Editing Cape Breton Island (section)

==== Lowlands ====
There are lowland areas in along the western shore, around Lake Ainslie, the Bras d'Or watershed, [[Boularderie Island]], and the Sydney coalfield. They include salt marshes, coastal beaches, and freshwater wetlands.<ref name="eco" />

Starting in the 1800s, many areas were cleared for farming or timber. Many farms were abandoned from the 1920s to the 1950s with fields being reclaimed by [[Picea glauca|white spruce]], [[Acer rubrum|red maple]], [[Betula papyrifera|white birch]], and [[Abies balsamea|balsam fir]].<ref name="eco" /> Higher slopes are dominated by [[Betula alleghaniensis|yellow birch]] and [[Acer saccharum|sugar maple]]. In sheltered areas with sun and drainage, [[New England–Acadian forests|Acadian forest]] is found. Wetter areas have [[Larix laricina|tamarack]], and [[Picea mariana|black spruce]]. The weather station at Ingonish records more rain than anywhere else in Nova Scotia.<ref name="eco">{{cite web |last1=Neily |first1=Peter |last2=Basquill |first2=Sean |last3=Quigley |first3=Eugene |last4=Keys |first4=Kevin |title=Ecological Land Classification |url=https://novascotia.ca/natr/forestry/ecological/pdf/Ecological-Land-Classification-guide.pdf |access-date=12 August 2021 |publisher=Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources |archive-date=12 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812040653/https://novascotia.ca/natr/forestry/ecological/pdf/Ecological-Land-Classification-guide.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

Behind barrier beaches and dunes at [[Aspy Bay]] are [[salt marsh]]es. The Aspy, Clyburn, and Ingonish rivers have all created [[floodplain]]s which support populations of black ash, [[Fiddlehead|fiddle head]] fern, [[Decodon verticillatus|swamp loosestrife]], [[Asclepias incarnata|swamp milkweed]], [[Neottia bifolia|southern twayblade]], and [[Sanguinaria|bloodroot]].

Red sandstone and white gypsum cliffs can be observed throughout this area. Bedrock is Carboniferous sedimentary with [[limestone]], shale, and sandstone. Many [[Fluvial processes|fluvial]] remains from are glaciation found here. Mining has been ongoing for centuries, and more than 500 mine openings can be found, mainly in the east.<ref name="eco" />

[[Karst]] topography is found in Dingwall, South Harbour, Plaster Provincial Park, along the Margaree and Middle Rivers, and along the north shore of Lake Ainslie. The presence of gypsum and limestone increases soil [[pH]] and produces some rich wetlands which support [[Calliergon giganteum|giant spear]], [[Paludella squarrosa|tufted fen]], and other [[moss]]es, as well as vascular plants like [[Cyperaceae|sedges]].<ref name="eco" />