Chapter 10: Sustaining Terrestrial Biodiversity: The Ecosystem Approach

Human activities

Human activities

________ degrade or overuse 60 % of the earths natural services.

Tropical forests

________: Especially in Latin America, Indonesia, and Africa.

Old-growth or primary forest (36%)

Uncut, or not disturbed for several hundred years

Ecological niche

Reservoirs of biodiversity

Second-growth forest (60%)

Secondary ecological succession

Selective cutting

Intermediate-aged or mature trees are cut singly or in small groups

Clear-cutting

Removal of all trees from an area

Strip cutting

Clear-cutting a strip of trees along the contour of the land

Surface fires

Usually burn leaf litter and undergrowth

Crown fires

Extremely hot so it burns whole trees, kill wildlife, and increase soil erosion

Global warming

Rising temperatures, trees become more susceptible to diseases and pests, drier forests have more fires, increase in greenhouse gases

Tropical forests

Especially in Latin America, Indonesia, and Africa

Boreal forests

A coniferous forest consisting primarily of pine, spruce, and larch trees

Collins Pine

Owns and manages protective timberland

Forest Stewardship Council

Developed a list of environmentally sound practices

Prescribed Fires

Carefully planned & monitored

Allow fires on public lands to burn

Removes flammable underbrush & smaller trees

Protect structures in fire-prone areas

Eliminate the use of flammable construction materials

Thin forests in fire-prone areas

Clear away small fire-prone trees & underbrush under environmental controls

Slash

Highly flammable debris

Rangelands

Unfenced grasslands in temperate and tropical climates that provide forage for animals

Pastures

Managed grasslands and fences meadows used for grazing livestock

Overgrazing of rangelands

Reduces grass cover, leads to erosion of soil by water and wind, the soil becomes compacted and enhances invasion of plant species that cattle wont eat

Wilderness

Land officially designated as having no serious disturbance from human activities

Wilderness Act of 1964

Protects undeveloped lands, 2% of the lower 48 protected, mostly in the West

U.N. Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

Identify key ecosystem services

Reconciliation ecology

Invent and maintain habitats for species diversity where people live, work, and play

Community-based conservation

Belize and the black howler monkeys and protects vital insect pollinators

Old-growth or primary forest (36%)

Uncut, or not disturbed for several hundred years

Ecological niche

Reservoirs of biodiversity

Second-growth forest (60%)

Secondary ecological succession

Tree plantation (tree farm, commercial forest- 4%)

May supply most industrial wood in the future. 1 or 2 species of the same age

Selective cutting

Intermediate-aged or mature trees are cut singly or in small groups

Clear-cutting

Removal of all trees from an area. Most efficient for logging operations to harvest trees and cost

Strip cutting

Clear-cutting a strip of trees along the contour of the land

Surface fires

Usually burn leaf litter and undergrowth. May provide food in the form of vegetation that sprouts after fire

Crown fires

Extremely hot so it burns whole trees, kill wildlife, and increase soil erosion

Global warming

Rising temperatures, trees become more susceptible to diseases and pests, drier forests have more fires, increase in greenhouse gases

Tropical forests

Especially in Latin America, Indonesia, and Africa. The main reason for 8,000 tree species are threatened with extinction (10% of the world rate)

Boreal forests

A coniferous forest consisting primarily of pine, spruce, and larch trees. That is in Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia, and Russia

Collins Pine

Owns and manages protective timberland

Forest Stewardship Council

Developed a list of environmentally sound practices. Also certifies manufacturers of wood products

Prescribed Fires

Carefully planned & monitored. Set small contained surface fires to remove flammable small trees and underbrush

Protect structures in fire-prone areas

Eliminate the use of flammable construction materials. Thinning a zone of 60m (200ft) around fire-prone areas

Thin forests in fire-prone areas

Clear away small fire-prone trees & underbrush under environmental controls. Can leave-behind slash.

Slash

Highly flammable debris

Rangelands

Unfenced grasslands in temperate and tropical climates that provide forage for animals

Pastures

Managed grasslands and fences meadows used for grazing livestock

Overgrazing of rangelands

Reduces grass cover, leads to erosion of soil by water and wind, the soil becomes compacted and enhances invasion of plant species that cattle won’t eat.

Wilderness Act of 1964

Protects undeveloped lands, 2% of the lower 48 protected, mostly in the West.

U.N. Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

Identify key ecosystem services. Human activities degrade or overuse 60% of the earth’s natural services

Reconciliation ecology

Invent and maintain habitats for species diversity where people live, work, and play

Community-based conservation

Belize and the black howler monkeys protects vital insect pollinators