Sitka Spruce
The Sitka spruce is the largest spruce tree in British Columbia and is found along the west coast of the province and Vancouver Island. It usually grows between sea level and 700 metres. Sitka spruce reach an average of 70 metres tall and two metres in diameter. Some trees have grown up to 93 metres tall and five metres in diameter.

Sitka seed cones are reddish to yellowish-brown and have wavy, papery scales with ragged edges. The pollen cones are red. Sitka spruce needles are the longest and flattest leaves of British Columbia’s spruce trees. They are four-sided, bluish-green, stiff and sharp and are arranged spirally along the tree’s branches. Each needle has a white line on both the upper and lower surfaces. The Sitka’s bark is brown or purplish-grey, thin and scaly.

The wood is light, soft, strong and flexible. Sitka spruce were considered by some native tribes to have magic powers. Natives used its roots to make hats, baskets, ropes, fishing lines and twine; its inner bark as a source of vitamin C and as a laxative; and its pitch to caulk and waterproof boats, harpoons and fishing gear, and as glue and medicine for burns, boils and other skin irritations. They also carved its wood into love charms. Today, it is used in general construction, ship building, plywood, musical instruments and airplane construction.

Western Red Cedar
The western red cedar is British Columbia’s official tree. It is found at low to medium elevations in cool, mild, moist locations. It typically grows in shaded areas with lots of nutrients and reaches heights of up to 60 metres tall. The western red cedar is characterized by drooping branches that turn up at their tips, a trunk that spreads out at the base and a large number of cones bent backward along the branches.

The seed cones are egg shaped and one centimetre long with several pairs of scales. The pollen cones are small and reddish coloured. The needles, or leaves, are scale-like and lie in pairs, overlapping like shingles; they have a very strong aroma. The bark is grey and stringy, tearing off in long strips. The wood is resistant to decay and insect damage and often remains sound for over 100 years. Traditionally, the First Nations people used the wood for canoes, totem poles, longhouses, household boxes, tools and paddles. They pounded fibres to make mats, clothing, baskets, nets, fishing lines, medicines and religious masks. Today, western red cedar is used for house siding, interior panelling, outdoor furniture, decking, fencing and roof shakes.

Douglas Fir
The Douglas fir is named after Scottish botanist David Douglas, who introduced many of British Columbia’s native conifers to Europe. It is found on the southern mainland coast of British Columbia and Vancouver Island. An interior variety is found throughout southern and central British Columbia. A Douglas fir can reach up to 85 metres in height. It is distinctive for its three-forked bracts between the cone scales. The cones are five to 11 centimetres long, green when young, turning to brown as they age.

The winged seeds are eaten by birds and small animals. The needles are flat with pointed tips; they are bright yellowish-green with a single groove on the upper surface and a paler colour on the lower surface. The needles are spirally arranged and appear to stand out around the branch; they are fragrant and soft to the touch. The bark is smooth, grey-brown and blistered when young. Furrowed, thick, dark reddish-brown ridges appear as the tree ages.

The province of British Columbia has a parliamentary form of government. The chief executive of British Columbia is the lieutenant governor, who is appointed by the Canadian governor-general in council to serve a 5-year term. The lieutenant governor, representing the British crown, holds a position that is largely honorary.

The premier, the leader of the majority party, is the actual head of the provincial government and presides over the executive council. The Legislative Assembly contains 69 seats, including those of the premier and the members of the executive council. Members of the legislature are popularly elected to a 5-year term; however, the lieutenant governor, on the advice of the premier, may call for an election before the term has been completed.

The province of British Columbia is represented by 6 senators appointed by the Canadian governor-general in council, and by 34 members in the House of Commons popularly elected to serve terms of up to five years in the Canadian Parliament.

British Columbia Weather
The southern coast is one of the mildest regions in Canada, with very warm summers and relatively mild winters. Heavy snowfalls in the Rockies.

Required clothing
Lightweights for most of the summer, with warmer clothes sometimes necessary in the evenings. Mediumweights are worn during winter, with Alpine wear in the mountains. Waterproof clothing is advisable throughout the year.

Hiking and trekking
Practically every type of walking activity is available in Canada’s most mountainous province, with its long, jagged coastline, extensive interior forests and numerous lakes and rivers. Seven national parks and more than 450 provincial parks offer superb opportunities to observe wildlife and experience pristine wilderness.

Long-distance hiking trails include the beautiful West Coast Trail in the Pacific Rim National Park (Vancouver Island), so much in demand that a quota system is in place; and the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail, also on Vancouver Island. Giant trees may be seen in the old coastal rainforests on the Island and the Pacific coast. Ample camping and other facilities exist in the national parks.

Skiing and snowboarding
There are excellent facilities for skiing and other snow-based activities in the Rocky Mountains. Canada’s best-known ski resort is Whistler, which has over 200 marked runs; this and some other resorts (including Cypress Mountain, Hemlock and Valley Ski Resort) lie conveniently close to Vancouver. Other well-known centers include Mount Washington on Vancouver Island, Red Mountain in Rossland (home to Canada’s Olympic ski medallists), the Kimberley Alpine Resort and Big White Ski Resort in the Okanagan Valley.

Other activities on offer include snowboarding, glacier skiing (in summer), heli-skiing and snowcat skiing (where skiers are taken to remote areas by snowcat). Cross-country skiing is widely practiced, and ski touring in the back country through snow-covered forests is popular; accommodation is often in simple huts. The hundreds of watersheds among the Rocky Mountains have provided British Columbia with countless rivers and lakes in every park area.

Watersports
Sailing, canoeing and whitewater rafting are all available. Campbell River on Vancouver Island is world-famous for salmon fishing.

Less than 10% of the province’s land can be used for grazing or cultivation, while nearly three fourths is covered with forests. British Columbia’s evergreens make up about half of all of Canada’s timber. Lumbering and related enterprises (such as pulp and paper manufacturing) are the province’s major industries. During the 1990s, however, the provincial tree harvest dropped some 25%, as concerns over clear-cutting and old-growth logging were pressed by environmentalists, tour operators, indigenous peoples, and others.

Mining is also important; British Columbia is rich in mineral resources. Copper, mined principally at Kamloops, Princeton, and Brittania, and coal are the province’s two largest mineral resources. Also important are natural gas, oil, zinc, gold, silver, nickel, and iron. The mine at Kimberley, one of the world’s largest, is known for its silver, lead, and zinc. However, pollution generated by natural-resource industries is a major environmental concern in British Columbia.

British Columbia ranks first among the provinces in fishing; the most important catches are salmon, halibut, and herring. As with logging, however, the effects of overharvesting are now being felt, exacerbated by disputes with the states of Washington and Alaska over salmon catches.

Beef is also an important product, especially along the Fraser River, which is known for its sprawling ranches. Other industries include food processing and the manufacture of transportation equipment, machinery, chemicals, furniture, and electrical items. Tourism and outdoor recreation are increasingly important to British Columbia, and Vancouver is a center for Pacific Rim business.

Institutions of higher learning include Simon Fraser Univ., at Burnaby; the Univ. of British Columbia, at Vancouver; and the Univ. of Victoria, at Victoria.