Forest Resources And The Importance Of Forests Flashcards
What % of the earths land area is covered by forests?
30%
Forests are often the climax community in ecological succession if the conditions are suitable. What are the conditions needed?
Presence of soil
Climate that doesn’t involve prolonged dry periods or serious fires
What determines the type of forest that is found in an area?
The temperature
3 topic links to forest resources
Biomes
Temperate broadleaf woodland
Tropical rainforests
Give 2 reasons forests are important
They provide resources and ecosystem services
What resources are gained from forests?
Timber
Fibres
Fuel
Food
Medicines
What ecosystem services do forests provide?
Atmospheric regulation
Regulation of the hydrological cycle
Forest microclimate
Habitat and wildlife refuge
Soil conservation
Recreation and amenity uses
Most resources from forests are now provided by cultivated plantations of species discovered in natural forests. What does the loss of wild forests result in?
A loss of valuable species, some of which become extinct before their importance is understood or discovered
Why is timber a useful resource?
Wood has a high strength: weight ratio
Flexibility
It requires little processing for use
Is often readily available
What tree species is timber gained from in tropical rainforests?
Mahogany and teak
what tree species is timber gained from in temperate deciduous forests?
Oak and beech
What tree species is timber gained from in northern coniferous forests?
Conifers
Why is wood from different species different?
They have different properties and uses
Name 4 uses of timber?
Structural uses: building construction
Telegraph poles
Furniture
Tools
What fibres that are gained from forests are important ?
Flattened sheets of cellulose fibres from pulped wood is used for paper
The fibres surrounding seeds on a cotton plant is used for paper
The chemical treatment of cells.ose fibres extracted from wood is used to make viscose (rayon) textiles
Explain the importance of wood as fuel
It is still the most used fuel in the world for cooking
Used as an energy resource by everyone before Industrial Revolution
It still provides energy for people in LEDCs who cant afford oil,gas or coal
How are forests important for food resources?
They provide food for livestock and fruit and nuts for human food
The animals in the forests can also be food for humans
Wild varieties of cultivate species may contain genes important in selective breeding programmes
May have more species that could be cultivated or domesticated
Name some of the forest plant species that are important to agriculture
Coffee
Cacao (chocolate)
Bananas
Papayas
Brazil nuts
Name 2 forest animals that are now important to agriculture
Pigs
Chickens
How are forests medicinally important?
They produce chemicals that have medicinal uses
Some are still extracted from tree tissues, but some are now synthesised artificially
Most forest species haven’t been researched for medicinal compounds
Name one compound that was indentified in trees and then synthesised artificially for medicinal uses
Quinine
Originally extracted from the cinchona tree
How are forests important in the regulation of the atmosphere?
The balance of photosynthesis and respiration is important in regulating atmospheric levels of co2 and oxygen
Forests are huge carbon stores, and their systems can be deliberately used to counteract climate change
The processes that remove co2 from atmosphere also release oxygen, these are essential for aerobic organisms and the maintenance of the ozone layer
Why does the carbon that is stored in forests, stay there for so long?
Cellulose is difficult to digest so wood is a carbon reservoir with a relatively long residence time
Explain carbon sequestration in forests
The process during which growing trees take more CO2 out of the atmosphere in photosynthesis and store it as wood