TerrAdapt

Coarse-filter approaches to conservation planning offer a more generalized alternative to managing lands for specific target species. They are helpful when the data and knowledge to manage lands for the benefit of individual species are lacking, or when management goals are focused more generally on maintaining connected networks of wildlands.

TerrAdapt:Cascadia currently provides dynamic monitoring, projection, and prioritization layers for four coarse-filter targets centered on prominent ecosystems of Cascadia, including coastal temperate forests, montane mesic forests, montane xeric forests, and shrubsteppe.

The temperate forest ecosystem historically occurs along the coastal lowlands of the Pacific Northwest. It is characterized by mild wet winters with ephemeral winter snowpack and mild dry summers. Forests in this system historically extend from sea level up the low elevation valleys and lower slopes of the Olympic Range, Cascade Range, and Coast Range.

The montane mesic forest ecosystem historically occurs throughout the mid and upper elevations of the Olympic Range, Cascade Range, Coast Range, and Rockies. It is characterized by cold winters with ample precipitation and substantial snowpack that persists into spring, and mild summers with limited rainfall. Forests in this system historically occur above the low elevation valleys and extend upwards to alpine treeline.

The montane xeric forest ecosystem historically occurs along the lower elevations of the eastern Cascade Range, eastern Coast Range, Rockies, and the region between the Rockies and Coast Range. It is characterized by cold winters with moderate precipitation and snowpack, and hot dry summers. Forests in this system occur along a transition zone below the montane wet forest ecosystem but above the shrubsteppe ecosystem.

The shrubsteppe ecosystem historically occurs throughout the Columbia Basin and extending northwards into British Columbia along the Okanagan valley and into the upper Thompson and Fraser River valleys