Forestry Study Guide
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Forestry Study Guide Modified from: Forestry for Envirothoners, Tennessee Ontario Envirothon Forestry Study Guide, Forests Ontario Georgia Envirothon Forestry Study Guide Page | 2 Learning Objectives Physiology of Trees Forest Ecology 1. Know the typical forest structure: canopy, understory and ground layers and crown classes 2. Understand forest ecology concepts and factors affecting them, including the relationship between soil and forest types, tree communities, regeneration, competition, and primary and secondary succession. 3. Identify the abiotic and biotic factors in a forest ecosystem, and understand how these factors affect tree growth and forest development. Consider factors such as climate, insects, microorganisms, and wildlife. Sustainable Forest Management 1. Understand the term silviculture, and be able to explain the uses of the following silviculture techniques: thinning, prescribed burning, single tree and group tree selection, shelterwood method, clear-cutting with and without seed trees, and coppice management. 2. Explain the following silviculture systems: clear-cutting, seed tree method, even-aged management, uneven-aged management, shelterwood and selection. 3. Understand the methodology and uses of the following silviculture treatments: Planting, weeding, pre-commercial thinning (PCT), commercial thinning and harvesting. 4. Know how to use forestry tools and equipment in order to measure tree diameter, height and basal area. 5. Understand how the following issues are affected by forest health and management: biodiversity, forest fragmentation, forest health, air quality, aesthetics, fire, global warming and recreation. 6. Understand how forestry management practices and policy affect sustainability. 7. Understand how economic, social and ecological factors influence forest management decisions. 8. Learn how science and technology are being utilized in all aspects of forest management. Trees as an Important Renewable Resource 1. Understand the importance and value of trees in urban and community settings, and know the factors affecting their health and survival. 2. Understand the economic value of forests and know many of the products they provide to people and society 3. Explain the “Ecosystem Services” provided by trees, and understand why trees and forests are important to human health, recreation, wildlife, and watershed quality. Introduction In preparing for the Oklahoma Envirothon you may want to reach out to the Oklahoma Forestry Service and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry for additional information and assistance. The information contained within this study guide is intended to provide a preview of basic information for the competition. Numerous resources are available from a variety of sources online. Types of Forests Forest occupy about one-third of Earth’s land area and plan an important role in Earth’s processes. There are different types of forest biomes around the planet that are characterized by numerous factors with seasonality being the most widely used. The forest biomes of the world are broken down into tropical, temperate, and boreal (taiga). Page | 3 Tropical Forests Tropical forest are often referred to as rain forests. They have a vast great diversity of plant and animal species. They occur near the equator and have only two seasons: rainy and dry. Temperatures, on average are 20-25oC and vary little throughout the year. Precipitation is usually distributed throughout the year with annual rainfalls of over 200 cm. Soil is nutrient poor and acidic, but decomposition of organic matter is fast providing nutrients for plant life. Temperate Forests Temperate forests are found in North America, Asia, and Europe. They are characterized by well-defined seasons with distinct winters and moderate climates and a growing season of 140-200 days during the frost free months. Temperatures will vary from -30oC to 30oC and precipitation takes the form of rain or snow and can be 75-100 cm annually. Soil is fertile and enriched with decaying litter. Flora and fauna is diverse. Temperature forest are often subdivided by the types of trees most prevalent to the forest including deciduous and coniferous. Boreal (Taiga) Forests Boreal forest are the northern most type of forest and are found in Alaska, Canada, Northern Asia, Siberia, and Scandinavia and represent the largest terrestrial biome. Seasons are divided into short, moist moderately warm summers and long, cold, dry winters. Boreal forest receive little precipitation, 40 to 100 cm and the growing season is only 130 days. The soil is thin and nutrient poor as decomposition is very slow due to cold temperatures. Most tree species are cold-tolerant evergreens with needle-like leaves such as pine, fir, and spruce. Regions of the world have been classified into ecoregions. Each region shares similar ecology and geography. They cover relatively large areas of land or water and contain characteristics and geographically distinct natural communities and species. The biodiversity of plant and animal species tends to be distinct from other ecoregions. Forest biomes are found within these ecoregions. http://www.glec.com/capabilities/technical_services/gis_mapping/casestudy.php Page | 4 Oklahoma Forests Oklahoma falls into the Southern Plains ecoregion and contains 10 distinct ecological regions, more per square mile and any other state. Forest cover 24 percent of the state covering 12 million acres and are mostly temperate deciduous forests. http://www.forestry.ok.gov/Websites/forestry/Images/Ecoregions.pdf Oklahoma’s 12 million acres of forests provide important public benefits, including plentiful supplies of clean water, wildlife habitat diversity, scenic beauty and recreational opportunities. Our forest products industry annually contributes an estimated $4.5 billion in direct and indirect value to the state’s economy, and employs more than 18,000 people with $738 million in wages and salaries. Commercially, the majority of valuable wood is generated from the oak and southern pine forest of the Ouachita Mountains located in the far southeastern corner of Oklahoma on more than five million acres. As the population of Oklahoma and the region grows and becomes more urbanized, our forestlands can expect greater scrutiny as a source for additional supplies of clean water. All forestland owners and users have an obligation to protect the quality and sustainability of water resources from Oklahoma’s forestlands. Page | 5 http://www.forestry.ok.gov/Websites/forestry/images/Forest%20Economics/Economic%20impact.pdf Forest Products and Services There are over 5,000 products that are produces from trees, many of which are not often associated with forestry or wood. Timber Products • Pulpwood/chipwood- used for paper production • Sawtimber- used for lumber, poles, and veneer logs Non-Timber Production • Pine Straw • Christmas Tress • Firewod • Fat lighter wood (fire starters, decorative mantle and hearth) • Food (fruit, nuts) • Floral greenery (Holley berries and leaves, magnolia leaves) • Medicine (sassafras, witch hazel, palmetto berries, willow bark) • Pine cones • Pine tree gum • Landscape trees Ecosystem services are the processes and outputs of nature that are direct benefits to humans. Forests, in general, provide vital ecosystem services including: • Provide wood for building shelters, furniture, paper, and other goods • Provide places for recreation Page | 6 • Contribute to gas and climate regulation through regulating carbon • Capture, store, and filter water • Forest vegetation stabilizes soil and prevents erosion • Provides habitat for important pollinator species • Provides habitat for wildlife • Provide aesthetic value Trees of Oklahoma • Green Ash, Fraxinus pennsylvanica • Kentucky coffeetree, Gymnocladus • Bald Cypress, Taxodium distichum dioicus • Black Walnut, Juglans nigra • Bur Oak. Quercus macrocarpa • Chinese Pistache, Pistacia chinensis • Shumard Oak, Quercus shumardii • Cottonwood • Post Oak, Quercus stellate • Flowering dogwood, Cornus florida • Red Oak, uercus rubra • Rough-leaf Dogwood, Cornus • White Oak, Quercus alba drummondii • Black Jack Oak, Quercus marilandica • Eastern Red Cedar, Juniperus virginiana • Pecan, Carya illinoinensis • American Elm, Ulmus americana • Loblolly or Southern Pine, Pinus taeda • Lacebark Elm, Ulmus parvifolia • Pinyon Pine, Pinus cembroides • Hackberry, Celtis occidentalis • Redbud, Cercis canadensis • Black Hickory, Carya texana • Western Soapberry, Sapindus drummondii • Juniper, Juniperus Insects and Disease in Forestry Insects • Sudden Oak Death • Emerald ash borer • Thousand Cankers Diseases • Asian long-horned beetle • Pecan Scab • Bag worms • Dothistroma Needle Blight • Web worms • Diplodia Tip Blight • Japanese Beetles • Needle Casts • Phomopsis Blight Diseases • Cedar Apple Rust • Pinewood Nematode Disease • Anthracnose • Oak Canker Physiology of Tree Growth An old tree can tell you what the weather was like in the spring of 1904 and how big it was when your grandparents were children. It can even tell you about forest fires or outbreaks of forest pests that occurred in its life. It can do this because each tree carries inside it a detailed history of its growth. In temperate climates tree grows in girth each year by building up a new layer of wood from a thin layer of cells called the cambium. The cambium is located just beneath the bark. Each spring, the cells of the cambium divide rapidly and produce a layer of large, thin-walled cells that make up the springwood.