Carolinian forest
The Carolinian forest is a life zone in eastern North America characterized primarily by a predominance of deciduous (broad-leaf) trees. The term "Carolinian forest" is used primarily in Canada, and therefore often refers only to the northernmost portion of the overall region, in Southern Ontario. Various terms, including "eastern deciduous forest" or "eastern woodlands", are used in the United States.
Location and status
This forest region extends across much of the eastern United States, from the Carolinas northward, and into Southern Ontario in Canada. The Canadian portion of the region is in the fertile ecozone of the Mixedwood Plains and includes ecodistricts 7E-1 to 7E-6. Besides its southern location within Canada, the climate of this area is also moderated by the nearby Great Lakes, so it is able to support animal and plant species usually not found in other parts of Canada.
The greatest extent of forest coverage in the region as a whole is in the Carolinas, the Virginias, Kentucky, Tennessee, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, parts of New York state, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. It covers much less area in parts of southern Michigan, Indiana, and western Ohio.
Trees found here include various species of ash, birch, chestnut, hickory, oak, and walnut; tallest of all is the tulip tree. Fruit trees native to this zone include the pawpaw. Animal life includes raccoons, possums, squirrels (including the relatively rare southern flying squirrel), nuthatches, and chickadees.
Because the major population centres of Ontario are located nearby, there has been significant loss of wetlands and forested areas to urban areas and farms. It is estimated that 90 per cent of Canada's Carolinian forest has already been destroyed.[1] The remaining portions, mostly scattered and disconnected, continue to be threatened by human development. One of the best preserved areas of Canada's Carolinian forest is located at Rondeau Provincial Park near Morpeth, Ontario; another is the Niagara Glen Nature Reserve near Niagara Falls, Ontario.[2]
Examples of species
- White-tailed deer
- Virginia opossum
- American badger
- Hooded warbler
- Prothonotary warbler
- Carolina wren
- Yellow-breasted chat
- Eastern prickly pear cactus
- Tulip tree
- Sassafras
Protected areas
- Bickford Oak Woods Conservation Reserve
- Bronte Creek Provincial Park
- Clear Creek Forest (recommended) Provincial Park
- East Sister Island Provincial Park
- Fish Point Provincial Park
- James N. Allan Provincial Park
- John E. Pearce Provincial Park
- Komoka Provincial Park
- Lighthouse Point Provincial Park
- Long Point Provincial Park
- Niagara Glen Nature Reserve
- Ojibway Prairie Provincial Park
- Point Pelee National Park
- Port Burwell Provincial Park
- Pinery Provincial Park
- Rondeau Provincial Park
- Rock Point Provincial Park
- Short Hills Provincial Park
- St. Clair National Wildlife Area
- St. Williams Conservation Reserve
- Turkey Point Provincial Park
- Wheatley Provincial Park
Rivers and creeks
- Ausable River
- Catfish Creek
- Credit River
- Grand River
- Kettle Creek
- Sydenham River
- Thames River
- Welland River
Other
See also
References
- ↑ Johnson, Lorraine (2007). Editor. Toronto: James Lorimer & Company, Ltd. p. 13. ISBN 978-1-55028-990-9.
- ↑ "Niagara Glen". Niagaraparksnature.com. Retrieved 2011-08-21.