Envirothon Alberta 2025 – Forestry Vocabulary Flashcards

A collection of key forestry and plant-biology terms drawn from Alberta Envirothon 2025 study materials, designed to support rapid vocabulary review and exam preparation.

Photosynthesis

The process by which green plants use sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to produce sugars (C6H12O6) and oxygen.

Respiration

Cellular process that converts stored carbohydrates into usable energy, releasing water and carbon dioxide.

Transpiration

Loss of water vapour from leaves that creates an upward pull of water from roots to shoots.

Meristem

Zones of actively dividing cells in plants that produce new tissues and organs.

Apical Meristem

Meristem at shoot or root tips responsible for elongation (height or length) growth.

Lateral (Secondary) Meristem

Meristem that increases stem or root diameter; includes vascular and cork cambia.

Vascular Cambium

Lateral meristem that produces xylem to the inside and phloem to the outside of stems and roots.

Cork Cambium

Meristem that forms protective outer bark (periderm) and inner phelloderm.

Xylem

Wood tissue that transports water and minerals upward and provides structural support.

Phloem

Vascular tissue that moves sugars from leaves to stems and roots (source to sink).

Periderm

Protective outer bark layers produced by cork cambium; first line of defence against pests and injury.

Root Plate

Three-to-ten largest structural roots near the trunk that anchor a tree.

Transport Roots

Intermediate-size roots that move water upward and deliver carbohydrates to growing tips.

Absorbing Roots

Fine roots located near soil surface that take up water and dissolved nutrients.

Terminal (Apical) Bud

Bud at the end of a twig that controls elongation and suppresses lateral buds through hormones.

Lateral (Axillary) Bud

Bud along the side of a twig that can grow into shoots or branches when activated.

Adventitious Bud

Bud that forms spontaneously, often after injury, enabling emergency shoot formation.

Twig

First-year woody shoot; becomes a branchlet in years 2–3, then a branch.

Branch Collar

Swollen area at the base of a branch where trunk tissues overlap and strengthen attachment.

Branch Bark Ridge

Raised line of bark where branch and trunk meet; indicates a strong connection.

Lenticel

Small porous opening in bark or twigs that allows gas exchange.

Cuticle (Leaf)

Waxy outer layer of leaves that reduces unwanted water loss.

Stomata

Adjustable pores in leaves that regulate gas exchange and transpiration.

Chlorophyll

Green pigment in chloroplasts that absorbs light energy for photosynthesis.

Samara

Winged seed of maple and other trees that aids wind dispersal.

CODIT

Compartmentalization Of Decay In Trees; model describing how trees wall off injured or infected wood.

Wall 1 (CODIT)

First defence wall that plugs vertical xylem tubes to slow upward and downward spread of decay.

Wall 4 (CODIT)

Barrier zone of new tissue that seals and grows over wounds from the outside.

Auxin

Growth regulator produced in shoot tips that stimulates cell elongation and influences root growth.

Cytokinin

Root-produced hormone that promotes cell division and shoot initiation; balances auxin.

Abscisic Acid (ABA)

Growth regulator that accumulates during photosynthesis and triggers leaf senescence and dormancy.

Gibberellin

Plant hormone that promotes flowering, shoot elongation and short-range signalling.

Translocation

Energy-requiring movement of sugars through phloem from sources (leaves) to sinks (roots, fruits).

Mass Flow

Movement of water from high to low concentration into roots, aiding absorption.

Hardwood

Angiosperm tree whose seeds are enclosed; typically broad-leaved and deciduous (e.g., oak, birch).

Softwood

Gymnosperm tree with exposed seeds (cones); usually coniferous and evergreen (e.g., pine, spruce).

Angiosperm

Flowering plant that encloses its seeds in an ovary; dominates modern plant diversity.

Gymnosperm

Non-flowering seed plant with ‘naked’ seeds in cones; includes conifers such as spruce and pine.

Lodgepole Pine

Pinus contorta var. latifolia; Alberta’s provincial tree, adapted to fire and sandy soils.

White Spruce

Picea glauca; widespread Canadian conifer valued for lumber and paper.

NDVI

Normalized Difference Vegetation Index; satellite-derived measure of vegetation health using red and NIR bands.

Diameter Tape (D-tape)

Forestry tool calibrated to convert tree circumference directly into diameter at breast height (DBH).

Clinometer

Instrument used to measure tree height and slope by reading vertical angles.

Biltmore Stick

Yardstick-like tool for quick estimation of tree diameter and log lengths in the field.

Basal Area

Cross-sectional area of a tree trunk at DBH; expressed as square metres per hectare for a stand.

Sentinel-2

European satellite pair providing 10-metre multispectral imagery every ~10 days for land monitoring.

Hyperspectral Imagery

Remote-sensing data capturing hundreds of narrow spectral bands, enabling detailed species or stress detection.

Deforestation Alert

Near-real-time satellite-based notification of potential tree cover loss, used for rapid field verification.

Clearcut Harvest

Silvicultural system removing all merchantable trees in a block at once.

Selection Harvest

Partial-cut system removing individual or small groups of trees to maintain an uneven-aged stand.

Shelterwood Method

Partial-cut system that removes mature trees in phases, using remaining canopy to shelter regeneration.

Seed Tree Method

Harvest system that leaves scattered mature trees to provide seed for natural regeneration.

Coarse Woody Debris (CWD)

Fallen logs and large branches that supply habitat, nutrients, moisture retention and carbon storage in forests.

Snag

Standing dead tree that provides nesting cavities and foraging habitat for wildlife.

Lenticels

Raised, spongy spots on bark allowing internal tissues to exchange gases with the atmosphere.