Muskwa-Slave Lake forests


The Muskwa-Slave Lake forests ecoregion covers Canadian taiga in northwestern Alberta, northeastern British Columbia and a large portion of the southwestern Northwest Territories around the Mackenzie River valley and the Great Slave Lake.

Setting

The ecoregion's specific areas include the boreal forest to the east of the MacKenzie (between Mackenzie and Franklin Mountains; the land along the Horn River west to the Mackenzie; the Liard River basin; and the Caribou Mountains in north-central Alberta.
The landscape consists of wide, flat plains and lowlands broken by low mountains and plateaus, such as the Caribou Mountains. Almost half of the area is covered in wetlands and bogs such as Zama Lake in Alberta. The ecoregion is in the zone of discontinuous permafrost and has a subarctic climate, with summer temperatures averaging around, and winter temperatures averaging from to. Annual average temperatures are between and. Precipitation is moderately low, averaging between and.

Flora

Vegetation consists mainly of dense forests of trembling aspen, white spruce and balsam fir, with smaller populations of balsam poplar, black spruce and birch.

Fauna

This ecoregion is rich in wildlife including large herds of Migratory Woodland Caribou and other large mammals such as moose, Wood Bison , elk and mule deer along with smaller animals such as snowshoe hare. The predators that feed on all this wildlife include Canada Lynx, grizzly bear, American black bear and gray wolf. Birds include the waterfowl of the many wetlands along with prairie birds such as grouse.

Threats and preservation

This ecoregion is well preserved, with an estimated 75% intact. Protected areas include western parts of Wood Buffalo National Park in Northern Alberta the south-central Northwest Territories, and Maxhamish Lake Provincial Park and Protected Area in northeastern British Columbia. Logging is the greatest threat to the region's ecological integrity along with potential for mining, the effect of the Mackenzie Highway and oil pipelines.