...Research Tropical Rain Forests. Do you think it is important to preserve these rainforests - and why? What is the best way we might go about doing this - especially considering we don't have any Tropical Rain Forests in this country? Yes, I think it is significant to preserve what few hot Rain forests that are remaining. Tropical rain forests are one of the most bio-diverse and biologically important areas on the planet. Much of their living thing and stand life is unique and unreproduced anywhere else. Classification and farming are the two largest influences on the rain forest, causing many thousands of acres to become either deforested or even unfruitful. Rain forests are the prime land-based stand systems for the water and carbon cycles in the mood and groundwater; removing more and more of the rain forest causes the carbon cycle to become disturbed, with not enough carbon dioxide converted back to oxygen. The undergrowth in some areas of a rainforest can be restricted by poor penetration of sunlight to ground level. If the leaf canopy is destroyed or thinned, the ground beneath is soon colonized by a dense, tangled growth of vines, shrubs and small trees, called a jungle. There are two types of rainforest, tropical rainforest and temperate rainforest. It is important to preserve what few Tropical Rain forests that are remaining. The Tropical Rain forests provide the world with so many important tools for our survival. The rain forest is home to a variety of different animal...
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...Deforestation of Tropical Rainforests Gabriel Corbeil ENV/GEO 120 March 20, 2015 Introduction: Tropical rainforests represent an important percentage of the globes biodiversity. This ecosystem is estimated to house 50% of all plant, insect and animal life. Covering less than 7% of Earth’s surface, it nonetheless is attributed with producing 20% of our oxygen supply. This unique biome arcs like a green arrow along the equatorial line. Its primary locations are South America, Central Africa and South-East Asia. Each region is facing varying degrees of serious deforestation. The result being widespread loss of humid tropical forest “Between 1990 and 1997, 5.8 ± 1.4 million hectares of humid tropical forest were lost each year, with a further 2.3 ± 0.7 million hectares of forest visibly degraded.” (Achard et al. 2002) The heart of the problem lies beneath a tangled mess of socio-economic growth resulting in massive deforestation chiefly for the land. Commercial farmers using the land for cattle, soybeans, palm oil and monoculture tree farms take advantage of loose government regulations. The most common tactic for land for forest removal is “slash and burn” where existing vegetation is cut down and burned for fertilizer. This technique has major impacts on multiple cycles key to forest health. Most notably the hydrological cycle, the nitrogen cycle and the carbon cycle. If this trend continues there will be major changes in precipitation and air quality, both locally and globally...
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...According to the forest inventory of AIDER, the forest in the community is typified as dry tropical forest. Dry tropical forest has low diversity of flora, where commonly the species are adapted to the droughts periods, with average heights of less than 10 meters. The distribution is like a savannah, in which the tree crown coverage is under 30 percent. The most dominant species are Algarrobo (Prosopis pallida), Faique (Acacia macracantha) and Zapote (Capparis scabrida), which are normally evergreen and in some cases thorny. This type of ecosystem also contains many shrubs with a height lower than 5 m like Overo (Cordia lutea), Charamusco (Encelia canescers), Satuyo (Capparis cordata) and Vichayo (Capparis ovalifolia). During wet seasons herbaceous and gramineous species appear. (AIDER 2010). The...
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...Lab day: Tuesday Exercise 9 Plant Adaptations Lamberton conservatory Introduction Plants have many different types of adaptations which allow them to survive in many different ecosystems including ones which get less than 25 cm of rain a year and ones which get over 4.5 m of rain a year! Plants must be adapted to be able to gather the materials needed for photosynthesis- CO2, water and sunlight. There are many different ways that plants have solved these problems. The Lamberton Conservatory, located in the Highland Park area of Rochester, houses a variety of seasonal plants, and plants adapted for special environments. Epiphytes, orchids, ferns, and exotic plants grow in the SW room of the actual greenhouse. The tropical forest room and the desert environment room display plants which have specialized for these climatic areas. We won’t see every habitat of the world, but we will see a variety of plants that are from a variety of ecosystems. We will be given a 30 - 45 min. tour of the conservatory then you will be allowed to spend 30 - 45 minutes browsing through the rooms in order to answer the questions on this worksheet. You may have to research the answers to some of the questions. Purpose 1. To introduce students to the beauty and fascination of plants in their "natural" environment. 2. To help develop more highly refined observation skills 3. To experience the joy of learning about the most abundant biological organisms in the environment...
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...Forest ecosystem FOREST ECOSYSTEM A forest is more than just the trees. A single forest is a complete, functioning ecosystem that supports innumerable plant and animal species as well as earth, water, and air subsystems. The subsystems provide the essence of life of the forest and are in themselves a byproduct of forest systems, all of which are reciprocal and inter dependent. A forest ecosystem is a complex of living and non-living elements which interrelate. An ecosystem can be small (like your backyard) or large (like the planet earth). It depends on the range of individual species or group of species being discussed (e.g.: a salmon stock or a forest type), geology (e.g.: a mountain range or watershed), and other issues. Different organisms exist within the forest layers. These organisms interact with each other and their surrounds. Echo organism has a role or niche in sustaining the ecosystem. Some provide food for other organisms, other provide shelter or control populations trough predation. NEEDLE LEAF Needle leaf trees fall into two categories based on how they are attached to the twig coming off the branch of the tree. On coastal redwoods and true firs, the needles will be connected directly to the twig, growing off it like leaves off the branch of a common plant. On trees like spruce trees, the individual needles will be connected to the tree via a peg-like stalk, which is also known as a needle peg. Sometimes needles on conifers are bundled together...
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...Edward Lohmeyer 12/7/13 The Genocide of Forests Forests still cover approximately 30 percent of the earth’s surface, but every year areas the sizes of Panama are being decimated (Deforestation). The clearing of large tracks of forests, which is thereafter converted to a non-forest use, is known as deforestation. Deforestation has a multitude of devastating effects in the world we live in. However with the cooperation of people worldwide this process can be drastically slowed down and even stopped. Forests are cut down for various reasons, but are almost always related to money in some way or another. The most common reasons are Urbanization, logging, large-scale agriculture, mining and urbanization. Deforestation can occur naturally and is caused by lighting, which then triggers forest fires. On average in U.S. 4 million to 5 million acres are lost due to forest fires, but in recent years more than 9 million acres have burn. Scientist believe the reason for the drastic increase is because global warming making summer season longer and dryer which is inductive to forest fires (Wildfires). Healthy forests help absorb greenhouse gasses and carbon emissions that are caused by human civilization and contribute to global warming. Without trees, more carbon and greenhouse gasses enter the atmosphere. To make matters worse, trees actually become carbon sources when they are cut, burned, or otherwise removed. According to the World Wild Life organization 15 percent of all...
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...Asia ran this industry based on its 141.4 million hectares tropical rainforest covering. However, serious deforestation has occurred due to the over-development of the paper and pulp industry. More and more rare species of animals and plants are becoming extinct, not to mention global warming, water loss and soil erosion. This report will discuss the said deforestation and its effects on Indonesian environment and its community, and also focus on analyzing the role of various sectors, namely thepaper and pulp product buyers, environmental non-government organizations and the Indonesian government,within the paper and pulp industry. Asia Paper & Pulp Group(APP) and Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL) are used as examples of the paper and pulp manufacturers. The report will be concluded by providing recommendations regarding the issue. Indonesia overview Indonesia maintains the highest rate of illegal logging among other countries, up to 60% of timber production. Corruption has been a prevalent issue in Indonesia, and was even worse after the end of the Suharto government system. Deforestation rate is excessive from 1.3 to 2 million hectares every year. Indonesia represents about one-quarter of global tropical wood production and exports, and about half of global tropical hardwood plywood exports. Indonesia is one of the prime targets of international awareness on illegal logging and forest destruction operation (Creek 2004). According to Creek (2004)...
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...Phase 1 Individual Project SCI201-1403A-12 Environmental Science and Sustainability July 10, 2014 Trena Woolridge Just to keep the theme going from the discussion board 2 assignment I decided to research and write about the Tropical Rainforest. I have always found the world’s rainforests to be very interesting with all of their secrets they hold inside of them. By doing this paper it will allow me to discover more in-depth information on the Tropical Rainforests. I wonder what all I will discover? There are many rainforests in the world but can be found only in three major geographical areas around the world. The one that stands out the most to me is the Tropical Rainforest in Central America in the Amazon Basin from the previous assignment I researched. Others are located in Africa, Australia, and Assam to name a few. Tropical Rainforests are made up of large trees, exotic wildlife, and thousands of species of plants. The structure of the Tropical Rainforest is very complex but can be simple to understand when broken down into sections. The rainforest can be divided into layers from top to bottom and can get a better understanding of the Tropical Rainforest as a whole. The different layers are: emergent, the canopy, the understory, and the leaf litter or cryptoshere or also known as the ground. Emergent are the larger, taller trees that stick out above the canopy. They can be 20-100 feet above the canopy and endures strong winds, temperature fluctuations, and damaging...
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...An important ecosystem service provided by forests is the ability to counter-act the effects of global warming. Carbon dioxide, a contributing factor to global warming, is taken up by the plants and vegetation contained in forests through photosynthesis and the resulting carbon is stored in both living and dead plant biomass. This process, known as carbon sequestration, greatly reduces the potential for global climate change (IPCC 2001). Forest cover also affects the albedo, that is, the proportion of incident solar radiation that is reflected by the earths surface. The dense green coloured canopy of tropical forests have a low albedo when compared with grasslands or deforested areas. This allows for more incident solar radiation to be absorbed and cooler air termperatures (O’Brien 1996). Perhaps the most important ecosystem service provided by forests, which is a basic requirement for life, is the supply of clean water. Forests facilitate the storage of clean water through filtering precipitation through the tree canopy. This, in effect, slows the rate at which precipitation collects at the ground surface allowing it to remain unsaturated. It is estimated that over 2/3 of the clean water supply is United States is contained within stream water, which was filtered through forests, with a direct value exceeding $27 billion per year (Snail 2009). This clean water can be captured and stored in watersheds that in turn, can be used for variety of purposes including agriculture,...
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...Do threats to biodiversity pose the greatest challenge to humanity for the 21st century? Introduction: The term biodiversity refers to the variety of life on Earth at all its levels, from genes to ecosystems, and the ecological and evolutionary processes that sustain it. Biodiversity includes not only special we consider rare, threatened, or endangered, but every living thing even organisms we still know little about, such as microbes, fungi, and invertebrates. Biodiversity is important everywhere; species and habitats in your area as well as those in distant lands all play a role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. Biodiversity is important because it boosts ecosystem productivity where each species, no matter how small, all have an important role to play. For example, a larger number of plant species means a greater variety of crops. Greater species diversity ensures natural sustainability for all life forms. There are five main threats to biodiversity that I can cover later on in this report are: 1. Invasive alien species 2. Climate change 3. Nutrient loading 4. Water pollution 5. Loss of habitat 6. Overexploitation In this report my goal is to explain what biodiversity is in detail in depth and explain how important it is to the world. Also, to outline if and how these threats pose a threat to humanity in the 21st century. How important is biodiversity? Biodiversity is important for all species' survival. We need a variety of habitats for...
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...of Science and Technology December 2014 Contents Introduction 1. Impacts of deforestation 2.1. Deforestation contributes to global warming 2.2. Deforestation loses biodiversity 2.3. Deforestation impacts soil negatively 2. Causes of deforestation 1.1. Population growth is an indirect reason of deforestation 1.2. Deforestation is rooted by urbanization and industrialization 1.3. Agriculture leads to deforestation 3. Solutions Conclusion References | 111233345567 | Deforestation: A threat against our planet Introduction Forests play an important role in our lives. Not only do they maintain biodiversity, for example providing food and shelters for animals and plants, but they also provide important sources such as food, woods, and herb medicines for human beings. They, moreover, help control climate and prevent soil from erosion. Forests, however, are under threat by deforestation – an act of clearing trees to exploit resources like woods, minerals, medicines and to create land for agricultural activities or space for building facilities, for instance houses, roads, etc. Deforestation is a pressing problem, and it is killing our planet because of many reasons. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impacts of deforestation on our planet, the causes of deforestation, and some necessary solutions to reduce deforestation. 1. Impacts of deforestation 2.1. Deforestation contributes to global warming ...
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...Week 8 212-241 FORESTS -economically valued -timber from coniferous->softwood (important to Canadian economy) -timber from deciduous->hardwood -timber harvested in many ways -clear-cutting -new forestry, sloppy way of clear-cutting to leave trees, mimick natural disturbances -selection systems, some left behind -ecologically valued -NA timber industry focus on fast growing tree species in plantations -plantations more as crop agriculture than ecologically functional forests -maximum sustainable yield, argues for cutting trees shortly after they have gone through their fastest stage of growth -trees may be cut long before grown as large as they would in absence of harvesting -some harvesting seek uneven-aged stands, similar to natural forests -growth of NA fuelled by land clearing and logging -agriculture major cause of conversion of forests and grasslands -many parts of developing world uses slash and burn agriculture -agriculture in many countries supported by govt -Brazillian govt give subsidies to farmers clearing rainforest for farmland -livestock graze ¼ earth surface -possible overgrazing, ruin soil -deforestation proceeding rapidly in developing nations Forest Management Principles -harvesting of material should not occur at rate that exceed capability of resource to replenish -National Forest Strategy -many managers practice ecosystem-based management -attempts to manage harvesting to minimize impact on ecosystems -adaptive management...
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...Forests in a Global Context Q1 What is the relationship between human evolution and grassland and how does this relate to global distribution of forests? Grasslands developed approximately 25 million years ago, and together with the modern homosapiens residing in Africa, they both helped each other. The relationship between grasslands and humans is extremely complex, the grasslands provide a majority of human nutrition and in turn the humans assist in their spread. By felling once tall standing forests and turning them into grasslands, the humans had a way to feed the animals they herded which in turn provided them with a source of meat and other vital nutrition necessary to sustain life for growth. Furthermore the grasslands also provided a fertile region for he humans to plant various types of crops such as maize, rice and wheat etc., further providing evidence that humans were once not only hunters but also gatherers. Once all existing value was used from the grassland, the prehistoric humans used fire as a mean to control the grassland, thereby expanding it to allow more area for animals to graze and for them to gather, or as a mean of clearing out and inhibiting woody vegetation in a new area for them to use. Burning the area when soil became infertile provided many benefits. The young plants provided an excellent source for the herds to graze on and also acted as bait to attract wild animals (potential food). Humans have affected the global distribution of forests...
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...Global Trade of Wood and Paper Products Abstract Global trade of wood products is accelerating amid shifting regional production of raw materials. At the same time structural change is occurring in regional production and consumption of finished and semi-finished wood and paper products. Some countries which once were major net exporters of wood products, such as the United States, have become major net importers. Conversely, China, a country that not long ago was a major net importer of wood products, is increasingly dominant as an exporter of value-added wood products such as furniture. What are the reasons behind these shifts in sources of supply and demand for wood and wood products? Direct forces such as population growth and rising socio-economic levels drive demand for wood and paper products. Increasing purchasing power in developing economies empowers consumers, both private and public, to purchase homes, furnishings and accessories. Indirect factors, such promotion of wood, strengthen demand and translate to significant gains in consumption in some markets. Consciousness of climate change and the advantages of wood for products and energy is creating a new impetus for increasing wood products consumption, including wood-derived energy products. Government and industry policies are important market drivers. Government policies can support increased utilization of wood, or can restrict wood in construction when standards favor competitive building materials...
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...Toying with Indonesia’s Deforestation Andrew Wirawan Introduction to Environmental Studies April 2014 Introduction Indonesia is one of the world’s most forested countries with a wide variety of forest types. These forests are rich in biodiversity and unsurprisingly are an important livelihood source for a great number of people. Somewhere between 6 million and 30 million Indonesians are estimated to be directly dependent on forests (Sunderlin et al. 2000). As Indonesia is a developing country, the government is highly dependent on the forestry sector, as well as forestry-related sectors such as agriculture, estate crops, mining and logging. Consequently, during Indonesia’s history, its forests have been continually exploited, meaning deforestation and forest degradation have been inevitable. This paper will emphasize on deforestation caused by various world famous toy manufacturers, such as Mattel, Disney, Hasbro and Lego. The usage of MTH (Mixed Tropical Hardwood) in their packaging means rainforest clearance in Indonesia, since MTH is only pulped at commercial scales in Indonesia, mainly by APP (Asia Pulp & Paper). Not only deforestation is caused, but this deforestation is also pushing critically endangered wildlife like Sumatran tigers toward extinction and making climate change worse. The Producer: APP APP or Asia Pulp & Paper is one of the largest pulp and paper companies in the world. APP has its roots since the 1970s, and with the founder’s close...
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