Ponderosa pine zone

The ponderosa pine zone (PP zone) takes its name from the ponderosa pine forests that typify the area. The majestic ponderosa pine can be found in closed to open forests and savanna. This is a hot, dry zone, although not as hot and dry as the bunchgrass zone.

The PP zone occupies low elevations in the dry valleys of the southern Interior Plateau and East Kootenays and consists of a visually satisfying mosaic of forests, grasslands and wetlands. This zone is home to a wide variety of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, some of which are relatively rare or threatened with extirpation.

This zone is located at low elevations along the very dry valleys of British Columbia's southern interior. It occupies a narrow band along the bottoms and lower side walls of a number of major river valleys, including the Fraser (in the Lytton-Lillooet area), lower Thompson, Nicola, Similkameen and lower Kettle. It also occurs in areas adjacent to Okanagan Lake and in southeastern British Columbia near Cranbrook and Lake Kookanusa. The ponderosa pine zone extends south into the United States, where it is much more widespread than in Canada.