Ecological Land Classification

An Ecological Land Classification (ELC) is a study that describes and interprets forest and wetlands. It also documents the interactions between landforms, soil, water, climate, vegetation and humans. Information from an ELC is used to address current concerns on change and for future studies.

History Of ELC

The first ecologist to attempt a systematic classification of Canada’s vegetation was William Francis Ganong. In 1903, Ganong noted 14 forest associations and non-forest groups. But, he was unable to discern broader patterns due to the limited distribution of vegetations and variation in the provinces. It would be 60 years later before another ecologist would attempt another classification. Orrie Loucks would broaden the relationships between climate and vegetation. To accomplish this, Loucks used an airplane to aid inventory and climatic data gathering. But, both were able to log thousands of miles of forests and wetlands information.

ELC Classifications

An ELC gathers information for database creation and map production. The assessment of the ecosystem is used by scientist so they can prepare studies on terrestrial life, historic resources and socio-economic interactions. After completion of the ELC, ecologist establish a hierarchy for generalizations from a general classification such as ecozone, to more specific classification such as ecoregion and ecodistrict.

Ecozones are at the top of the hierarchy. They are characterized in general terms with the overall climate of the continent.
Second in the chain are ecoregions. They are described with more specific characteristics such as type of climate or vegetation in the ecoregion.
Third in the chain are ecodistricts. They note the geology of an area and vegetation specific to a smaller region.

From the study of a zone, ecologist are able to update forest cover, soil data, water and wetlands to discover the dominant types in the region.

Conclusion

An Ecological Land Classification is the best tool to describe the characteristics of an area and to document the biodiversity and ecology within a project region. It describes the area from generals to specifics giving researchers a holistic approach for classification. The baseline of a study can then contribute to the understanding of local ecological functions.