Highlands Ecoregion

The Highlands Ecoregion consists of two separate high elevation areas. The first is located in the extreme northwestern corner of the province in the Kedgwick area. This rugged area is deeply dissected by many rivers, including the Kedgwick, Gounamitz and Green. The second area - a more mountainous section of north-central New Brunswick - includes the Mount Carleton Natural Area. This portion is drained by the Nepisiguit and Miramichi rivers. Elevations are generally higher than 500 metres and temperatures are cold. Precipitation tends to be high. Vegetation consists of species well-adapted to the cool, wet climate: mainly softwoods such as balsam fir, black spruce, and white spruce.

Site Description

The New Brunswick Central Highlands site covers 11,863 hectares and shares the eastern boundary of the Mount Carleton Natural Area. The site captures the rugged mountainous terrain of the Highlands Ecoregion. This site combined with Mount Carleton, which falls within the Highlands Ecoregion, totals 29,290 hectares.

Provincial Committee
Scientific Committee

Elevations range from 248 - 687 metres. The site is rugged and mountainous, and contains a significant portion of the headwaters of the Nepisiguit River. The river is flanked on the northern side by the Missionary Range, and by various other mountains and Corker's Gulch on the southern side. Many of these mountains range between 600 - 650 metres.

Common tree species include balsam fir, frequently mixed with spruce or birch, poplar, red maple, black spruce, scattered stands of tolerant hardwood and white pine, as well as small pockets of eastern cedar.

Popple Depot, a small settlement containing a Natural Resources ranger station and a few cottages, is located just inside the eastern boundary of the site. The site contains very few roads.