Environmental Science Unit 1

Anatomy of Twig

Anatomy of Twig

• terminal bud

• bud scales

• lateral bud (axillary)

• lenticel

• leaf scar

• bundle trace

• node

• internode

• pith

Terminal bud

a bud that is at the tip of a stem/branch

Bud scale

a small modified leaf on the outside of a bud

lateral bud

a bud that is situated along the sides of a branch

lenticel

a corky spot on the bark which originally allowed air into the twig

leaf scar

the scar left on the twig when a leaf falls

bundle trace

Be able to define and describe in detail the 5 main global Environmental Indicators

environmental indicator: something that describes the current state of the environment

• Human population

• Global temp and CO2 levels

• overall food production (soil)

• biodiversity

• resource depletion (water)

Be able to define and describe in detail what sustainable forestry is?

sustainable forestry: aims to meet human needs for timber and other forest resources in a way that maintains the forest's health for generations to come.

sustainability: living on Earth in a way that allows us to use its resources without depriving future generations of those resources

Be able to define Biodiversity and determine why it is important?

biodiversity: the variety of all living things and their interactions. Biodiversity changes over time as extinction occurs and new species evolve. Scientists often speak of three levels of diversity: species, genetic, and ecosystem diversity.

Be able to define and describe in detail the role trees play in the biosphere and why they are important in the biosphere and the technosphere (human world)?

Trees contribute to their environment by providing oxygen, improving air quality, climate amelioration, conserving water, and preserving soil. Trees supply oxygen for humans to respire and for other animals in nature. They help eliminate the excess CO2 in the atm and are homes/shelters for many small creatures.

Be able to define and describe in detail the difference between conifers, deciduous trees and evergreen trees.

Conifers are trees that have cone and sometimes needles.

Deciduous trees that drop their leaves all at once.

Evergreen trees are trees that don’t loose that their leaves all at once.

Biltmore stick and how to use it

for measuring tree height and diameter (you use that info to get board feet)

use it: diameter

1. Hold the stick at breast height (4.5 feet from the ground), 25" from your eye, with the back of the stick against the tree you are measuring.

2. Hold the stick at a right angle to the axis of the tree and keep your eyes level with the stick.

3. Adjust the stick so that the left or zero is in line of sight with the left side of the tree.

4. Without moving your head, shift the line of sight to the right hand side of the trunk.

5. Read the diameter on the stick nearest the point at which the line of sight crosses it.

use it: tree height

1. Total tree height is measured from the ground to the top of the tree. Merchantable tree height is measured from the stump height to the point at which the tree is no longer usable.

2. Stand 100 feet from the tree you are going to measure. If the ground is not level, stand on a spot which has about the same elevation as the base of the tree.

3. Hold the stick vertical, 25" from your eye, with the “Height of Tree” side facing toward you.

4. Align the base of the stick at the ground (or at your estimated stump height for merchantable height).

5. Without moving your head, shift your line of sight so you can read the height at the point where your line of sight and the top of the tree intersect (or merchantable height).

6. This can also be done opposite: Zero the stick at the top of the tree and check height at the ground.

use it: volume

1. Board Feet: After determining tree diameter and height (in 16 foot lengths), use the chart on the back of the Biltmore stick to determine board feet. Using the “inches” scale along the top, find your tree diameter. Look on the table corresponding to the number of 16 foot log sections you have. The number not in parenthesis will indicate board feet. If you want to determine the volume of one cut log, use the inches scale on the back of the stick to measure the small end inside the bark. The numbers in parenthesis (below your log diameter in inches) list the board feet of one log, 8, 10, 12, 14, or 16 feet long.

2. Tons: After determining board feet, use the conversion chart on the back of the stick to determine either cubic feet or tons.

Two types are leaves are (1)____ and (2)_____

Different types leaves and branchea are arranged on trees: _____ and ____ penate

and _____ and _______

1) simple: one single leaf

2) compound: many leaflets

single and double penate and alternate and opposite

Red Oak

• leaf shape: lobes (bristle tips)

• bark: lines on bark (fissures)—> red fissures

• acorns (all oak)

• used for source of wood —> firewood and hardwood floors

• both red and white oak used acorns to make flour

  • turkeys, deer, squirrels like to eat

White oak

• softer acorns

• often associated with wetter areas

• lobed leaves

• white bark and more soft and peely than red oak (instead of fissures)

• used for hardwood flooring

Feasible solutions fro improving for humans

systems/machinery that naturally help reduce pollution; eliminating single use plastics and using renewables instead

Be able to define and describe in detail what the NH Envirothon is and how the competition works. Be sure to talk about the different topics covered.

• An academic and practical environmental program.

• A hands-on, skill-based training presented in a teacher-guided, student-led manner.

• Networking with Natural Resource professionals.

• A school team that trains locally, then competes state-wide.

• Learning about nature in New Hampshire.

• Supported by various web and live trainings.

• Builds confidence, teamwork, and life-long skills

Each year, volunteer advisers coach teams with assistance from local conservation districts, forestry associations and participating natural resource agencies and organizations. Students are tested on their knowledge in five topic areas: aquatics, forestry, soils, wildlife, and current environmental issues.

• Students work and compete as a team of five.

• Skills are learned throughout the year but last a lifetime.

• The state competition is held in May @NHTI

4 major contributors to global warming

transportation, agriculture, manufacturing, energy production

Witch hazel

• shrub/tree with wavy margin leaves that are asymmetrical

• has little yellow flowers (in autumn) which allows birds and bees to pollinate

• used in skincare (toner)

• used for dousing rods

Eastern hemlot

• stromata on back of needles

• disease called wooly adeldre attacks and suffocates tree

• cones very small

• conifer that provides shelter and shade

Broad leafed cattails

• native plant but acts in an invasive

  • leads to eutrophication (too many nutrients in the water)

Rhododendron

• bush

• not invasive

• evergreen (doesn’t loose leaves all at once)

• good wildlife habitat (hiding spaces)

American Beech

• buds: long, pointy, scaly

• bark: solid and smooth gray bark (no fissures)

• provides food in form of beech nuts

• lance shaped leaves (vains run in parallel)

• tend to hold dead leaves in winter

• havent fully adapted and dont produce absessic acid

cherry tree

• serated on outside

• contians arsenic

• lance shaped leave

• rust fungus on back

black locust

protects themselves by thorns

thick bark when older (deep fissures)

used for firewood (good for outdoor furniture)

White pine

five needle fasciate

softwood (floors)

cones 3-5in

produces lots of pollen

trembling aspin

heart shaped

largest tree on planet

flattened petiole

big tooth aspin

big teeth (bigger leaves than tremble)

very similar to trembling

paper birch

triangular shape leaf (serated)

will burn when wet

little lines on bark —> lenticels (transpiration and respiration occurs here)

musclewood

grows in wetlands

triangular and look and feel like muscles

staghorn sumac

invasive native species

edible berries

eastern red cedar

grown in fields with secondary successions

scaly and good for insect repelling

black locust

twigs have thorns (alternate)

Juniper

scaled (sharper not as flat as cedar)

makes bad tea

autumn olive

has become invasive (much less diversity)

can grow where its open to sun

2nd succession (will shad out other trees)

weeping willow

leaves narrow lance shape

buds have no scales

reduction in diversity

norway maple

invasive

look at smooth bark

have v-shaped and U-shaped

sugar only has U-shape

polmate and opposite leaves

basswood

bottom of leaf (asymmetrical) and serated and heart shaped

will grow straight and tall

tight grains

American elm

double serated

dutch elm disease eliminated lots of elm

sandpaper feel

scotch pine

3 needles per fascal (red has 2)

bark is orange

males have pollen

dead branches fall off

gray birch

really triangular leaves

long point on leaves

double serated

male and female catkins: great for birds

not peely like white birch