9. Landscape Units of the Sunshine Coast Natural Resource District
BEC zones and subzones help us identify broadly defined ecosystems and plant communities but the scale is still too large for us to answer our big questions about how much protection is needed and which lands to protect.
In order to better manage for biodiversity, Natural Resource Districts were broken up into Landscape Units (LUs).
There are 25 LUs in the SCNRD. Wherever possible, they have natural height of land boundaries. Our task is to protect biodiversity in each LU.
Below are some pictures to help get a feel for what a Landscape Unit (abbreviation LU) is.
Click the first photograph to start a slide show, which includes descriptions of what you are seeing in each photo.
Coming into Saltery Bay
This photo was taken from within the Lois LU. Nelson Island is in the mid-frame which is part of the Sechelt LU. The background ridge on the left is the Jervis LU.
The View from Tin Hat Mountain
Tin Hat Mountain sits on the boundary of three Landscape Units: the Haslam LU, the Lois LU, and the Powell Lake LU. From the photograph you can see Haslam Lake in the Haslam LU on the right, and Lois Lake in the Lois LU on the left. Behind the camera would be Powell Lake in the Powell Lake LU. Georgia Strait in the background.
The View from the Head of Bute Inlet
The picture is taken from within the Homathko LU. The lands and mountains on the right side are the Bute West LU. The lands and mountains on the left are primarily the Bute East LU. The near valley on the lower left side is the Southgate River valley in the Southgate LU.
View from Mount Steele in the Tetrahedron Provincial Park
Tetrahedron Peak as seen from Mt. Steele in the Chapman LU. Howe LU is behind the peak and in the right hand side of the photo. Salmon LU is in the left hand side of the photo.
Tzoonie River Valley circa 1990
This is a photo of Tzoonie River Valley circa 1990 and is within the Narrows LU. Note the collapsing roads and how much this watershed has been altered. A huge removal of biomass has occurred over a relatively short period of time.
View from the Mouth of Jervis Inlet
Egmont Point is in the right foreground, Captain Island on the left. The background is entirely within the Jervis LU.
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Glossary of Terms
Biomass: refers to the total amount of organic matter (i.e., anything that comes from plants and animals).
Biogeoclimatic (BEC) Zone: the classification system used to identify an area based on the dominant type of vegetation, climate, and soil characteristics at its climax
Climax Old-Growth: the final stage of a forest stand when left undisturbed by humans
Biogeoclimatic Zone Abbreviations
- AT: Alpine Tundra
- BG: Bunchgrass
- BWBS: Boreal White and Black Spruce
- CDF: Coastal Douglas-Fir
- CWH: Coastal Western Hemlock
- ESSF: Engelmann Spruce - Subalpine Fir
- ICH: Interior Cedar - Hemlock
- IDF: Interior Douglas-Fir
- MH: Mountain Hemlock
- MS: Montane Spruce
- PP: Ponderosa Pine
- SBPS: Sub-Boreal Pine - Spruce
- SBS: Sub-Boreal Spruce
- SWB: Spruce - Willow - Birch
SCNRD Landscape Units
- Bishop
- Brem
- Brittain
- Bunster
- Bute East
- Bute West
- Chapman
- Cortes
- Haslam
- Homathko
- Homfray
- Howe
- Jervis
- Lois
- Narrows
- Quatam