Unit 8- Forest Resources

Question 1

Agroforestry:

Answer 1

• Planting trees in close proximity to crops
• Crops have much shallower root systems than trees, trees can draw water and minerals from greater depths, making them available to nearby crops (water and nutrient pumping)
Some trees can be harvested of wood, fruits, and other products, and animals can crazy on fallen leaf litter

Question 2

Forest

Answer 2

Land area with significant tree cover, in which the canopy (upper level of leaves and branches) is largely closed

Question 3

Woodland

Answer 3

Wooded area in which the canopy is more open

More openings between the trees that allow light to penetrate the ground/floor

Shrublands, Savannah, Grasslands

Question 4

Shrublands

Answer 4

□ Wooded areas covered by smaller, bushier trees (shrubs), often interspersed with occasional taller trees
Tundra is a high latitude and high altitude cold version of shrubland

Question 5

Savannah

Answer 5

Open area dominated by grasses and widely scattered trees

Question 6

Grasslands

Answer 6

Dominated by grasses and other non-woody vegetation

Question 7

Softwood

Answer 7

Timber from coniferous trees

Question 8

Hardwood

Answer 8

Timber from deciduous trees

Question 9

Clear-cutting

Answer 9

○ All trees in an area are cut, leaving only stumps
○ Most cost efficient in the short term, but has the greatest impacts on forests ecosystems
○ In best case scenarios, clear cutting mimics natural events such as fires or tornadoes
In worse case scenarios, entire communities of organisms are destroyed or displaced, soil erodes

Question 10

New forestry

Answer 10

○ Timber cuts that come closer to mimicking natural disturbances
i.e. Sloppy clear cuts leave a variety of trees standing as to mimic the changes a forest might experience if it was hit by a severe windstorm

Question 11

Primary Forest:

Answer 11

Long standing natural forest, uncut by people

Question 12

Second-Growth Trees/Secondary Forest:

Answer 12

Trees that have sprouted and grown to partial maturity after old growth timber has been cut

Question 13

Plantation Forest:

Answer 13

One species of commercially valuable species is planted to replace a primary or secondary forest

Question 14

Swidden Agriculture:

Answer 14

• Small area of forest is cleared (often by slash and burn methods) and crops are planted
• After one or two seasons of planting, when soil has been depleted of nutrients, the farmer moves on to clear another patch of forest, leaving the first clearing in a fallow or resting state, giving it time to replenish itself
Can be sustainable if initial clearings are given sufficient time (up to 7 years0 to recover

Question 15

Rangelands:

Answer 15

• Traditionally, cattle graze on open rangelands, grasslands or wooded areas converted for the purpose of supporting livestock
• Overgrazing damages soils, waterways, and vegetative communities
Livestock grazing uses a quarter of the world’s land surface, but can be sustainable if done carefully and at a low intensity

Question 16

Deforestation:

Answer 16

Lost of forested area worldwide

Impacts are greatest in tropical areas because of the potentially massive loss of biodiversity, and in dryland regions because of the vulnerability of these lands to desertification
• Deforestation adds carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, and is a major contributor to global climate change
• Can also cause soil degradation and species extinction

Question 17

Deforestation and Developing Nations:

Answer 17

Developing nations are often desperate enough for economic development that they impose few or no restrictions on logging

Question 18

Ecosystem Based Management:

Answer 18

• Attempts to manage the harvesting of resources in ways that minimizes impacts on ecosystems and ecological processes of the forest
• Aims to preserve forest health, structure, functions, composition, and biodiversity
Maintain forests as viable reservoirs or sinks for atmospheric carbon

Question 19

Adaptive Management:

Answer 19

• Systematically testing different management approaches and aiming to improve methods as time goes on
• Monitoring results of one’s practices and continually adjusting them as needed
Can be time consuming and complicated