The update and refinement of the national ecological framework is the product of three years of research and consultation between federal, provincial and territorial agencies. The contribution of Ed Wiken, Director, Ecozone Analysis Branch, State of the Environment Directorate (SOED) must be specially acknowledged for initiating the project, contributing to the map and report revision, and for his continued support and advice throughout the project. There were two core groups who contributed to the development of the final report, maps and databases. These compilations were guided by previous national efforts to characterize the ecosystems in Canada.
A. National Working Group
At the national level the members of the Ecological Stratification Working Group consisted of staff from the Centre for Land and Biological Resources Research (CLBRR), Research Branch, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and State of the Environment Directorate, Ecozone Analysis Branch, Environment Canada:
Stan Alward, Canadian Soil Information Service - CLBRR: Geographic Information System (GIS) Project Leader, map design and production.
Jean-Marc Cossette, Quebec Land Resource Unit - CLBRR: Quebec mapping and data compilation.
Robert Hélie, Ecosystem Conservation Directorate - Environment Canada: Quebec mapping and data compilation.
Ian Jarvis, Ontario Land Resource Unit - CLBRR: Ontario mapping and data compilation.
David Kroetsch, Ottawa - CLBRR: Northwest Territories mapping and data compilation.
Ian Marshall, SOED, Environment Canada: Environment Canada Project Leader; national map coordinator. Final compilation of the report.
Bryan Monette, Canadian Soil Information Service - CLBRR: GIS Production Manager.
Glenn Padbury, Saskatchewan Land Resource Unit - CLBRR: Saskatchewan mapping and data compilation.
Wayne Pettapiece, Alberta Land Resource Unit - CLBRR: Alberta mapping and data compilation.
Margot Santry, Yukon Land Resource Unit - CLBRR: Database Programmer, programming and data compilation.
Corinne Selby, British Columbia Land Resource Unit - CLBRR: British Columbia mapping and data compilation; Project Database Manager, data modelling, programming and compilation.
Jack Shields, Ottawa - CLBRR: National map correlation.
Robert Smith, Manitoba Land Resource Unit - CLBRR: Manitoba mapping and data compilation; Compiler ecoregion descriptions.
Scott Smith, Yukon Land Resource Unit - CLBRR: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Project Leader; Yukon mapping and data compilation. Final compilation of the report.
Hugo Veldhuis, Manitoba Land Resource Unit - CLBRR: Manitoba data compilation.
Ken Webb, Nova Scotia Land Resource Unit - CLBRR: Maritime provinces mapping and data compilation.
Ed Woodrow, Newfoundland Land Resource Unit - CLBRR: Newfoundland and Labrador mapping and data compilation.
We wish to thank Charles Tarnocai for his review and comments on the project materials.
In addition, the following staff of the Canadian Soil Information Service (CanSIS), Centre for Land and Biological Resources Research, (CLBRR), contributed to the production and design of maps and report: Peter Schut, Bryan Monette, Ron St. John, Stan Alward, Brian Davis, Lloyd Medynski, Bill Kerr, André Villeneuve, Edward Hill, Robert Guilbault, Janet Cummings, Daniel Sabourin, Bev Boulay, Susan Flood, Lucie Routhier, Stephen Bowkett, Georgina Belohlavek, Ken Welden, Barbara Lacelle, Brian Wollenschlager, Gary Leafloor, and Jean-Pierre Guerard. Coordination of the printing and production of the maps and report were done by Bryan Monette, Stan Alward, Bill Kerr and Ron St. John. Editing of the maps and report were done by Alice Whelan and Phil Gallien.
B. Regional Contributors
Each member of the National Working Group organized valued contributions of many individuals and agencies from the provinces and territories. While the Ecological Stratification Working Group takes responsibility for the final content of the report, maps and databases, we acknowledge that without their efforts and contributions, a revised national framework would not have been possible. The following regional specialists served on regional working groups or were consulted through the years, contributing their time and expertise:
Newfoundland
Dwight Snow, Forestry Branch, Newfoundland Department of Forestry and Agriculture, Corner Brook.
Bill Meades, Bruce Roberts, Canadian Forestry Service, Natural Resources Canada, St. John's.
Jaswant Tomar, Jan van de Hulst, Agriculture Branch, Newfoundland Department of Forestry and Agriculture, St. John's.
Prince Edward Island
Richard Veinot, Prince Edward Island Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry, Charlottetown.
Delmar Holmstrom, Prince Edward Island Land Resource Unit, CLBRR, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Charlottetown.
New Brunswick
Vince Zelazny, Forestry Branch, New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy, Fredericton.
Herb Rees, Sherif Fahmy, New Brunswick Land Resource Unit, CLBRR, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
Betty Godin, Department of Forestry Resources, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton.
Nova Scotia
James Bridgland, Canadian Parks Service, Canadian Heritage, Ingonish Beach.
Art Lyons, Parks and Recreation Branch, Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, Belmont.
Peter Neily, Ed Bailey, Research Section, Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, Truro.
Quebec
Tingxian Li, Jean-Pierre Ducruc, Ministère de l'environnement et de la faune, direction de la conservation et du patrimoine écologique, Québec.
Ontario
Jim Baker, Terrestrial Ecosystems Branch, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Toronto.
John Riley, Southern Ontario Regional Planning, Ministry of Natural Resources, Aurora.
Peter Ulig, Ajith Perera, Ontario Forest Research Institute, Ministry of Natural Resources, Sault Ste. Marie.
Greg Wickware, Geomatics International, Burlington.
Manitoba
David Wotton, Terrestrial Quality Management, Manitoba Department of Environment, Winnipeg.
Bill Koonz, Wildlife Branch, Manitoba Department of Natural Resources, Winnipeg.
Gordon Mills, Manitoba Soil Survey, Manitoba Department of Agriculture, Winnipeg.
Robert Eilers, Walter Michalyna, Manitoba Land Resource Unit, CLBRR, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Winnipeg.
Saskatchewan
Joe Hnatiuk, Subcommittee Ecological Land Classification, Saskatchewan Environment and Resource Management, Regina.
Jaime Benson, Forestry Branch, Saskatchewan Environment and Resource Management, Prince Albert.
Jeff Thorpe, Applied Plant Ecology Section, Saskatchewan Research Council, Saskatoon.
Dave Gauthier, Geography Department, University of Regina, Regina.
Bill Herron, Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Regina.
Don Acton, Saskatchewan Land Resource Unit, CLBRR, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon.
Alberta
Harry Archibald, Forestry Branch, Alberta Environmental Protection, Edmonton.
Diana Brierley, Food and Rural Development Branch, Alberta Agriculture, Edmonton.
Marilyn Rayner, Resource Information Development Branch, Alberta Environmental Protection, Edmonton.
Cliff Wallis, Cottonwood Consultants, Calgary.
British Columbia
Dennis Demarchi, Wildlife Branch, British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, Victoria.
Del Meidinger, Marvin Eng, Research Branch, British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Victoria.
Yukon
Perry Diamond, Policy and Planning Branch, Yukon Department of Renewable Resources, Whitehorse.
John Meikle, Parks Branch, Yukon Department of Renewable Resources, Whitehorse.
Catherine Kennedy, Wildlife Branch, Yukon Department of Renewable Resources, Whitehorse.
Peter Henry, Margot Santry, Northern Affairs Program, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Whitehorse.
Northwest Territories
Ed Wiken, State of the Environment Directorate, Environment Canada, Ottawa/Hull.
Helmut Epp, David Taylor, Centre for Remote Sensing, Northwest Territories Department of Renewable Resources, Yellowknife.