STANDARD FOR TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEM MAPPING IN BRITISH COLUMBIA

Prepared by
Ecosystems Working Group
Terrestrial Ecosystems Task Force
Resources Inventory Commitee

May 1998

1.0 Introduction

The purpose of this report is to provide standards for terrestrial ecosystem mapping (TEM) in British Columbia. These standards should be used for all medium- and large-scale ecological mapping projects, to ensure that a consistent approach is applied. Common scales of ecological mapping are 1:20 000 to 1:50 000, though larger scales-such as 1:10 000 or 1:5000-may be carried out to support specific interpretations. This report is a product of the Resources Inventory Committee (RIC), whose objective is to provide integrated standards for all resource inventories in the province.

Ecosystem mapping is the stratification of a landscape into map units, according to a combination of ecological features, primarily climate, physiography, surficial material, bedrock geology, soil, and vegetation. Ecosystem mapping provides:

a biological and ecological framework for land management;
a means of integrating abiotic and biotic ecosystem components on one map;
basic information on the distribution of ecosystems from which management interpretations (e.g., broad-scale landscape planning, site-specific interpretations) can be developed;
a basis for rating values of resources or indicating sensitivities in the landscape;
a historic record of ecological site conditions that can be used as a framework for monitoring ecosystem response to management; and
a demonstration tool for portraying ecosystem and landscape diversity.

Ecosystem maps, along with associated interpretations, supply valuable information for many uses, particularly planning resource allocation. The maps are used, for example, to meet many Forest Practices Code-related needs, including landscape unit planning, forest development planning, range use planning and the development and application of biodiversity guidelines, riparian guidelines, and the proposed identified wildlife management strategy.

Data requirements are outlined for interpretations related to five broad subject areas: forest management, range management, wildlife management, biodiversity management, and terrain/soils.

This methodology has evolved from two previous methods manuals produced by the Ministry of Forests (Mitchell et al., 1989) and the Ministry of Environment, Lands, and Parks (Demarchi et al., 1990), and recent experience with application of 1995 standards (RIC, 1995). It builds on the collective experience with mapping and field methods that have been tested and proven effective in different parts of the province over the last 20 years.

The approach to the mapping described here combines aspects of the biogeoclimatic ecosystem classification (BEC) of the Ministry of Forests with aspects of the ecoregion classification of the Ministry of Environment, Lands, and Parks. Regional, local, and developmental ecosystems from four classifications are mapped: ecoregion (ecoregion units), zonal (biogeoclimatic units), site (site series), and vegetation developmental (structural stages and seral community types). Figure 1.1 illustrates the relationship between these four classifications.

Figure 1.1 Hierarchy of ecological land classifications in British Columbia

Ecoregion and biogeoclimatic polygons represent broad level regional and climatic landscape units. Maps typically depict ecosections and biogeoclimatic zones, subzones, and variants. Within this framework, site level units, termed "ecosystem units," are defined based on the integration of vegetation, terrain (surficial material), topography and soil characteristics. Ecosystem units are generally derived from the site series classification within the BEC, by being further differentiated based on more specific site conditions (e.g., site modifiers), structural developmental stages, and (sometimes) seral community types.

The ecosystem units are mapped using a bioterrain approach, a procedure that focuses on observable site and biological features assumed to determine the function and distribution of plant communities on the landscape. Map units are delineated using a combination of aerial photograph interpretation and field sampling to verify ecosystem identification and boundaries.

Presented here is information about terrestrial ecosystem unit characterization and mapping, symbology, polygon attributes, interpretations, legends, and mapping and field survey procedures. Core polygon attributes to be recorded for all ecosystem mapping projects are also described, in addition to other attributes that are recommended for specific interpretations. Maps produced using this methodology should be incorporated into Geographic Information Systems (GIS). These digital maps and their associated databases allow the storage and retrieval of much larger amounts of polygon-based data than can be visually portrayed on a single map itself. The use of GIS also facilitates the integration of terrestrial ecosystem mapping with other resource inventories, contributing towards a provincial map database.

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