Description of a relict aspen parkland-associated grassland in the Peace River region of British Columbia, Canada

Abstract

The aspen parkland-associated grasslands of the Peace River region, British Columbia (BC), have been severely reduced in area, primarily because of agricultural and urban development. In this region, the species composition of plant communities is similar to that of prairie grasslands and is topographically influenced, occurring primarily on warm-aspect slopes along the Peace River and some of its tributaries. Historical records show that non-forested grass- and sedge-dominated plant communities occurred on flat and gently rolling terrain in a parkland ecosystem near what are now the communities of Dawson Creek and Fort St. John. The Peace grasslands are not represented in BC’s biogeoclimatic ecosystem classification, perhaps leading to their neglect in regional natural resource management and conservation planning. Here, I describe the vascular plant community of a level-terrain relict aspen parkland-associated grassland in the Peace River region. Its species composition differs from nearby warm-aspect grasslands and includes provincially listed plant species. Increased awareness of grassland communities may support conservation, ecosystem restoration, and climate change adaptation in the southern boreal region of BC.