The Interior Wetbelt rain forests reach their northernmost latitudes in the Robson Valley, and the region is celebrated for its giant trees in old-growth cedar and hemlock forests. Many plant and lichen species occur there which are disjunct from the coastal rain forest biome. Little was known of the vascular plants and bryophytes of the valley, and the lichens of non-rain forest habitats had not been studied in detail. The aim of the present study was to checklist the entire flora in all habitats of the Robson Valley, from the alpine to the shores of the Fraser River. With about 100 field days and hundreds of kilometers of on-foot traverse, over 2,400 species were detected in the study area. The lichen, moss and liverwort richness values are of global significance. Many species were found that are especially significant, as new additions to the flora of BC, or new to North America, or new to science. Managed forests were found to contribute little to regional species richness. These results highlight the importance of protecting the remaining wild landscapes from economic development.

The Natural Resources & Environmental Studies Institute (NRESi) at UNBC hosts a weekly lecture series at the Prince George campus. Anyone from the university or wider community with interest in the topic area is welcome to attend. Presentations are also made available to remote participants through Livestream and Blue Jeans. Go to http://www.unbc.ca/nres-institute/colloquium-webcasts to view the presentation remotely.

Past NRESi colloquium presentations and special lectures can be viewed on our video archive, available here.