| Canadian Aspen Forests and Parklands | |
| Country: | Canada and United States |
| State: | Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska |
| Region Type: | States/Provinces |
| Bird Species: | ?[1] |
| Mammal Species: | ? |
| Border: | Canadian Aspen forests and parklands |
| Border1: | Central and Southern mixed grasslands |
| Border2: | Central tall grasslands |
| Border3: | Montana Valley and Foothill grasslands |
| Border4: | Nebraska Sand Hills mixed grasslands |
| Border5: | Northern short grasslands |
| Border6: | Northern tall grasslands |
| Global200: | Yes |
| Habitat Loss: | 75 |
| Protected: | Very low |
| Ecozone: | Nearctic |
| Biome: | Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands |
| Map: | Northern Mixed Grasslands.svg |
| Map Size: | 300 |
| Climate: | Humid continental (hot summer in south) (Dfa and Dfb) |
The Canadian Aspen Forests and Parklands is one of 844 terrestrial ecoregions defined by One Earth.[2] This ecoregion includes parts of the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, north-central and eastern (except extreme eastern) North Dakota, most of east South Dakota, and north-central Nebraska in the American Great Plains. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines this ecoregion as the Northern Glaciated Plains.
This is a transition zone between the ecoregions of the Northern tall grasslands to the east and the Northern short grasslands to the west, while to the north lie the cooler Canadian boreal forests and a much shorter growing season.
The mixed grass prairie was recognized as a mixture of the tallgrass and shortgrass prairies. The dominant grasses found here include grama (Bouteloua gracilis), little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), needle-and-thread grass (Stipa comata), wheatgrass (Agropyron smithii), Carex filifolia, junegrass (Koeleria cristata), and Poa secunda.
The ecoregion provides significant waterfowl production for the continent and is a major staging area. It is estimated that up to 80 percent of the wetlands, however, have been lost or degraded. The Cypress Uplands (Alberta/Saskatchewan), which are believed to have escaped the last glaciation, are located in this ecoregion.
No completely intact blocks of habitat remain. Restoration of some areas is just beginning. Few sites are protected.