Land Use

rangelands

dry, open grasslands primarily used for grazing

clear-cutting

removing all or almost all of the trees within an area

selective cutting

removing single trees or a small number of trees from the larger forest

ecologically sustainable forestry

removing trees in a way that doesn’t affect the viability of other noncommercial tree species

tree plantation

a large area planted with the same type of fast-growing tree species

subsistence farming

farming for consumption by the farming family and maybe a few neighbors

industrial agriculture

agriculture that uses mechanization and standardization to produce food

green revolution

a shift in agricultural practices in the 1900s that included mechanization, fertilization, irrigation, and improved crop variety, resulting in an increase food output

economies of scale

average costs of production fall as output increases

organic fertilizer

fertilizer composed of organic matter from plants and animals

synthetic fertilizer

fertilizer produced commercially, normally with the use of fossil fuels

waterlogging

a form of soil degradation where soil remains underwater for long periods of time

salinization

a form of soil degradation where the small amount of salts in irrigation water become highly concentrated on the soil surface through evaporation

pesticide

a substance, either natural or synthetic, that kills or controls organisms that people consider pests

insecticide

a pesticide that targets insects

herbicide

a pesticide that targets plant species

broad-spectrum pesticides

a pesticide that kills many different types of pests

selective (narrow-spectrum) pesticide

a pesticide that targets a narrow range of organisms

monocropping

planting only one crop

plowing

digging deep into the soil and turning it over

tilling

preparing soil through a variety of activities including plowing, stirring, digging, and cultivating

slash-and-burn agriculture

land is cleared and farmed for only a few years until the soil is depleted of nutrients

aquifer

pore space found within permeable layers of rock and sediment underneath the soil that store groundwater

unconfined aquifer

porous rock covered by soil

confined aquifer

porous rock surrounded by a layer of impermeable rock or clay which impedes water flow to or from the aquifer

water table

the uppermost level at which the groundwater in a given area fully saturated the rock or soil

groundwater recharge

water from precipitation percolates through soil into groundwater

furrow irrigation

farmer digs trenches (furrows) along the crop rows and fills them with water

flood irrigation

farmer floods an entire field with water

spray irrigation

water is pumped into an apparatus that contains a series of spray nozzles

drip irrigation

a slowly dripping hose on the ground or buried beneath the soil delivers water directly to the plant roots

cone of depression

an area surrounding a well hat does not contain groundwater

fungicide

pesticide that targets fungi

rodenticide

pesticide that targets rodents

persistent pesticide

pesticide that stays in the environment for years

nonpersistent pesticide

pesticide that breaks down quickly but must be applied more often so their overall environmental impact is not always lower than persistent pesticide

integrated pest management (IPM)

using a verity of techniques to minimize pesticide inputs

concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO)

a large indoor or outdoor structure designed to maximize occupancy of animals and maximize output of meat

manure lagoons

human-made pond lined with rubber built to handle large quantities of manure produced by livestock

free range grazing

allowing animals to graze outdoors on grass for most of all of their lifecycles

overgrazing

excessive grazing that can reduce or remove vegetation and erode and compact soil

desertification

transformation of arable, productive, low-precipitation land to desert or unproductive land due to climate change or destructive land use (overgrazing, logging, etc.)

fishery

a commercially harvestable population of fish within a particular ecological region

fishery collapse

the decline of a fish population by 90% of more

bycatch

unintantional catch of nontarget species while fishing

ore

a concentrated abundance of minerals from which economically valuable materials can be extracted

metal

an element with properties that allow it to conduct electricity and heat energy

reserve

the known quantity or a resource that can be economically recovered

surface mining

the removal of overlaying vegetation to expose underlying ore

mine tailings

unwanted material created during mining that are left behind after the desired materials have been removed

overburden

soil, vegetation, and rocks removed to access an ore deposit

open-pit mining

creating a large hole in the ground to mine

mountaintop removal

removing the entire top of a mountain with explosives to mine

placer mining

the process of looking for minerals, metals, and precious stones in river sediments

subsurface mining

mining technique used when the desired material is more that 100 meters below the surface of Earth

urbanization

the process of making an area more urban

saltwater intrusion

an infiltration of salt water in a coastal area where groundwater pressure has been reduced as a result of a cone of depression from extensive pumping of wells

impervious surface

pavement or other surfaces that do not allow water penetration

urban sprawl

urbanized areas that spread into rural areas

ecological footprint

a measure of the area of land and water an individual, population, or activity requires to produce all the resources it consumes and to process the waste it generates

carbon footprint

a measure of the total carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions from the activities of a person, country, or other entity

sustainability

using a resource in a way that it can be used in the same way in the future

maximum sustainable yield (MSY)

the largest quantity of a renewable resource that can be harvested indefinitely

crop rotation

different types of crops are planted from season to season or year to year on the same plot of land

intercropping

physical spacing of different crops growing at the same time in close proximity to one another to promote biological interaction

biocontrol

using biological organisms to control agricultural pests

agroforestry

trees and vegetables are intercropped

windbreaks

planting tall trees around a crop to break the wind and prevent soil erosion

strip cropping

planting crops with different spacing and rooting characteristics in alternating sets of rows to prevent soil erosion

contour plowing

plowing and harvesting parallel to the topographic contours of the land

terracing

farms shape sloping land into flat step-like terraces

perennial plants

plants that live for multiple years and don’t need to be replanted at the beginning of each growing season

no-till agriculture

farmers don’t till soil between seasons

green manure

plant material deliberately grown in a field with the intention of plowing in under at the end of the season

limestone

can act as a fertilizer

rotational grazing

rotating farm animals to different pastures to prevent overgrazing

reforestation

natural or intentional restocking of trees after clear-cutting to repopulate the forest, reduce erosion, and start removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere

fire suppression

putting out all natural fires

prescribed burns

small controlled fires to remove biomass build up and promote nutrient recycling