Katana VentraIP

Canadian Aspen Forests and Parklands

The Canadian Aspen Forests and Parklands[2] is one of 844 terrestrial ecoregions defined by One Earth.[3] This ecoregion includes parts of the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, north-central and eastern (except extreme eastern) North Dakota, most of east South Dakota, and north-central Nebraska in the American Great Plains. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines this ecoregion as the Northern Glaciated Plains.

Setting[edit]

This is a transition zone between the ecoregions of the Northern tall grasslands to the east and the Northern short grasslands to the west, while to the north lie the cooler Canadian boreal forests and a much shorter growing season.[2]

Threats and preservation[edit]

The ecoregion provides significant waterfowl production for the continent and is a major staging area. It is estimated that up to 80 percent of the wetlands, however, have been lost or degraded. The Cypress Uplands (Alberta/Saskatchewan), which are believed to have escaped the last glaciation, are located in this ecoregion.[2]


No completely intact blocks of habitat remain. Restoration of some areas is just beginning. Few sites are protected.[2]

List of ecoregions in Canada (WWF)

List of ecoregions in the United States (WWF)

World |Wildlife Fund (WWF), Northern Mixed grasslands

The Nature Conservancy (TNC)