Ecological Conditions of the British Columbia Flora

Seeing that botanical work in British Columbia has not been definitely and systematically studied, and that the only available information has been obtained by collectors on occasional visits to the Province, or by collectors who are more or less settled in one locality, it is intended, besides ascertaining the distribution of each species throughout the Province, to make observations on the relation of those species to their environment.

In a Province like British Columbia, where the change of environment is often sudden, it is expected that many interesting subjects for observation will be brought to light. It is common to find, within one or two miles of the sea, mountains rising to an altitude of from 5,000 to 9,000 feet, with an entirely different belt of vegetation separating the characteristic shore plants from the characteristic mountain plants, but occasionally the zones overlap, resulting in a considerable amount of variation in different species. The transition from the Coast area to the Dry Belt is very abrupt. This is particularly well seen on passing east of the Coast Range between Keefer, on the Lower Fraser River Canyon, and Lytton. At Keefer the flora is characteristically that of the Coast area; at Lytton the flora is characteristic of the Dry Belt. Between those two places may be seen a gradual overlapping; the Coast flora becoming more reduced towards the east, and the Dry Belt flora becoming reduced towards the west, being crushed out by the growth of those plants better adapted for life in a more moist region.

It would be premature at the present time to give the results of the observations made in those areas, there being so many other areas from which information should be obtained.

One result of these ecological observations is the acquirement of knowledge relating to the value of land for agricultural or afforestation purposes. This information will be of most value in connection with the exploration of unknown portions of the Province, as from the flora it can be ascertained what conditions exist in each particular area; the “plant associations” represented in each area, giving information concerning the soil, exposure, and the length of the growing season, etc.

For the purpose of ascertaining the characteristic flora of particular environments, intensive collections have been made of selected habitats, and when the collections are compared, it is found that there are many different plant associations. By this means, also, one is enabled to separate out those plants which are not characteristic of each habitat, and at the same time discern variations attributable to environment.