The spanish word for a mountain chain, "cordillera", in this ecoregion's name derives from the ranges of mountains found there: the Rocky Mountains, the Hyland Highland, the Boreal Mountains, the Yukon-Stikine Highlands, and the Pelly and northern Cassiar Mountains. The Liard Basin, a low-lying, rolling area, lies in contrast to the sharp mountain peaks. The plants growing on the mountains within this ecoregion differ according to elevation. At the highest alpine regions grow dwarf rhododendrons and laurels, dwarf birches, willows, and lichens. The middle, or subalpine, areas contain forests of fir, black spruce, and white spruce. The warmer low elevation boreal forests are composed of lodgepole pine, white and black spruce, paper birch, and aspen.
Read more: View WWF Report