Towns emerged along the rail line as collection points for grain and livestock exports and as distribution points for incoming supplies. By , Canada was leading the world in wheat exports. Population decline in the rural areas and growth in the urban areas has been the general rule since the s. Although urban use of land is tiny in terms of area 0.
In , the total population of the Prairies Ecozone was approximately 3. The economic structure of the ecozone reflects a dependence on the primary industries of agriculture, mining, and gas and oil extraction. The population of the ecoregion is approximately It is marked by cool summers and very cold winters, and has a subhumid, high boreal ecoclimate. Vegetation in the ecoregion is characterized by medium to tall, closed stands of trembling aspen and balsam poplar with white spruce Picea glauca , balsam fir Abies balsamea , and black spruce Picea mariana occurring in late successional stages.
Poorly drained fens and bogs are covered with low, open stands of tamarack and black spruce and have localized permafrost. North of the East Arm Hills, and in the southern one-third of the ecoregion, ridged to hummocky crystalline bedrock forms broad, steeply sloping terrain.
The East Arm Hills, formed of down-faulted and folded, differentially eroded sediments and gabbro sills, dip southerly, forming broad cuestas as much as m above Great Slave Lake, the surface of which is about m asl in elevation. The intervening valleys are flooded by arms of Great Slave and other lakes. Upland elevations are dominated by bedrock exposures with discontinuous veneers of sandy till, whereas the lowlands are covered by level to gently undulating organic deposits.
The ecoregion contains numerous small lakes, often linked by fast-flowing streams that eventually drain into Great Slave Lake. Strongly glaciated rock outcrops are common, and Dystric Brunisols are the dominant soils. Significant inclusions are Turbic Cryosols on permanently frozen sites and Organic Cryosols in poorly drained, peat-filled depressions.
Permafrost is extensive and discontinuous with low ice content and sparse ice wedges throughout most of the ecoregion, with the exception of the west side between Lake Athabasca and Great Slave Lake towards the Slave River.
Wildlife includes moose, black bear, woodland caribou, wolf, beaver, muskrat, snowshoe hare, and spruce grouse. Land uses include limited local sawlog forestry, outdoor recreation, wildlife trapping and hunting, and fishing.
The population of the ecoregion is approximately 18, Athabasca Plain: This ecoregion extends south from Lake Athabasca to Cree Lake in northwestern Saskatchewan, and is roughly coincident with the flat-lying Proterozoic sandstones. It is marked by short cool summers and very cold winters. The mean annual temperature is approximately This ecoregion is classified as having a subhumid high boreal ecoclimate.
It forms part of the continuous coniferous boreal forest that extends from northwestern Ontario to Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories. Stands of jack pine with an understory of ericaceous shrubs and lichen are dominant. Some paper birch, white spruce, black spruce, balsam fir, and trembling aspen occur on warmer, south-facing sites. Forest fires are common in this ecoregion, and most coniferous stands tend to be young and stunted.
Bedrock exposures have few trees and are covered with lichens. Permafrost occurs sporadically throughout the ecoregion. The plain is covered with undulating to ridged fluvioglacial deposits and sandy, acidic till. Sandy Dystric Brunisols are dominant, whereas Organic Fibrisols and Organic Cryosols are associated with peat plateaus, palsas and organic veneers. Wetlands are extensive in the western third of the ecoregion. Local areas of eolian sandy Regosols occur along the southern shore of Lake Athabasca.
The plain slopes gently and drains northwestward via Lake Athabasca, Slave River, and a network of tributary secondary streams and drainageways. Small to medium-sized lakes are more numerous to the northeast. Wildlife includes moose, black bear, woodland caribou important winter range , lynx, wolf, beaver, muskrat, snowshoe hare, waterfowl including ducks, geese, pelicans, sandhill cranes , grouse, and other birds. Resources in the southern section of the ecoregion are used for local sawlog forestry.
Trapping, hunting, fishing, and industrial activities associated with uranium mining are the dominant uses of land in this ecoregion. Stony Rapids and Cree Lake are the main communities. Churchill River Upland: This ecoregion is located along the southern edge of the Precambrian Shield in north-central Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
It is marked by cool summers and very cold winters. The mean summer temperature is It forms part of the continuous coniferous boreal forest that extends from northwestern Ontario to Great Slave Lake in the southern Northwest Territories. The predominant vegetation consists of closed stands of black spruce and jack pine with a shrub layer of ericaceous shrubs and a ground cover of mosses and lichens.
Black spruce is the climatic climax species. Depending on drainage, surficial material and local climate, trembling aspen, white birch, white spruce, and to a lesser extent balsam fir, occupy significant areas, especially in the eastern section. Bedrock exposures have fewer trees and are covered with lichens.
Closed to open stands of stunted black spruce with ericaceous shrubs and a ground cover of sphagnum moss dominate poorly drained peat-filled depressions. Permafrost is distributed throughout the ecoregion, but is only widespread in organic deposits. Although local relief rarely exceeds 25 m, ridged to hummocky, massive Archean rocks form steeply sloping uplands and lowlands.
In the western part of the ecoregion, uplands are covered with discontinuous sandy acidic tills, whereas extensive thin clayey lacustrine deposits, and locally prominent, sandy fluvioglacial uplands, are common in the eastern section. Exposed bedrock occurs throughout the ecoregion and is locally prominent. Dystric and Eutric Brunisols are associated with sandy uplands, whereas Gray Luvisols occur on clayey lacustrine uplands and loamy to silty fluvioglacial deposits.
On level and in depressional areas, Gleysolic soils are associated with clayey sediments, whereas Mesisols and Organic Cryosols are associated with shallow to deep peatlands. A pulpwood and dimension lumber industry operates to a limited extent in the southern part of the ecoregion.
Wildlife includes barren-ground caribou, moose, black bear, lynx, wolf, beaver, muskrat, snowshoe hare and red-backed vole. Bird species include raven, common loon, spruce grouse, bald eagle, gray jay, hawk owl, and waterfowl, including ducks and geese.
Trapping, hunting, fishing, and tourism are the dominant uses of land in this region. The major communities include Flin Flon and La Ronge. The population of the ecoregion is approximately 28, Mid-Boreal Upland: This mid-boreal ecoregion occurs as 10 separate, mostly upland areas, south of the Canadian Shield, stretching from north-central Alberta to southwestern Manitoba. It includes remnants of the Alberta Plateau in Alberta, several prominent uplands known locally as the Thickwood, Pasquia, and Porcupine hills in Saskatchewan, and the Duck and Riding mountains in Manitoba.
The climate has predominantly short, cool summers and cold winters. The ecoregion is classified as having a predominantly subhumid mid-boreal ecoclimate.
These uplands form part of the continuous mid-boreal mixed coniferous and deciduous forest extending from northwestern Ontario to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Medium to tall, closed stands of trembling aspen and balsam poplar with white and black spruce, and balsam fir occurring in late successional stages, are most abundant. Deciduous stands have a diverse understory of shrubs and herbs; coniferous stands tend to promote feathermoss.
Cold and poorly drained fens and bogs are covered with tamarack and black spruce. Our remaining native prairie is a valuable resource that touches many lives and many interest groups.
Some, such as ranchers, rely on the sustainable use of prairie for their very livelihood. For others, native prairie may be of cultural, spiritual or recreational importance. Many landowners, government and non-government agencies play a role in the stewardship and protection of native prairie as well, representing many interests.
Integrating these efforts and defining common outcomes among the players is fundamental to effective prairie conservation. Lafon, T. Toombs, J. Hoth, and E.
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