Land Uses Vocabulary

interplanting

An agricultural technique in which more than two different crops are grown in the same area at the same time.

high input

Agricultural practices that use many chemicals (for pesticides and fertilizers) and a lot of energy (fossil fuels to run machinery).

subsistence

The agricultural practice that is MOST likely to be described as low input.

alley cropping

Planting crops in strips with rows of trees on each side of the rows.

intercropping

Growing more than one crop in the same field at the same time, generally in alternating rows or sections.

organic farming

Farming without the use of synthetic chemicals.

tilling

Another name for plowing.

agriculture

Cultivation of plants for food.

agroforestry

Growing trees as crops.

low or no till

Agricultural techniques that avoid plowing up land between planting.

plantation

An agricultural system that exploits developing countries for their cheap labor and lack of environmental laws.

polyvarietal cultivation

Planting multiple varieties of the same species of crop.

crop rotation

Planting different crops at different times of the year.

polyculture

Planting different crops in the same place at the same time.

deforestation

Conversion of forest for the purpose of livestock grazing, agriculture, mining, or urban sprawl.

fuelwood

Plant material that is used for heating homes and cooking.

selective cutting

A method for harvesting trees that includes selecting specific trees in an area to cut and remove.

high grading

A method for harvesting trees in which the largest and best trees are removed.

shelterwood cutting

A method for harvesting trees in which all mature trees in a forest are removed.

seed tree cutting

A method for harvesting trees in which the majority of the trees are harvested, but a few large, mature trees are left.

clear cutting

A method for harvesting trees in which all trees in the entire ecosystem are cut down and removed.

even age management

A method for harvesting trees in which trees are grown on plantation-like tree farms.

uneven age management

A method for harvesting trees in which trees of various ages and stages of development are present.

strip cutting

A method of harvesting trees in which all of the trees following the contour of the land are cut and removed.

old growth forests

Forests that have never been cut and harvested.

tree plantations

Forests that are maintained as large monocultures.

secondary growth forests

Forests that are in some state of re-growth following a cutting and harvesting event.

forestry

The management of forests as resources for humans.

GMO

A species that has been created using recombinant DNA technology.

fossil fuels

Resources that include coal, oil, and natural gas.

renewable resource

Any resource that is able to be regenerated on the human time scale.

spoil bank

Huge piles of overburden/tailings placed adjacent to the mining site during mining.

open pit mining

A type of mining where machines dig deep holes to remove ores, leaving highly erodible sides.

mountaintop removal

A type of mining where machines remove the entire overburden covering up a reserve of coal.

subsurface mining

A type of mining where machines tunnel deep into mountainsides or underground to access reserves.

contour strip mining

A type of mining where machines remove overburden in strips following the terrain.

area strip mining

A type of mining where machines completely remove overburden to expose a reserve.

surface mining

Includes open pit mining, mountaintop removal, area strip mining, and contour strip mining.

highwall

The highly erodible wall left behind during contour strip mining operations.

proven reserves

Resources whose locations, quantities, and qualities are known and can be profitably extracted.

overburden

The plants, soil, and rocks that are removed from an area to be mined.

nonrenewable resources

Resources that cannot be regenerated on a human time scale.

depletion time

The time it takes to use up 80% of a resource at current rates of use.

depletion curve

A graph that helps to understand how long a resource will last at current rates of use.

Rachel Carson

Famous for writing Silent Spring in 1962 and raising awareness about the dangers of DDT.

pest

Any undesired species.

pesticide

A poison designed to kill a pest.

integrated pest management

The use of multiple strategies to control pest populations.

superpest

A pest species that has evolved resistance to a highly used pesticide.

bioaccumulation

The build-up of pesticide within an organism throughout its life.

biomagnification

The increasing levels of pesticides present in organisms that are higher up on the food chain.

undernourishment

Not getting enough calories per day.

malnourishment

Not getting enough calories from each of the three main categories of macronutrient per day.

rangelands

Wild lands dedicated to grazing animals.

pastures

Managed grasslands dedicated to grazing animals.

feedlots

Factory conditions in which grazing animals are raised.

desertification

A condition in which erosion has caused the soil to be unable to hold on to water.

waterlogging

A condition in which erosion has caused the soil to pool water up at the surface.

salinization

The gradual build-up of chemicals in the soil due to continued chemical application.

overgrazing

Allowing cattle to consume all the way to the roots of grasses present in the pasture or rangeland.

the Green Revolution

The change in agriculture from small scale individual farms to large scale industrialized agriculture.

sustainable agriculture

Farming that protects the diversity of crop plants, health of soils, and responsible use of energy and chemicals.

the Gene Revolution

The shift to growing GMOs, particularly in developed countries.

food security

The idea that all people should have access to enough high quality foods every day of the year.