The Ontario Ecological Land Classification (ELC) system subdivides the province into increasingly detailed levels (or mapped layers). The following definitions of ELC units of land (and the illustration to the right) are extracted from Old Growth Policy for Ontario's Crown Forests.

Ecozone – Units representing variations in climate and bedrock that are reflected in the overall trends in diversity and occurrence of ecosystems across North America. There are three major subdivisions in Ontario.

Ecoregion – Sub-subdivided units of ecozones primarily based on macro-climatic features such as seasonal precipitation, temperature regimes and evapotranspiration. Some boundaries have been modified by major bedrock and landform differences in certain parts of the province. Ecoregions help to explain provincial patterns of primary productivity, distributions of living things and patterns of soil development throughout Ontario.

Ecodistrict – Sub-divided units of ecoregions based on sub-regional landform patterns, physical geography, landscape complexity, and climate trends caused by landforms, such as lake effect areas. Each ecodistrict can be characterized by a specific combination of physical landform features, dominant soil types, major vegetation patterns and growing regimes.

Ecosection – Tangible, spatial, landscape inventory units defined in terms of the recurring patterns of soil parent materials (the basic materials that form soil, such as bedrock), moisture, topography and landform. Each ecosection comprises component ecosites occurring at sub-regional scales. There is a very strong relationship between this level, the parent material, and local landforms.

Ecosite – A fine-scale spatial inventory unit defined by the recurring patterns of one or more vegetation and soil types within a specific landscape context. The most appropriate map scale for this unit is 1:10,000 -1:20,000. It is the primary scale for corporate-level inventory and the development of interpretation for natural resource planning and delivery.

Ecoelement – Very fine scale units containing particular vegetation and soil types. They are combinations of plots in different locations grouped according to their statistical similarity. These units are useful for detailed types of inventory and many types of interpretations.

Following is a section of the Forest Ecosites Map from page 5 of the Forest Management Plan Summary. Its legend shows the percentage that each of Algonquin Park's twenty-five ecosites is of the total forested land. Included in the section's coverage is the northeast section of the park's 'panhandle'.

For a 1250x1000 pixel JPG of the entire map, click here.

Crown Land Use Policy and its land use designations are being presented here to illustrate that Algonquin Park, its RU zoning and Algonquin Park Forest are land use and administrative designations only. The inclusion in the Crown Land Use Policy Atlas of ecodistricts acknowledges that finer distinctions from other disciplines exist within land use and administrative areas.

When considering land use policy for Crown lands, the online Crown Land Use Policy Atlas is the official source of area specific land use policy in a large part of Ontario. The atlas allows users to view both the specific policies for any given area and a map of its boundaries. While its area designations are determined from the perspective of land use, it does use the Ecological Land Classification System's "Ecodistricts" as it's lower-end designation.

It can be accessed at http://crownlanduseatlas.mnr.gov.on.ca .

The Crown Land Use Policy Atlas's mapping component includes both an interactive web-based browser (on which a user can view a site at various scales or zoom levels), and down-loadable maps showing land use designations.

While it doesn't deal specifically with details of either the Algonquin Park Management Plan or the Algonquin Forestry Authority, The Crown Land Use Policy Atlas does indicate the park's two basic zones, the Algonquin Park Forest - Forest Management Unit and the two Eco Districts that exist within Algonquin Park and the Algonquin Park Forest.

The following images are a series of screen-captures of the Crown Land Use Policy Atlas's three "layers" affecting Algonquin Park. The designations being referred to have been enlarged for legibility. They are presented here to illustrate how basic Crown Land Use Policy forms the basis on which Algonquin Park's other controlling regulations are established.