Forestry midterm 1

Autotroph

producers in an ecosystem (photosynthesizers)

Biome

a very large area of earth’s surface that has a similar climate and vegetation

Biosphere

The entire planet (areas where life exists)

Community

a group of populations or organisms which live and react in a prescribed area

Decomposer

organisms that break down dead or decaying organisms

ecosystems

all of the interacting biological and physical aspects of an area

Genus

category of classification in biology that ranks between the family and the species, also contains related species (capitalized)

Heterotroph

Consumers (primary, secondary, and tertiary consumers)

includes herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores

Hybrid

result of successful interbreeding of two species

Population

individuals of a specific species in a certain area

Primary consumer

Herbivores, heterotrophs

Producers

photosynthesizers, autotrophs

Secondary Consumers

Omnivores, heterotrophs

Species

a group of individuals with similar morphologies, interbreed naturally, and produce fertile offspring (not capitalized, after genus)

Subspecies

populations which have some identifiable difference. Do not interbreed with other groups in the species due to geographical differences. (not capitalized, after species)

Taxon (pl. Taxa)

a taxonomic group of any level (species, subspecies, genus, class, etc)

Taxonomy

subdiscipline of biology concerned with classifying and naming organisms

Tertiary consumer

Carnivores, heterotroph

Angiosperm

have enclosed seeds (in a fruit)

usually having broadleaves, deciduous and evergreens

hardwoods (short fibers)

Broadleaves

tree or plant with wide, flat leaves

Cambium

Located in between the xylem and phloem.

undesignated cells which produce xylem towards the inside of the stem or trunk or phloem towards the outside

Carbohydrates

sugar molecules, it is a source of energy for plants

Conifer

Cone bearing seed plants , subset of gymnosperms

Ecological niche

favorable combinations of environmental factor ranges for a given species to grow and reproduce

Gravitropism

growth of roots or stems towards or against gravity’s direction

Gross photosynthesis

total amount of carbohydrates produced

Gymnosperm

Have exposed seeds or those which are enclosed in a cone

Conifers (usually needle or scale like leaves, also mostly evergreen)

Soft wood (long fibers)

Ginko is also a Gymnosperm despite broadleaves and seeds that look like fruits (smell bad lol)

Hardwood

Short fibered wood

usually contains many layers and grow very slowly

Heliotropism

growing towards sunlight (or other light sources)

Mycorrhizae

a fungus with a symbiotic relationship with the root systems of certain plants and trees

Net Photosynthesis

Gross photosynthesis minus the respiration

phloem

pretty much the bark, or right underneath it

in charge of transporting sap

Photosynthesis

process by which plants use water, sunlight, and carbon dioxide to produce carbohydrates and oxygen

Primary Growth

tree and plant growth which lengthens the stems and branches

Respiration

process by which plants produce energy, converting oxygen and carbohydrates for water, carbon dioxide and energy

Secondary growth

plant and tree growth outwards

adding to the width of a branch or stem

Softwood

wood from gymnosperms, longer fibers, grows faster as well

theory of tolerance

theory that species can only live and reproduce in a certain range of a given environmental (e.g. heat, rain)

Tree

A woody plant with usually a single stem at least 2m tall or if multistemed, at least one vertical stem 5cm+ in diameter at breast height

a plant that produces timber ($$$)

Tree Rings

represent growing seasons

usually years, but false rings do occur

xylem

tissue which transports water and nutrients through the center of the tree

Afforestation

establishment of a forest on land that wasn’t previously classified as forest

done by planting and deliberate seeding

Basal Area

area of a cross-section of a tree at DBH [m²]

in plots or stands is measured as Basal area per hectare (sum of all the basal areas in the hectare

Biogeoclimatic zone

an area with similar climate, soils, vegetation, and energy flows.

Result of broadly homogenous micro climates

Biome

large areas of earth’s surface with similar climate and vegetation

Boreal forests (a.k.a. taiga)

Needle leaf and evergreen trees

cold and frost resistant with adaptations for long periods of low to no light.

Largest pool of biomass on earth, summertime has massive bug booms

Canopy cover

area covered by tree crowns in a forest

must have at least 10 percent cover to consider land a forest

Climate graph

displays yearly temperature and precipitation for a given region

Deforestation

conversion of forest into another type of land (usage)

or degradation of canopy cover under the 10% mark

Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) [cm]

the diameter of a tree at breast height (1.3 meters off the ground)

in a plot DBH is the avg of all tree DBH in an area

*see notes for proper measurement technique

Dominant height (H_D) [m]

mean of the largest trees in an area. (e.g. largest tree for every unit²)

Forest

A wooded area of land at least 0.5 hectares, with trees at least 5m in height and with at least 10% canopy cover.

Must be ab le to achieve in situ

Forest estate

all land containing a forest endowment

Forest Region

A large area with fairly uniform vegetation cover, or a dominant species or stand type

Forest plot

A polygon or circle, usually small (e.g. 300m²) where all trees are measured to estimate stand or forest level metrics

Forest stand

continuous piece of land

Formation

communities with specific vegetation structure

also used in biome subdivision

Growth Form

Type of plants present

e.g. trees, shrubs, herbs, epiphytes, lianas, bryophytes

Epiphytes

nonparasitic, but growing on trees

lianas

woody vines

bryophytes

mosses and lichens

Height (H) [m]

tree height measured from ground to highest tip

Mean Height (H_m) [m]

mean height of all trees in a plot or a stand

Merchantable volume

volume excluding stump (30 cm) and tree top (anything less than 10 cm in diameter)

Montane forest

Needleleaf trees (northern hemisphere) or broadleaf evergreen (southern hemisphere)

cold resistant, and fire and drought resistant (not all)

very diverse, occurring at all latitudes

it is an umbrella term for most high altitude forests

natural forest

a forest that has developed relatively free of human contact

Plantation

a forest managed by a company for the purpose of producing wood products.

Planted forest

A forest stand established through seeding or planting (afforestation or reforestation)

overtime will be considered primary

Primary forest

naturally regenerated forest of native species, with no clear indications of human activities

Reforestation

reestablishment of forest through planting or seeding on land previously classified as forest

stand table

a description of the number of trees in an area by diameter class

Stocking density (trees/hectare)

Number of trees in a hectare (extrapolated)

Temperate Deciduous forest

broadleaf, deciduous forest

annual leaf growth, with resistance to hit and cold temperatures

fall colours

commonly converted into agricultural or urban areas

not good with fires

Temperate rainforest

needleleaf and broadleaf trees, epiphytes, bryophytes, shrubs, ferns

layered structure, with long lifespans, shade tolerant, and gap dynamic regeneration

very valuable wood, high biodiversity, high productivity, high biomass, scarce, and high conservation priority.

total volume (V_t) (m³)

the total volume in a stand

Tree

A woody plant at least 2 meters in height

or

A woody plant with multiple stems with one at least 5 cm in diameter ad breast height (1.3m)

Tree Density (a.k.a. stocking density)

number of trees in a hectare

it is an area measurement by default

Tropical Rainforest

all forms of vegetation

competition for light, shade tolerance, layered structure, wet soil

extremely high biodiversity and biomass

lots of logging, burning, and clear cuts to make way for cattle and agriculture

Tropical seasonal forest

broadleaf deciduous trees and shrubs (they drop leaves because of dry seasons)

fire and extreme humidity tolerance, and annual leaf growth

monsoon reliant, and high biodiversity

commonly converted for agriculture

Volume

timber volume from ground to tip

Whittaker diagram

Cellulose

crystalline, polysaccharide that provides structure in cell walls

(~40% of wood)

(pulp and fibers)

Ecosystem service

benefits people get from ecosystems

Forest Product

Any monetizable market demand obtained from the forest

classifications: Timber forest product, non-timber forest product, fuel

Forest Value

anything the forest can provide, monetizable or not

• can be with specific monetizable value

• or things which it is hard to place a value on

hemicellulose

amorphous weak polysaccharide that supports attachments with lignin (~30% of wood)

Lignin

rigid and durable polymer that reinforces cell walls (~30% of wood)

non-timber forest product

physical goods obtained from the forest excluding industrial wood/pulp

Polysaccharide

A chain of carbohydrate molecules

Timber forest product

Anything made primarily of recognizable wood/ wood fibers

Forest service

provision depending on a forest, without extracting goods

Cultural services

nonmaterial benefits obtained from ecosystems

Ecosystem services

benefits people obtain from ecosystems (4 catagories)

Forest zoning

optimize allocation of different areas for best use or ecosystem service

Examples:

• Triad Concept

• land and resource management plans

Land and Resource Management Plans

guidelines on projects for local land use in agriculture, communities, natural resources, recreation, utilities and agriculture

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

a UN led initiate to assess consequences of ecosystem change for human well-being

• what needs to be done

• main finding → substantial net gains in human well-being comes with ecosystem degradation

Provisioning services

Products obtained from ecosystems

Regulating services

Benefits from regulation of ecosystem processes

Supporting services

services necessary for production of all other ecosystem services

Triad concept

three main zones in forest landscape

• production forest

• protection forest

• ecological mix