Forest ecosystems of Canada

Classification

We classify things so that we can study them and use them more efficiently. This is true for natural environments as well (forests, wetlands, agricultural land, etc.). There are many different types of classification, however, given that classification is a pivotal aspect of scientific endeavour. Every researcher uses, and may be called upon to develop, one or more methods of classification.

Canada’s natural landscapes have been the focus of various classification schemes, which in the past often addressed a limited number of elements or characteristics, the choice of which depended in part on the desired use of the territories being studied. Forests can be classified according to their timber or wildlife potential, agricultural lands according to farming method, and so on.

The need to better understand and protect biodiversity has led to the development of a classification system for natural environments that takes into account the ecological factors that shape and govern those environments. This approach, called ecological classification, has been adopted both by the federal government and by most of the provinces.In the 1970s, Canada established an Ecological land classification and Canada is currently working on a Canadian forest ecosystem classification, i.e. the most elaborate hierarchical level (at the stand and plant community level) of this ecological classification, with the aim of integrating all of the existing provincial ecological classification related to forests. To give an overview of Canada’s forests, we used one of the four levels of generalization in the Ecological Land Classification, the ecozones, and particulary the forest ecozones.

Last Modified: 2007-10-09