Lodgepole pine (abbreviated as Pl) is the most widely distributed pine species in western Canada and is an important timber species. The CCISS model predicts a decline or loss of suitability throughout much of the historic range of Pl under future climate warming. There is some opportunity for the expansion of Pl’s suitable range at higher elevation and further north.
While the CCISS tool offers valuable insights into broad-scale trends, summarized here by species, suitability projections must be interpreted with caution. Many areas of projected change are also areas with high uncertainty in climate predictions. Furthermore, factors such as soil texture, drainage, land-use history, forest health pressures, and biotic interactions (e.g., competition or browsing) can strongly influence actual outcomes on the ground. These nuances emphasize the importance of pairing climate tools with on-the-ground knowledge and site-specific judgement when planning future lodgepole pine management.
In British Columbia lodgepole pine (Pl) is split into two varieties; Pinus contorta var. contorta which occurs on the coast and is known as “shore pine” (Plc), and P. contorta var. latifolia which occurs throughout the interior of BC and is known as “interior lodgepole pine” (Pli) or simply “lodgepole pine”. For the purposes of these analyses and figures, we do not distinguish between the two varieties of Pl.
Plc occurs throughout the coast in the lowland, montane and subalpine zones, found on poorer sites, including rock outcrops, rocky soils, shorelines, coastal sand dunes and wet to dry bogs (Klinkenberg, 2020). Pli is found in the interior of BC, from dry submontane forests to the subalpine region, but is most common in montane forests (Klinka et al., 2000).
Pl grows under a wide variety of climate conditions across a large geographic range (the full habitat range of Pl spans from the Yukon in the north to Baja California, Mexico in the south), both the temperature and moisture regime varies greatly (Lotan & Critchfield, 1990). In BC, Pl is most common in the montane boreal climate and also occurs from cool mesothermal to continental subalpine boreal climates (Klinka et al., 2000). The temperature range of Pl spans the ocean moderated temperate climates of the coast, to the extreme cold winters of the Northern Rocky Mountains, to hot dry summers of the Southern Interior. Pl also occurs across a wide range of precipitation regimes, from the wet North Coast of BC to the dry interior where the majority of the soil water is supplied by snowfall (Lotan & Critchfield, 1990).
Pl has a very wide ecological amplitude and tolerance, occurring on very dry to slightly dry, as well as wet soil moisture regimes, and on very poor to medium soil nutrient regimes (Klinka et al., 2000). It is highly tolerant of nutrient deficiencies and tolerates wet depressions, high water tables, and acidic bogs. Pl also occurs on a wide range of soil types.
In BC, Pl grows predominantly in even-aged, post-fire forests, in single-species or, less commonly in mixed-species stands. It is a pioneer species on rock outcrops and bogs, and is present in early through late stages of secondary succession on water deficient and waterlogged sites (Klinka et al., 2000). Pl is intolerant of shade and generally grows best in full sunlight (Lotan & Critchfield, 1990).
Species environmental suitability during the reference period (1961–1990)In the maps below, each colour represents the species environmental suitability during the historical reference period* of 1961–90 as determined by expert ratings. Green represents a high suitability (E1 rating), blue represents moderate suitability (E2), yellow represents low suitability (E3), and white indicates areas that are unsuitable for the species. See CCISS Documentation tab > Methods > Environmental Suitability Ratings for more detailed definitions and information on the expert rating process.
*Notes on terminology: 1) The historical reference period is sometimes referred to as the “baseline” or simply “historical” or “reference” period. 2) Edatope refers to the combination of relative soil nutrient regime (SNR) and soil moisture regime (SMR) at a given site which align with distinct site series in a given biogeoclimatic unit. Here we provide three of the possible edatopes as examples: the B2 edatope representing nutrient-poor and relatively dry (subxeric) sites; the C4 edatope representing nutrient-medium and moisture-average (mesic) sites; and the D6 edatope representing nutrient-rich and relatively moist (hygric) sites.
The pie chart to the right depicts the distribution of the total environmentally suitable area of Pl in BC by biogeoclimatic (BGC) zone, based on the climate of the historical reference period (1961–1990).
Pl occupies the greatest area in the Boreal White and Black Spruce (BWBS) zone in the northeastern corner of BC and in the Sub-Boreal Spruce (SBS) zone in the Central Interior (i.e. northern portion of the Interior Plateau). In the BWBS zone mixed stands of Pl and black spruce are common in upland forests, and on drier sites open Pl – lichen forests are common. In the SBS zone younger forests are dominated by Pl, alongside trembling aspen and paper birch.
Pl is the dominant species of the Montane Spruce (MS) and Sub-Boreal Pine – Spruce (SBPS) zones, both small montane zones in the rain shadow of the Coast Mountains. In both zones dry soil moisture conditions and forest fires promote extensive even-aged stands of Pl.
In the Engelmann Spruce – Subalpine Fir (ESSF) zone, Pl is a common minor species in most subzones. It is abundant in seral stands following wildfire and is also found on drier sites. In the Coastal Western Hemlock (CWH) zone Pl is found on very dry or very wet sites. Pl is also a common seral species in many subzones, for example in the ICH and at higher elevations in the IDF (Forest Conservation Genetics, n.d.; Meidinger & Pojar, 1991).