Although nearly 85% of the bryophytes of the known flora of British Columbia show wide world distributions, they, plus the remaining 15% confined to western North America, segregated into at least eight distinguishable patterns. These patterns have been shaped by the coincidence of climate, historical events, substratum, and topography and have been altered more recently through anthropogenic disturbance. The distribution patterns form the basis for the bryophytes that characterize the biogeoclimatic zones. Lists of these bryophytes are provided for the 12 biogeoclimatic zones recognized for British Columbia by V. J. Krajina. Distribution maps are provided for 16 representative species. Other applications of bryophyte ecology in forestry practice include site evaluations, nutrient cycling, and successional interpretation.