TFL 15

Project Description and Location: This project includes Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping (TEM) with Sensitive Ecosystems Inventory (SEI) and Wildlife Habitat Assessment (WHA) themes. The study area is about 49,100 hectares, extending north to south from approximately Okanagan Falls to Oliver. The western boundary is east of Highway 97; the Nelson / Kamloops Forest Region boundary represents the eastern boundary. The study area is situated in the Northern Okanagan Highland and the Southern Okanagan Basin Ecosections.

Project objectives:  Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping (TEM) was completed to support wildlife and wildlife habitat inventory objectives as well as a number of forest management goals for the licensee. The provincial government identified a need for a Sensitive Ecosystems Inventory for the entire Okanagan valley – TFL 15 fulfills part of that requirement.

Project partners: The TEM and wildlife assessments were initiated and funded by Weyerhaeuser Canada Ltd., Okanagan Falls, British Columbia. The SEI was initiated and completed by staff at the Ministry of Environment Lands and Parks.

Standards and scale used: The project follows the Standard for Mapping Terrestrial Ecosystems in B.C. 1998 and the Standard for Mapping Ecosystems at Risk in BC. 2006. Mapping was completed at 1:20 000 scale. The TEM and WHR mapping was completed in 2000. The SEI was updated in 2009 to follow the methods used in other Okanagan Valley SEI projects.

Data & Reports

Report authors: D. R. Bruhjell, S. Robertson, K. Vujnovic, A. Saxena, and J. A. Bentz

Digital files on EcoCat: Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping with Wildlife Interpretations and Sensitive Ecosystems Inventory (SEI) for Weyerhaeuser TFL15