Unit 5 Vocabulary Flashcards
the tendency of a shared, limited resource to become depleted because people act from self-interest for short-term gain
Tragedy of the Commons
the cost or benefit of a good or service that is not included in the purchase price of that good or service
Externality
land dominated by trees and other woody vegetation and is sometimes used for commercial logging
Forests
a method of harvesting trees that involves removing all or almost all of the trees within an area
Clear-Cutting
the method of harvesting trees that involves the removal of single trees or a relatively small number of trees from among many in a forest
Selective Cutting
a large area typically planted with a single rapidly growing tree species
Tree Plantations
a U.S classification used to designate lands that may be used for recreation, grazing, timber harvesting, and mineral extraction
Multiple-Use Lands
a shift in agricultural practices in the twentieth century that included new management techniques, mechanization, fertilization, irrigation, and improved crop varieties, and that resulted in increased food output
Green Revolution
a form of soil degradation that occurs when the small amount of salts in irrigation water becomes highly concentrated in the soil surface through evaporation
Salinization
an agricultural method that utilizes large plantings of a single species or variety
Monocropping
a large outdoor or indoor structure designed for maximum output
concentrated animal feeding operation
a concentrated accumulation of minerals from which economically valuable materials can be extracted
ore
the removal of strips of soil and rock to expose ore
strip mining
unwanted waste materials created during mining
tailings
the transformation of arable, productive land to desert
desertification
