Forest, Forest Management, and Protected Areas

Chapter 12

1. Vocabulary to Know

  • forest
  • woodlands
  • snags
  • FSC-certified
  • emergent trees
  • deforestation
  • primary forest (old growth)
  • second-growth trees
  • foresters
  • resource management
  • maximum sustainable yield
  • plantation forestry
  • even-aged forestry
  • uneven-aged forestry
  • wildland-urban interface
  • prescribe burns (controlled burns)
  • salvage logging
  • Wilderness Act
  • The Nature Conservancy
  • biosphere reserves
  • World Heritage sites
  • transboundary park
  • peace parks
  • edge effect
  • corridors

Forest Ecosystems and Forest Resources

2. Name the 5 types of forest.

3. What percent of land do forest cover? Why types of forest are most widespread and where?

4. Why do forest managers use the term “forest types”? Give an example.

5. Draw a diagram to illustrate a mature forest. Label each layer and identify animals that would live in each layer.

6. Explain 4 ecosystem services trees provide for us.

7. How does cutting forest potentially worsen climate change?

8. List examples of the economic resources provided by forest.

9. Name several major causes of deforestation. Where is deforestation most severe today?

10. Look at Figure 12.7 and compare the amount of forest available between the 1620s and today.

11. Name at least two reasons why natural primary forests contain more biodiversity than single species forestry plantations.

12. How is “concession” creating a negative impact on forest in tropical areas? Give an example.

13. How do you possibly impact the tropical forest of throughout Southeast Asia and Indonesia by eating snack foods?

14. Explain how carbon offsets are a key to reducing deforestation. Give an example.

15. What is REDD?Do you agree with the REDD program?

16. After reading about Guyana’s plan do you think the REDD program is a type of blackmail or a fair and just way of curbing climate change?

Forest Management

17. Make a chart showing the pros and cons of maximum sustainable yield, ecosystem-based management, and adaptive management

18. National Forest System:

a. Why was it formed?

b. What service manages it?

c. Who was its first leader?

d. How much land area in the U.S. does the National Forest System cover?

e. What is the “aim” of the National Forest System?

19. On what type of land does most timber harvesting in the United States take place today?

20. What are the pros and cons of plantation forestry?

21. Describe the pros and cons of each type of tree harvesting method listed below.

a. clear cutting

b. seed-tree

c. shelterwood

d.selection systems

22. How does logging damage ecosystems? Give an example.

23. The U.S. Forest Service has been guided by a policy of “multiple use”. Explain what this means.

24. What was the purpose of the National Forest Management Act? How has it changed forest management?

25. Give an example of how forest management is subject to political influence.

26. What problems have occurred over time because of the suppression of fires in forested areas?

27. What was the purpose of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act?

28. Is salvage logging good or bad? Explain your answer?

29. How is a climate change altering forests? Give examples. Are these changes positive or negative feedbacks?

30. What is the purpose of the Forest Stewardship Council?

31. How can you as a consumer impact the increased use of sustainable forestry practices?

Parks and Protected Areas

32. Who was John Muir (see page 143) and why is he important to the environmental movement?

33. Name at least 4 reasons why people have created parks and reserves.

34. Why did the U. S. congress determine in 1964 that wilderness areas were necessary?

35. How do wilderness areas differ from national parks?

36. What are national wildlife refuges? When was the system established and which president was responsible?

37. Explain the “wise-use movement”.

38. What is a “land trust”?

39. What percentage of Earth’s land is protected?

40. Draw and label a diagram of a typical biosphere reserve. Explain the purpose of each area of the biosphere reserve.

Describe one type of protected area that has been established outside of North America?

41. Give two examples of how forest fragmentation affects animals.

42. How does island biogeography theory help us design reserves?

43. How can climate change potentially affect our investment in protected areas?