Chapter 10 Vocab Flashcards
Tragedy of the Commons
The tendency of a shared, limited resource to become depleted because people act from self-interest for short-term gain
Externality
The cost or benefit of a good or service that is not included in the purchase price of that good or service
Maximum Sustainable Yield
The maximum amount of a renewable resource that can be harvested without compromising the future availability of that resource
Resource Conservation Ethic
The belief that people should maximize use of resources, based on the greatest good for everyone
Multiple-Use Land
A U.S. classification used to designate lands that may be used for recreation, grazing, timber harvesting, and mineral extraction.
Rangeland
A dry, open grassland
Forest
Land dominated by trees and other woody vegetation and sometimes used for commercial logging
Clear-Cutting
A method of harvesting trees that involves removing all or almost all of the trees within an area.
Selective Cutting
The method of harvesting trees that involves the removal of single trees or a relatively small number of trees from among many in a forest
Ecologically Sustainable
An approach to removing trees from forests in ways that do not unduly affect the viability of other trees
Tree Plantation
A large area typically planted with a single rapidly growing tree species
Prescribed Burn
A fire deliberately set under controlled conditions in order to reduce the accumulation of dead biomass on a forest floor
National Wildlife Refuge
A federal public land managed for the primary purpose of protecting wildlife
National Wilderness Area
An area set aside with the intent of preserving a large tract of intact ecosystem or a landscape
National Environmental Policy Act
A 1969 U.S. federal act that mandates an environmental assessment of all projects involving federal money or federal permits
