C/ima te.

Soils and drainage.

Along the western shore of west Prince County.

Along the north shore.

The summer precipitation, ranges from 8 to 10 inches with an average summer temperature of from 62 to less than 64 degrees. The precipitation is moderately low, and the temperatures just above average, for the Maritime Provinces. A small water deficiency occurs in many parts. On the whole, the Ecoregion is slightly cooler than the adjacent Magaguadavic — Hillsborough Ecoregion.

Features that are probably more important than climate are the heavy texture of the soil and the poor drainage. The zonal, well-drained site is rare. Where it occurs, the local climate and species distribution are so influenced by the surrounding swamps and bogs that the forest on the zonal site reflects many characteristics of poorly drained land. It is possible that if lighter soils and more relief were present, this Ecoregion could support extensive stands of tolerant hardwoods, and would then form part of the Sugar Maple — Hemlock — Pine Zone. However, those are not present, and available information indicates that the forest on the zonal sites is sufficiently different from those of other Ecoregions to warrant a separate description.

lpp. 133-35]

[Loucks divided this ecoregion into twelve districts, two of which occur on Prince Edward Island: one of these (the Prince Edward Shore District) is confined to the island; the other (the Northumberland Shore District) occurs on the mainland as well — see Figure 5 (be/owl.]

NORTHUMBERLAND SHORE DISTRICT: Comprised of a five to 20-mile wide belt of coastal forest along the Northumberland Strait from Chaleur Bay to Pictou on the mainland, and from North Point to west of Summerside on Prince Edward Island. Open-grown trees in the District lean away from the direction of the wind; their crowns are usually one-sided and damaged. Second growth stands appear unusually short unless there is a taller old—growth forest in the area to act as a shelterbelt. Winds from Chaleur Bay and the Northumberland Strait dominate the north, central and eastern portions. Coastal fog and winds from the Bay of Fundy influence the central portion. Average summer wind speeds along the coast are almost double those of inland stations (Brougher and Thomas, 1948). Black spruce, jack pine, white spruce, red spruce and red maple are the most abundant species, although hemlock and white pine are not uncommon. Prior to the repeated burnings, red spruce, hemlock, and white pine were probably more abundant. Tamarack occurs with black spruce on the extensive bog land. Beech and sugar maple are found on a few slopes near the larger streams.

The border of the District follows a line where winds from the Gulf of St. Lawrence appear to be unimportant in the establishment and growth of new stands. On Prince Edward Island the border also follows the edge of the heavy soils. Most of the soils are the clays and loams derived from red sandstones and shales or from lacustrine materials. Red sandy loams with slightly better drainage are more common in the east. Repeated fires have encouraged jack pine, and on many sites it appears to be better suited to the soil and climate then red spruce. Red spruce suffers particularly from exposure to the wind. White spruce is to be preferred over jack pine as a wind resistant species for sites along the coast-line and for shelter—belts.

PRINCE EDWARD SHORE DISTRICT: Mainly well-drained, light, sandy soils along the north shore of Prince Edward Island distinguish this District. The prevailing climate and exposure to wind is similar to that of the last District. However, jack pine is rare, and red spruce and hemlock are less common. White spruce, black spruce,

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