VEGETATION ZONES AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO THE SOILS AND CLIMATE OF THE UPPER COLUMBIA VALLEY

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Abstract
The study reported deals with a description of the climate, vegetation and soils of the Upper Columbia Valley, British Columbia, between the valley floor and about 3500-ft. elevation.Precipitation appears to be the principal factor governing both soils and vegetation development in the region. Most of the soils in the valley have been derived from highly calcareous parent material. The zonal soils include Dark Brown, Brown Wooded, Gray-Wooded, Brown Podzolic-Gray Wooded, Podzol Gray Wooded and Podzols.Within the main Columbia Valley there appears to be a good parallel relationship between soils and vegetation, at least at the great soil group level. The same relationships that exist in the main valley do not appear to hold, however, in the tributary valleys to the west where the soil parent material is less calcareous.The vegetation of the region has been broken down into three major vegetation zones, namely, Douglas-fir, cedar/hemlock, and spruce/fir. The Douglas-fir zone was divided into two sub-zones, groveland and forest.