Forest Ecology Flashcards
Shade tolerance
– ability to establish and grow in shade.
Upper tree layer
Canopy
Shrub/herb layer
understory
forest floor layer
forest floor
Local differences in forest types influenced by
Precipitation temperature
elevation
what can dense canopies do?
eliminate understory
Keeps some shade on the site at all times – what does it promote
Partial Harvest Forestry
tends to promote regeneration of shade tolerant trees
what does canopy affect?
watershed
-through transpiration and interception
-cleans water
Transpiration
water evaporating from the leaves
Interception
water held in the canopy of trees
The forest floor intercepts precipitation, acts as
as a thermal barrier, controls nutrient cycling,
physical barrier preventing erosion.
Feather moss and forest floor also intercept snow and rain - acts like
a sponge
Forests usually have a closed C cycle over millennia, explain this
-C uptake, storage = release back the
atmosphere over the longterm
-Forest fires, insects, disease can speed the cycle of C back to the atmosphere
-Solid Wood products take C out of the loop: 1 to 500 years-
how much carbon do Forest floor and deeper soil store
as much or more C than in the trees
how many trees do you need to store C
2 billion