The natural vegetation of Saskatchewan prior to agricultural settlement

Abstract

The natural vegetation of southern Saskatchewan prior to settlement was reconstructed from 2500 township plats compiled during the Dominion Lands Survey of the 1880''s. The north-south section lines within each township were used as transects from which percent cover of grassland, woodland, scrub, brule, marsh and open water [lakes and rivers] was calculated and compiled in map form. Although directly comparable modern data are not available, it is concluded that woodland areas have increased over the last 80 or 90 yr.