Ecological Land Classification (ELC) is an approach which endeavours to subdivide the landscape into significant ecological units and to organize complex interrelationships into identified geographical areas with similar properties. It is a hierarchical system that captures information at the following scales as per the Ecological Land Classification and Evaluation Reference Manual (1980): Ecoprovince - >1:3 000 000 Ecoregion - 1:1 000 000 - 1:3 000 000 Ecodistrict - 1:250 000 - 1:1 000 000 Ecosection - 1:100 000 - 1:250 000 Ecosite - 1:10 000 - 1:20 000 Ecoelement - 1:1 000 - 1:5 000. Note that the upper two levels are referred to as Natural Region and Natural Subregion in the more recent Ecological Land Classification reports. There are also some variations in this hierarchy for individual study areas. The data is available as TIFF image files packaged together with the reports and other supporting documents divided alphabetically.

This dataset defines the ecological areas of Alberta known as the Natural Regions and Natural Subregions, as defined in 2004/2005. This dataset is intended to allow for the stratification of the province of Alberta based on ecological criteria. Natural Regions are the largest mapped ecological units in Alberta's classification system. They are defined geographically on the basis of landscape patterns, notably vegetation, soils and physiographic features. Natural Subregions are subdivisions of a Natural Region, generally characterized by vegetation, climate, elevation, and latitudinal or physiographic differences within a given Region.The intended scale of use of this product is 1:250 000. This version is 2005 Final. Linework changes from the previous Natural Subregion delineation are due both to better information and refined subregion definitions. Note that the Athabasca Plain subregion has been moved into the Boreal Natural Region and that the Boreal Highlands has now been split into Lower and Upper. There is an accompanying report, published 2006: https://albertaparks.ca/media/2942026/nrsrcomplete_may_06.pdf

This data was produced under contract for Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, Forest Management Branch in 2015-2016. Variables used were elevation, aspect, slope, landscape mesotopography (e.g. ridge, upper slope, etc). Where there was LiDAR coverage, resolution was 1m2 pixels. Canopy height was included in this model as a product generated by LiDAR. In these files there is a report assessing accuracy of the models compared with field observation data. detailed accuracy data by township is available upon request.

This dataset is produced for the Government of Alberta and is available to the general public. Please consult the Distribution Information of this metadata for the appropriate contact to acquire this dataset. The Alberta Ground Cover Classification Mosaic is a land cover dataset for the province of Alberta. It is a composite of the Alberta Ground Cover Classification (AGCC) created by Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development for the green areas of the province and the Land Cover for Agricultural Regions of Canada, circa 2000 created by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada for the white areas of the province.

This dataset is produced for the Government of Alberta and is available to the general public. Please consult the Distribution Information of this metadata for the appropriate contact to acquire this dataset. The Ecological Land Classification (ELC) Status is a supporting dataset to the Ecological Land Classification dataset. The ELC Status represents a geodatabase feature class of the ELC study areas. There is attribution to describe the scale of the study, whether there is a scanned report (.pdf), scanned map (.tif) or GIS-ready feature class available.

The data represents the density of wetland habitat in the agricultural region of Alberta in 2002. Wetlands are depressional areas that are wet for a long enough period that the plant and animals living in them are adapted to, and often dependent on, living in wet conditions for at least part of their life cycle. In drier areas of the province, wetlands tend to be more intermittent, while in wetter areas, wetlands tend to be more persistent. Topography also affects the occurrence of wetlands. Hummocky landscapes allow for pooling of water in depressions, while landscapes with longer slopes (e.g. the foothills) generally have better defined surface drainage patterns. A wetland in influenced by the interaction between the wet area, the wetland margin and upland area.Wetlands provide important habitat for waterfowl and many other types of wildlife. Wetlands reduce the impact of flooding, provide erosion control, purify water by removing sediment and nutrients, and contribute to groundwater recharge. This resource was created using ArcGIS.

This data was produced under contract for Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, Forest Management Branch in 2015-2016. Variables used were elevation, aspect, slope, landscape mesotopography (e.g. ridge, upper slope, etc). DEM was used where there was no LiDAR coverage, with a resolution of 25 m2 pixels. Canopy height was not included in this model because it was a product generated by LiDAR. In these files there is a report assessing accuracy of the models compared with field observation data. detailed accuracy data by township is available upon request.

The Primary Land and Vegetation Inventory (PLVI) is a photo-based digital inventory developed to identify the type, extent and conditions of vegetation in the forested and parkland areas of the province of Alberta. This includes portions of both the Green and White areas of the province. It will include areas of the province extending north from the extent of the Grassland Vegetation Inventory (GVI) and will include areas where the detail and expense of Alberta Vegetation Inventory (AVI) are not warranted, or time and resources are limiting constraints. Ecological site phase (ecosite phase) is the main level of classification used in PLVI. A polygon may be attributed with up to 3 ecological site phases, depending on complexity and extent. PLVI captures range site attributes only within the Central Parkland Natural Subregion. The most up to date ecological site phases can be found in the Plant Community Guides. Guides are broken into individual Natural Subregions. See the Cross Reference Section for additional information.

The Native Prairie Vegetation Inventory (NPVI) Polygons is a quarter section-based vegetation inventory that covers the southern part of Alberta. The native prairie is defined in the Native Prairie Conservation Action Plan as an area of unbroken grassland or parkland dominated by non-introduced species, and an area of previously broken grassland that has reverted back to natural vegetation (30 to 60 years). The Native Prairie Vegetation Inventory extends beyond the Grasslands Natural Region to include data for adjacent areas, such as the Cypress Hills. In addition to the Grassland Natural Region, the Native Prairie Vegetation Inventory (NPVI) Polygons include areas that belong to the Foothills Parkland, Central Parkland, Montane, Dry Mixedwood Boreal and Lower Foothills Natural Subregions.

The Alberta Vegetation Inventory (AVI) is a photo-based digital inventory developed to identify the type, extent and conditions of vegetation, where it exists and what changes are occurring. This dataset consolidates all available AVI into a single feature class.This dataset is produced for the Government of Alberta and is available to the general public.