Deforestation Flashcards
Deforestation
the permanent destruction of indigenous forests and woodlands for agricultural or exportation
causes include
conversion of forests to agricultural land to feed people
development of cash crops and cattle raising esp. in tropical countries
unregulated commercial logging
poor soils in humid tropics do not support agriculture for long so more clearing becomes necessary
old growth forest
one that has never been cut down
second growth
area previously harvested
plantations/tree farms
remaining forests
silviculture
management of forest plantations to harvest lumber
clear-cutting
removal of all trees in an area
significant environmental problems
selective cutting
removal of selected trees leaving majority of habitat in place
shelter wood cutting
cutting only mature seeds and leaving younger trees to reseed the forest
agroforest
trees and crops are planted together for symbiotic relationships
green belts
open forested areas where no one is permitted to build
types of forest fires
surface fires
crown fires
ground fires
surface fires
burn only forests’ underbrush but don’t damage trees
crown fires
damage canopies of trees and spread quickly
ground fires
smoldering fires that take place in bogs or swamps and can burn under ground for days
US average loss of hectares of forest per year
384,350 hectares between 1990 and 2010
average harvest of timber each year
a total of almost 4 million hectares is harvested each year, most of timber regenerates and remains classified as forested land (albeit a different succession stage)
why could deforestation increase in the future?
tree pests and diseases such as bark beetles are becoming more prevalent in the face of climate change
what does deforestation refer to in statistics?
lands that are converted from forest to some other purpose
