Discussion
Climate conditions within the Kananaskis Valley (1,391 m.a.s.l.) are indicative of continental air masses, with long cold winters and an average air temperature of -15 °C from January to March . Average annual precipitation is 900 mm in the valley and subalpine region, but increases to well above 1140 mm in elevations greater than treeline . Snow cover remains from November to June, because of cold temperatures and large contributions of precipitation from snowfall (65 – 70%) (DeBeer & Pomeroy, 2009; Marsh et al. 2012). The melt period often begins in April, as temperatures increase, and finishes in July coinciding with maximum solar radiation and temperature . Climate at Bonsai during the study period was representative of the typical conditions experienced within the subalpine region of the Valley. The climate also varied at our site during periods of Dynamic andSteady shade.