Channelling of waterways has destroyed much of the original habitat of this community. This is a forested riparian community with an open canopy dominated by Populus balsamifera ssp. The sparse herb layer contains a variety of herbs and grasses, all of which are present with very low cover. Some species are introduced and reflect the degree of disturbance at specific sites. This community occurs in valley bottoms, on floodplains, in depressions or toe positions.
Soils are coarse textured, derived from fluvial material.
This community is sparsely distributed at low elevations in the southern end of the Okanagan Valley, from Summerland to the U.S. border, and east along the Similkameen River to the Ashnola River. It often occurs adjacent to the Betula occidentalis - Cornus stolonifera plant community. All stages Selected references Cederholm, C.J. 1994. Landscape approach for salmon and wildlife habitat protection. In Washington Forest Landscape Management Project - Progress Report.