Forest Resources And The Importance Of Forests

Question 1

What % of the earths land area is covered by forests?

Answer 1

30%

Question 2

Forests are often the climax community in ecological succession if the conditions are suitable. What are the conditions needed?

Answer 2

Presence of soil
Climate that doesn’t involve prolonged dry periods or serious fires

Question 3

What determines the type of forest that is found in an area?

Answer 3

The temperature

Question 4

3 topic links to forest resources

Answer 4

Biomes
Temperate broadleaf woodland
Tropical rainforests

Question 5

Give 2 reasons forests are important

Answer 5

They provide resources and ecosystem services

Question 6

What resources are gained from forests?

Answer 6

Timber
Fibres
Fuel
Food
Medicines

Question 7

What ecosystem services do forests provide?

Answer 7

Atmospheric regulation
Regulation of the hydrological cycle
Forest microclimate
Habitat and wildlife refuge
Soil conservation
Recreation and amenity uses

Question 8

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?

Answer 8

A loss of valuable species, some of which become extinct before their importance is understood or discovered

Question 9

Why is timber a useful resource?

Answer 9

Wood has a high strength: weight ratio
Flexibility
It requires little processing for use
Is often readily available

Question 10

What tree species is timber gained from in tropical rainforests?

Answer 10

Mahogany and teak

Question 11

what tree species is timber gained from in temperate deciduous forests?

Answer 11

Oak and beech

Question 12

What tree species is timber gained from in northern coniferous forests?

Answer 12

Conifers

Question 13

Why is wood from different species different?

Answer 13

They have different properties and uses

Question 14

Name 4 uses of timber?

Answer 14

Structural uses: building construction
Telegraph poles
Furniture
Tools

Question 15

What fibres that are gained from forests are important ?

Answer 15

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

Question 16

Explain the importance of wood as fuel

Answer 16

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

Question 17

How are forests important for food resources?

Answer 17

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

Question 18

Name some of the forest plant species that are important to agriculture

Answer 18

Coffee
Cacao (chocolate)
Bananas
Papayas
Brazil nuts

Question 19

Name 2 forest animals that are now important to agriculture

Answer 19

Pigs
Chickens

Question 20

How are forests medicinally important?

Answer 20

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

Question 21

Name one compound that was indentified in trees and then synthesised artificially for medicinal uses

Answer 21

Quinine
Originally extracted from the cinchona tree

Question 22

How are forests important in the regulation of the atmosphere?

Answer 22

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

Question 23

Why does the carbon that is stored in forests, stay there for so long?

Answer 23

Cellulose is difficult to digest so wood is a carbon reservoir with a relatively long residence time

Question 24

Explain carbon sequestration in forests

Answer 24

The process during which growing trees take more CO2 out of the atmosphere in photosynthesis and store it as wood

Question 25

How effective are forests as a carbon store?

Answer 25

The total mass of carbon in forest soils is greater than in vegetation
The total mass of carbon in forests is roughly double the mass in the atmosphere
CO2 absorption by photosynthesis and the the storage of wood in carbon increases the amount of carbon in biomass reservoir, helps minimise climate change

Question 26

Summarise the ways in which forests help to regulate the hydrological cycle

Answer 26

Greater transpiration rates
Interception by foliage
Soil formation and reducing soil erosion
Low albedo
Absorption of sunlight during the day

Question 27

How do the greater transpiration rates in forests help to regulate the hydrological cycle?

Answer 27

They are greater in forests than any other terrestrial ecosystem
Transpiration is important in increasing precipitation rates downwind

Question 28

How does interception by foliage in forests regulate the hydrological cycle?

Answer 28

It increases evaporation but decreases infiltration

Question 29

How does the role of forests in soil formation and reducing soil erosion help to regulate the hydrological cycle?

Answer 29

Soil depth is greater than in other ecosystems
Soil will retain water after it has rained and moderate the flow of it into rivers

Question 30

How is the low albedo of forests important in regulating the hydrological cycle?

Answer 30

It increases the absorption of sunlight and the storage of heat and water in wood

Question 31

How does the fact forests absorb sunlight during the day regulate the hydrological cycle?

Answer 31

Convert most of the sunlight absorbed into heat which is radiated at night
This reduces temperature extremes between day and night

Question 32

How are trees important to the forest microclimate?

Answer 32

They change the abiotic conditions beneath the canopy and create a wider range of conditions that different species may be adapted to

Question 33

What factors of the forest microclimate can trees alter?

Answer 33

Light
Wind velocity
Humidity

Question 34

How can trees alter the light in forest microclimates?

Answer 34

Canopy vegetation absorbs solar insolation, especially red and blue wavelengths which are absorbed in chlorophyll
Plants below the canopy have less access to light- what is available is green which cant be absorbed effectively
Plants need to have adaptations

Question 35

Give 3 examples of plant adaptations because of trees changing access to light in forests

Answer 35

Denser chlorophyll
Additional pigments
Different growth periods- grow when trees have lost their leaves

Question 36

How do trees change the wind velocity in forest microclimates?

Answer 36

They lower the wind velocity because of the shelter produced by the trees

Question 37

How are plants adapted to the lower wind velocities that trees create?

Answer 37

Plants below the canopy layer use animals for seed dispersals instead of wind, which is actually the better system of dispersal anyway

Question 38

How is humidity in forest microclimates altered by trees?

Answer 38

Higher humidity levels
This means more animals like amphibians can survive easily because their skin doesnt dry out

Question 39

How are forests important for habitats and wildlife refuge?

Answer 39

They are the most biodiverse terrestrial ecosystem
Each tree species supports its own unique community
Greater variety of tree species, greater overall biodiversity
They create diverse habitats with large variety of possible ecological niches
High primary productivity of forests provides a lot of energy to support higher trophies levels in the food chain

Question 40

How are forests important to soil conservation?

Answer 40

• dead vegetation contributes hums and nutrients to the soil
  -trees intercept rainfall and reduce wind velocity- prevents soil erosion
  -Leave leaf litter on surface,reduces impact of raindrops
  -Tree roots hold soil together
  -Lots of organic matter means lots of living organisms in soil like worms

Question 41

What recreational uses are forests important for?

Answer 41

Walking, orienteering, cycling, camping
Also for educational activities