Valley Lowlands Ecoregion
Stretching from Edmundston down to Passamaquoddy Bay, and from the U.S. border almost to the Petitcodiac River, the Valley Lowlands is the most extensive of New Brunswick's ecoregions The defining characteristic of this region is diversity. Its geographic breadth has led to a corresponding variety of woody and herbaceous species, many with southern affinities.
The forest cover of these warm lowlands is composed mainly of southern species such as tolerant hardwoods and red spruce, rather than the more northerly species of balsam fir and white spruce. About 30 tree species are represented here, including those with a strong southern affinity such as basswood, butternut, ironwood, silver maple, green ash and white ash.
The geology of this ecoregion is diverse as well.. The highest elevations (above 550 metres) occur near New Denmark.
Site Description
The Spednic Lake site contains 25,785 ha within the Valley Lowlands Ecoregion. Elevation ranges from 120 - 280m. The site contains lakes and slands surrounded by poorly-drained rocky soil. This geological feature supports a rich diversity of trees and plants, including tolerant and intolerant hardwood, and a good mix of softwoods (white pine, cedar, and old growth hemlock). The Canadian side of the lake is part of the St. Croix Canadian Heritage River.