Natural Resources

Natural Resources

Natural resources are naturally occurring substances that are considered valuable to humans.

2 Ways to classify

• Biotic 

  • Comes from living things. Living at one point in time

• Abitotic

  • Comes from non-living things

Renewable resources

• Generally, biotic resources which can restock themselves if not over-harvested AND used sustainably.

Now-Renewable Resources

• Natural resources that exist in a fixed amount that cannot be remade, regrown, or regenerated as fast as it are consumed.

• Technically, some non-renewable resources can be renewable but take a very long time to do so. Fossil Fuels take millions of years to form and are not practically considered renewable.

Extraction occurs in what we call the Primary Industries, the industries that deal with cultivation and harvesting of raw materials and natural resources (Farms, Lumberjacks, Miners).

From there, these materials may need to be REFINED and MANUFACTURED into usable goods. This takes place in the SECONDARY INDUSTRIES(Miller, Papermill work, etc)

Primary - extractor

Secondary - Refining and Manufacturing

Tertiary - Sales and Services

Quanternory - Highly skilled(universty prof, super smart)

Primary industries ivlove the extraction of raw materials

Secondary Industires involves the transformation and manufacturing of raw materials into finished or semi-finisde goods. Adding values,

Tertiary industries provide services to consumers and other businesses. EX. tourism and service,

Quaternary Industries involve the creation, distribution and management of information and knowledge resources.

Mineral

• A naturally occurring, pure, non-living substance found in the rocks of the earth.

• 3 Categories of Minerals

  • Metallic Minerals

    • A mineral that yields metal when refined(Gold, Copper, Iron). You burn these.

  • Industrial Minerals 

    • Industrial minerals are neither metallic nor fossil fuels but rather a varied combination of products extracted from the earth

  • Fossil Fuels

    • A mineral that can be burned to produce energy

54 billion dollars a year come from mining in Canada’s GDP

Economics

Resources towns are settlements that exist purely because a resource exists there. These towns are populated by the workers that extract these resources.

Locating Valuable Deposits

Geologists use various forms of technology and know how to locate potentially valuable mineral deposits. Data is compiled and analysed using GIS(Geographic Information Systems)

3 Mining Types

Strip Mining

• Used to extract minerals such as coal and oil sands, that are located in horizontal layers beneath the surface

  • Remove trees, earth and rock.

  • Blasting may be necessary.

  • CONS: Remove wildlife from area

Open Pit Mining

• Used for minerals near the surface that may extend deep into the earth.

  • Holes are drilled 10-15m deep and filled with explosives

Underground mining

• Used to extract minerals deep beneath the surface using deep underground mine shafts and tunnels.

  • Less environmental impact

  • Most dangerous form of mining, collapses

Processing and Refining

• The process for most metallic ores has two parts: Milling and Smelting.

Pollution and Waste

Tailings are a mixture of water, processing chemicals and rock particles that are a poisonous by-product of mining.

They are dumped into Tailing Ponds and are left to evaporate.

Forests

• 77% on provincial Crown Land

• 13% on Territorial Crown Land

• Privately owned 6%

• Indigenous-owned 2%

• Canada 347 million hectares of forest

• .5% of this has been deforested since 1990

• 38% of Canada is covered by forest

• 57% of Manitoba is covered by forests

Economical Types of Forests

Commercial

• Forests that have trees that can be harvested for profit

Non-Commercial

• Unlikely to be cut down for industrial use

Types of Forests

Boreal Forests

• The largest type of forest in Canada

• Made up of coniferous trees(pines, spruce, cone trees)

Taiga Forests

• Stunted trees due to thin soil, cool temps.

• Also made up of Coniferous trees(jack pines, poplar, aspen)

West Coast Forests

• The most productive forests in Canada

• Abundant relief rain, warm temps produce the biggest trees in the country.

• Amount of woods/area is highest in Canada

• Composed of Deciduous

Montane Forest

• Forest found on the leeward (eastern) side of coastal mountains.

• Less rain and cooler temps produce smaller Coniferous trees.

Mixed Forest

• Combination of a variety of forests/ecosystem

• Very little left due to intense harvesting and urbanization

• Home to hardwoods and sugar maples

Economics of Forests

• 1 in 16 jobs in Canada relate to forestry

• Worth around $80 billion a year, half of that exported to other countries

• Very important job sector for rural and remote areas, where few other industries operate

3 Ways to Harvest Trees

Clear Cutting

• Used in majority of logging(cheapest)

• Harvest every tree leaving a barren landscape

• Trees are replanted allowing for future harvesting in the coming years.

Shelterwood Cutting

• Clearcutting only a part of the forest(the oldest trees)

• Regeneration takes place naturally, forest grows in stages.

Selective Cutting

• Harvesting only mature trees are of a desiredsize, quality and species.

• Best for the environment

Pulp and Paper

• Canada is the second largest producer of pulp and paper products. We are also the largest exporter of these products worldwide.

• Every province has a mill expect for PEI

Why are forests important?

• Canadian forests can absorb around 1.5 billion tonnes of C02 annually

• 85 Different species of Mammals alone live in Canada’s forest

Deforestation

• Deforestation is when forests are permanently removed from the land so that the land can be used for something else

• According to Canadian law, all forests on public land must be reforested after they are harvested. Around 94% of Canada's forests are on public land.

Forest Fires

• Forest fires are a normal and important part of the forest life cycle.

• New trees regenerate quickly in burned forests, some species of trees even require heat heat to release their seeds

Why is water important?

The blue planet

• Nearly three quarters of the Earth is covered by water

• 97% of this water is in the oceans, meaning SALT WATER

Freshwater

• The remaining 3% if water is freshwater, meaning humans can drink it.

• This water is found in lakes, rivers, streams and glaciers.

• Canada has 20% of the world’s total freshwater resources

• 70% of it is fossil water, meaning it is in underground aquifers and glaciers.

• 30% of it is in the form of lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands.

• Fossil waters are not renewables, can't make more of it.

Water Stock

• Water in lakes, water that does not regenerate and CANNOT be used more than once

Water Supply

• Refers to the amount of REGENERATIVE water, specifically the amount of water that is replaced annually by PRECIPITATION and AQUIFERS

• Canada only has 6% of the world’s WATER SUPPLY

Common Water Terms

Run off

• Water that runs off the land into rivers and lakes (evaulty into the ocean)

Groundwater

• Water that soaks deep into the Earth through porous rock and soil. 20% of the world’s groundwater is in Canada.

Wetlands

• Areas of land that have become saturated with water.

• Since 1919, Winnipeg has received its water from Shoal Lake

Hydroelectricy

• Hydroelectric is a form of energy that harnesses the power of water motion.

• Quebec is the largest producer of hydrpower in Canada

• 97% of electricity in Manitoba comes from hydropower

Conventional Energy

• Hydropower is the ONLY RENEEWABLE form of CONVENTIONAL energy

• Conventional Energy is power derived from traditional means such as wood, oil gas, water ETC.

Alternative Energy

• Energy is generated in ways that do not deplete natural resources nor harm the neutral environment

• Examples include Solar, Wind Power, Geothermal, Biomass

• Alternative energy is always renewable