NEW Unit 5B Forestry, Mining, and Misc.

Clearcutting

a timber harvesting technique that involves removing all or almost all the trees within an area

Crown fire

Extremely hot and destructive forest fire that burns ground vegetation and treetops.

Deforestation

The removal of trees without replacing them.

depletion time

The time it takes to use up a certain proportion (usually 80%) of the reserves of a mineral at a given rate of use

Ecological Footprint

A measure of how much an individual consumes, expressed in area of land or number of earths.

gangue

the commercially valueless material in which ore is found.

geology

the study of the origin, history, and structure of Earth

high-grade ore

Ore that contains a fairly large amount of the desired mineral.

Impervious Surface

Any surface through which water can NOT seep down into the ground

Infiltration

Downward movement of water through soil.

low-grade ore

Ore containing a small amount of a desired mineral.

mineral

a naturally occurring, inorganic solid that has a crystal structure and a definite chemical composition

mountaintop removal

Type of surface mining that uses explosives, massive shovels, and even larger machinery called draglines to remove the top of a mountain to expose seams of coal underneath a mountain.

Old Growth

Forests that have not been cut - or not in a very long time. They generally include more large trees, canopy layers, standing snags, native species, and dead organic matter.

open-pit mining

A mining technique that uses a large hole in the ground, visible from the surface of Earth.

ore

Rock that contains a metal or economically useful mineral

overburden

Layer of soil and rock overlying a mineral deposit.

Prescribed burn

A fire deliberately set under controlled conditions in order to reduce the accumulation of dead biomass on a forest floor

reserves

minerals that have not been accessed yet.

second growth

Forests that have been cut.

Selective Cutting

The method of harvesting trees that involves the removal of single trees or a relatively small number of trees from among many in a forest.

smelting

The process by which ore is melted to separate the useful metal from other elements.

Slag

waste residue from smelting metal.

spoil

a pile of overburden that has been moved

strip mining

involves the removal of the Earth's surface all the way down to the level of the mineral seam.

subsurface mining

Extraction of a metal ore or fuel resource such as coal from a deep underground deposit.

Surface fire

Forest fire that burns only undergrowth and leaf litter on the forest floor.

surface mining

The extraction of mineral and energy resources near Earth's surface by first removing the soil, subsoil, and overlying rock strata.

Sustainable Yield

Highest rate at which a potentially renewable resource can be used indefinitely without reducing its available supply.

Tailings

Piles of rock and other waste materials removed as impurities when waste mineral material is separated from the metal in an ore.

Tragedy of the Commons

the tendency of a shared, limited resource to become depleted because people act from self-interest for short-term gain

Tree plantation

planted stands of a particular tree species

Urban Sprawl

The process of urban areas expanding outwards, usually in the form of suburbs, and developing over fertile agricultural land.

coal ash

waste from coal mining that contains mercury, arsenic and lead

Urbanization

Movement of people from rural areas to cities

Pine beetle

Warmer, milder summers cause this insect to feed on the bark of conifers, killing the trees (climate change alters forests!)

dutch Elm disease

One of several fungi destroying large numbers of deciduous trees