Boreal white and black spruce zone

The boreal white and black spruce zone (BWBS zone) forms part of a vast boreal forest that stretches across northern Canada from Newfoundland to the Yukon. In many ways, this zone fits the popular image of the Canadian north as a place with large areas of unspoiled wilderness, long cold winters, and abundant wildlife.

Tree species descriptions

The BWBS zone covers most of the Alberta Plateau in B.C.'s northeast, as well as lower elevations in the central north and west to the Tatshenshini. Forests and muskeg dominate the landscape and moose, caribou, bears and wolves are plentiful, along with black flies and mosquitoes.

One of the largest ecological zones in B.C., the BWBS zone covers about 10 percent of the province's total land area. It includes the communities of Fort St. John, Fort Nelson, Telegraph Creek, Dease Lake and Atlin.

Subzone/variants in the BWBS zone  

Tree species descriptions:

• dk subzone (PDF, 184KB)
• mk subzone (PDF, 200KB)
• mw subzone (PDF, 184KB)
• wk subzone, variant 1 (PDF, 198KB)
• wk subzone, variant 2 (PDF, 185KB)
• wk subzone, variant 3 (PDF, 179KB)