Facilitating the protection and restoration of species and ecosystems at risk on BC’s South Coast
Swamps
As an ecological community, swamps tend to be more associated with forested conditions and are usually treed or tall-shrub mineral wetlands with significant water flow, saturated soils and periodic surface aeration of the substrate. Swamps are most common in southern temperate areas of Canada.
Swamps are wetlands where standing or gently moving water occurs seasonally or persists for long periods, leaving the subsurface continuously waterlogged. The water table may seasonally drop below the rooting zone of vegetation, creating aerated conditions at the surface. Swamps are nutrient-rich, productive sites. Vegetation may consist of dense coniferous or deciduous forest or tall shrub thickets. On the South Coast, swamps occur in a range of sizes, often associated with a high density of skunk cabbage, sedge species, red alder, western redcedar and other vegetation tolerant of saturated organic soils. Species such as Northern Red-legged Frog as often found in large intact swamp communities surrounded by contiguous forest communities. On the South Coast, red-listed swamp communities include: red alder / slough sedge [ black cottonwood ], red alder / skunk cabbage, Sitka willow - Pacific willow / skunk cabbage.
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.
Learn what species are at risk in your area, search by name, habitat type, regional district and forest district.
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