Facilitating the protection and restoration of species and ecosystems at risk on BC’s South Coast
Lodgepole ("Shore") Pine
The coastal form of lodgepole pine "shore pine" has a range on the Pacific from Alaska to California. As the dominant tree species within its community, ranging from a shrubby stunted height of a few metres, under good conditions this native conifer can a mature height of 15 m. As the species name "contorta" implies, the trunk is often twisted, and crown shape varies from dense and round to irregular. The bark of shore pine is furrowed and up to 2.54 cm thick.
As an ecological community, shore pine (Pinus contorta) occurs intemittently along the South Coast. Larger stands are typically found in association with hydric (moist) low nutrient acidic (bogs, off-channel floodplain marshes and fens) while small groups, often just a few trees can be found on sandy or rocky well-drained soils (e.g. dunes and marine bluffs). Shore pine communities often are hard to distinguish where they occur among broader coastal Douglas-fir, Garry oak and coastal western hemlock communities. On the South Coast major shorepine communities occur on marine bluffs of Metro Vancouver's north shore, Howe Sound and the Sunshine Coast (Texada Island) and in major wetlands complexes like Burns Bog, Lulu Island Bog and off-channel areas of the Pitt River floodplain (Widgeon Marsh and Pitt Addington). In higher elevation and xeric (dry) sites of the eastern casdcades shore pine transitions to lodgepole pine communities. Eleven listed Pinus contorta ecological communities occur on the South Coast of which six are red-listed (threatened/endangered) and three are blue-listed (special concern). Examples include: lodgepole pine / Pacific rhododendron, lodgepole pine / peat-mosses, lodgepole pine / water sedge / peat-mosses.
Download Species Fact Sheet in PDF
RESOURCES
For further information see:
A source for authoritative conservation information on thousands of plants and animals and hundreds of ecological communities in BC. From here connect to all provincial and federal recovery plans (including the SARA Registry), COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada), Identified Wildlife guidance and conservation requirements for specific species and ecological communities of conservation concern impacted by forestry activities) and links to E-Flora and E-Fauna (the Electronic Atlas of the Plants and Wildlife of British Columbia).
A joint venture resource providing comprehensive information on a range of species and ecological communities specific to the Coast Region of BC (including the South, Central and North Coast, Vancouver Island and Haida Gwaii).
Environmental guidelines for urban and rural land development in BC.
SHARE
