Book will be just the
beginning of your explorations.
Download a PDF Version of the Tree Book
(12.9 Mb - recommend Right Click, 'Save Target As')
Order a copy of the Tree Book | 
