Alberta's Parkland Region
By: Alyssa Bouwman
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Alberta's Regions
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Where is the Parkland Region?
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Landforms
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Bodies of Water
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Vegetation
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Animal Life
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Climate
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Natural Resources
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Conclusion
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Alberta is one of Canada's Prairie Provinces. Many people are surprised to discover that Alberta is made up of more than prairie. In fact, Alberta is known for its six distinct regions: Grassland, Rocky Mountain, Foothills, Parkland, Canadian Shield and Boreal Forest. Each of these regions has its own unique soil, landforms, plants, animals and climate. Turn the page to discover more about Alberta's Parkland Region.
The Parkland Region is in central Alberta. It is surrounded by all the other regions of Alberta.
This region covers 10% of Alberta's landbase, but contains the largest number of people in the province.
Many distinctive landforms make up the Parkland landscape: the badlands and hoodoos , woodlands , grasslands , wetlands , and gentle rolling hills.
The Parkland Region is an ecotone . It is the area between the Boreal Forest of Northern Alberta and the Grassland Region of Southern Alberta. The land is a mixture of flat and hilly areas.
The region is covered with grasses and patches of trees. The most common species of trees are willow, aspen, poplar and saskatoon bushes. Over the years, much of the land has been cleared for agriculture. Only 5% of the region has been left in its natural state.
The weather in this region is volatile. The weather changes very quickly. Summers are usually dry and sunny. These dry and sunny days are often interrupted by late afternoon thunder and hail storms. These storms cause much damage. They can strip trees of their leaves and flatten entire fields in just minutes!
Winters are cold, snowy and long. Sometimes school is canceled for days because the temperature dips down to -40 degrees celcius or colder! The warm winds that come from the Rocky Mountains are called chinooks. A chinook causes the temperature to rise quickly and the snow to melt in just a short time.
