Forest resources- the importance of forests Flashcards
How much of earths land is covered by forest?
30%
What type of community are forests? (succession)
Climax community
What resources can you get from forests?
Timber
Fibres
Fuel
Food
Medicines
Why is wood/ timber so useful?
Strong
High strength:weight ratio
Flexible
Little processing (usually)
Readily available
What trees are used for timber from tropical rainforests?
Mahogany
Teak
What trees are used for timber from broadleaf forests?
Oak
Beech
What are the uses of timber?
Structural uses: building construction, telegraph poles, shuttering for concrete structures
Furniture
Tools
Where is an example of wood being used to create houses?
Central America
What is the problem with using wood for shuttering on concrete structures?
imprint of wood grain used once then thrown away
What is most paper made from?
flattened sheets of interwoven cellulose fibres from pulped wood
What is cotton made from?
the fibres that surround the seeds of the cotton bush
How are viscose (rayon) textiles made?
chemical treatment of cellulose fibres extracted from wood
What is the most common fuel used for cooking?
Wood
When was wood the main energy source?
before the industrial revolution and the use of coal, oil and gas
Where is wood still one of the main fuels?
LEDCS- less economically developed country
What do trees provide for livestock? (food)
Fodder
What do trees provide for humans? (Food resources)
fruit and nuts
Bushmeat in LEDCs
What forest plant species are commercially grown?
coffee
Cacao (chocolate)
bananas papayas
Brazil nuts
Where do pigs and chickens originate from? (forest resources)
Forest animals
What does the wide variety of species in forests allow for?
genes for new characteristics that may be important in future selective breeding programmes
Many more species that can be cultivated or domesticated
How can trees help medicine?
Trees produce many chemicals that have medicinal