Vegetation in Canada

Much of the vegetation we see today in Canada is

not natural. Instead, it has been introduced
through agriculture and human activity.

Major natural vegetation types in Canada:

- Forests
- Tundra
- grasslands
Natural Vegetation Zones in Canada

Figure 2.8
 Types of Vegetation
Forest

Deciduous forests are composed of trees that lose

their leaves each winter.

Ex: broad leaf forest and

carolinian forest (southern
Ontario)
 Types of Vegetation
Forest

Coniferous forests are composed of evergreen trees.

Ex: boreal forests

(Canadian shield)
 Types of Vegetation
Grassland
These are found in relatively dry areas. The size of
the grass varies with moisture content.

Grasslands in Canada are only found in the prairie

provinces.

Xerophyte: A plant that has adapted to low amounts

of water
 Types of Vegetation
Tundra
These small plants survive in harsh climates, they
reproduce by runners (offshoots of the main plant)
They are found in Arctic and alpine areas.
 Adaptations of Tundra
Tundra plants have shallow root systems due to the
permafrost environment.

The leaves of the plants are waxy in order to reduce

moisture loss.

Krumholz: A plant that grows in a sideways

formation because harsh dry winds desiccate the
upper part of the plant.
Permafrost Zones in Canada

Figure 2.10
 Permafrost
Permafrost forms where the mean annual
temperature of the soil is below 0°C.

Discontinuous permafrost may form in areas with a

northerly aspect.
Aspect: The direction that you are facing. The line
marking the zone of continuous permafrost roughly
follows the tree line. THE tree line has moved
northward by approx. 100 km over the past 50
years.
Alpine Tree Line
Permafrost
 Risks from Permafrost Melting
Melting of permafrost can cause roads and railways
to buckle and buildings to fracture.
Utilities and pipelines must be built above ground;
many buildings are built on stilts.
Risks from Permafrost Melting
 Soil Types in Canada
Soil Type Location
Cryosolic North

Podzolic Canadian Shield

Luvisolic Southern Ontario

Chernozemic Prairies

Mountain Complex Cordillera (soil varies by

slope and aspect)
Soil Types in Canada

Figure 2.9
 Cryosolic Soil
It is typically found north of the tree line.

It is the dominant soil in the Arctic Archipelago and

around Hudson Bay.
This soil type is found where the mean annual
temperature is below zero degrees Celsius and
where continuous permafrost is common.
 Podzolic Soil
It is most commonly found in cool, moist climates
(Canadian Shield) and is light grey in colour.
Coniferous vegetation is most commonly associated
with it.
Leaching is evident (moisture easily percolates
downward through the soil)
 Luvisolic Soil
It is most commonly found in humid continental
climates (southern Ontario).

Deciduous vegetation is most commonly associated

with it.
Organic content is most evident in this soil because
trees dropping leaves creates a thick organic layer.
Warm summers lead to quick decomposition of
organic material.
Organic: composed of matter from a once living
organism
 Chernozemic Soil
It is most commonly found in dry climates where
grasslands are located.
This soil is very dark in colour wit relatively high
organic content. Leaching is evident but not as
much as in podzolic soil.
Chernozemic Soils of the Prairies
 Palliser’s Triangle
This semi-arid area in the western Prairies was
named by John Palliser, a leader of a survey
expedition of the Canadian west for Britain in the mid
1800s.

He declared that it was an area unsuitable for

agriculture.
Since then, wheat growing and cattle grazing have
become the common land use. Farmers here often
require government subsides to aid in surviving
through drought conditions.
Palliser’s Triangle
 Drainage Basins
Every river has a drainage basin
(the area of surrounding land that drained by the
river)
Drainage basins can also be defined for lakes. In
that case, it is defined as the area of land that
drains into that lake.

Great Lakes Drainage Basin

Mackenzie River Drainage Basin
 Divides
Divides form the boundaries of
drainage basins. A divide is a
ridge of higher land that
separates which way the river
Divide flows.

Grand River Drainage Basin

 Continental Divide
The Continental Divide is located along the spine
of the Rocky Mountains. It forms much of the
British Columbia – Alberta border
It separates which ocean the water will eventually
drain into

Atlantic Ocean)
Pacific Ocean
Major Drainage Basins in Canada

Figure 2.11
 Drainage Basins as Open Systems

Input: precipitation

Outputs: rivers, evaporation

Rivers are in a state of dynamic equilibrium and are
able to adapt to changes in the amount of water
in the drainage basin.
 Columbia Ice Field
This is the last remaining ice sheet in southern
Canada.

It straddles the continental divide in Jasper National

Park and is home to 8 large alpine glaciers.
The north Saskatchewan river originates in the
Columbia Ice field this river flows though Edmonton
and Saskatoon.
Columbia Ice Field
 Glacial Retreat
The Athabasca Glacier is the most well-known
alpine glacier in the Columbia Ice Field.
It is retreating at a rate of 2-3 meters per year

Figure 2.12 Photo 2.13

 Changes in Arctic Sea Ice
In the coming decades, the
polar areas are expected to
warm faster than any other
areas on Earth.