Chapter 12 - Forests, Forest Management, and Protected Areas Flashcards
forest type
a category of forest defined by its predominant tree species
canopy
the upper level of tree leaves and branches in a forest
subcanopy
the middle and lower levels of trees in a forest, beneath the canopy
understory
the layer of a forest consisting of small shrubs and trees above the forest floor and below the subcanopy
deforestation
the clearing and loss of forests
secondary forest
forest that has grown back after primary forest has been cut. consists of second-growth trees
wildand-urban interface
a region where urban or suburban development meets forested or undeveloped lands
salvage logging
the removal of dead trees following a natural disturbance. although it may be economically beneficial, salvage logging can be environmentally destructive, because snags provide food and shelter for wildlife and because removing timber from recently burned land can cause erosion and damage to soil
sustainable forest certifilcation
a form of ecolabeling that identifies timber products that have been produced using sustainable methods. the forest stewardship council and several other organizations issue such certification
national park
a scenic area set aside for recreation and enjoyment by the public and managed by the national park service. the U.S. national park system today numbers 397 sites totaling 84 million acres and includes national historic sits, national receation areas, national wild and scenic rivers, and other areas
national wildlife refuge
an area of public land set aside to serve as a haven for wildlife and also sometimes encourage hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, photograpthy, environmental education, and other uses, the system of 550 sites is managed by the U.S. fish and wildlife service
prescribed (controlled) burns
the practice of burning areas of forest of grassland under carefully controlled conditions to improve the health of ecosystems, return them to a more natural state, reduce fuel loads, and help precent uncontrolled catastrophic fires
resource managment
strategic decision making about how to extract resources, so that resources are used wisely and conserved for the future
maximum sustainable yield
the maximal harvest of a particular renewable natural resource that can be accomplished whole still keeping the resource avaiable for the future
ecosystem based managment
the attempt to manage the harvesting of resources inn ways that minimize impact on the ecosystems and ecological processes that provide the resources.
adaptive management
the systematic testing of different management approaches to improve methods over time
uneven-aged
term describing stands consisting of trees of different ages. Uneven-aged stands more closely approximate a natural forest than do even-aged stands
selection system
method of timber harvesting whereby single trees or groups of trees are selectively cut while others are left, creating an uneven-aged stand
multiple use
a principle guiding management policy for national forests specifying that forests be managed for recreation, wildlife habitat, mineral extraction, water quality, and other uses, as well as for timber extraction
national forest management act
legislation passed by the U.S. congress in 1976, mandating that plans for renewable resource management be drawn up for every national forest. these plans were to be explicitly based on the concepts of multiple use and maximum sustainable yield and be open to broad public participation
new forestry
a set of ecosystem-based management approaches for harvesting timber that explicitly mimic natural disturbances. for instance, “sloppy cleat-cuts” that leave a variety of trees standing mimic the changes a forest might experience if hit by a severe windstorm
wilderness area
federal land that id designated off-limits to development of any kind but is open to public recreation, such as hiking, nature study, and other activities that have minimal impact on the land
biosphere reserve
a tract of land with exeptional biodiversity taht couples preservation with sustainable development to benefit local people. Biosphere reserves are designated by UNESCO (the UN educational, scientific, and cultural organization) following application by local stakeholders
world heritage site
a location internationally designated by the UN for its cultural or natural value. there are over 900 such sites worldwide
edge effect
an impact on organisms, populations, or communities that results because conditions along the edge of a habitat fragment differ from conditions in the interior
island biogeography theory
theory initially applied to oceanic islands to explain how species come to be distributed among them. researchers have increasingly applied the theory to island habitat (patches of one type of habitat isolated within “seas” of others). aspects of the theory include immigration and extinction rates, the effect of island size (area effect), and the effect of distance from the mainland (distance effect). full name is the equilibrium theory of island biogeography.
species-area curve
a graph showing how number of species varies with the geographic area of a landmass or water body. species richness commonly doubles as area increases tenfold
SLOSS (single late several small) dilemma
the debate over whether it is better to make reserves large in size and few in number or manny in number but small in size
corridor
a passageway of protected land established to allow animals to travel between islands of protected habitat
