Sustainable forest management requires three major criteria which are the maintenance of ecological processes within the forest (soil formation, energy flow, biogeochemical cycles (carbon, nutrient and hydrological cycles), maintenance of biodiversity of forest, improving the net social benefits derived from the mixture of forest uses within the constraints by considering the future. Forest provides habitats for more than half of the fauna and flora on the Earth (SCBD, 2001). Forest biome plays an important role in mitigating climate change by serving as carbon sinks (Hassan et al., 2005). Forest land is the most fundamental natural resources which become reduced mainly due to anthropogenic pressures. For proper management of land, it is essential to have information about existing land cover and about the naturalness of the land. The increment in forest cover does not mean that …show more content…
Bojocco et al(2010) Reported that fire has a major role in the determination of diversity and vegetation dynamics. It has influence on landscape structural diversity (Weatherspoon and Skinner 1995). The frequent occurrence of forest fires has been one of the vital reasons for the exhaustion and extinction of most of the biodiversity. This results in partial or complete degradation of vegetation cover or fragmentation of the forest thus modifying the radiation balance by growing the surface albedo, water runoff and raising the soil erosion (Darmawan and Mulyanto, 2001). Historical study of forest fire is significant for ecological and forest management applications(Iniguez et al. 2008). In terrestrial ecosystems, Landuse change and fires are considered as the drivers of global change(Rudel et al. 2005;Fraterrigo et al.
Upon review of the height of the plants there was a significant difference from the start of the dune to the end of the transect. For example, at the plants at the dune had an average height of 1.46 meters with a standard deviation of ± 1.18 meters. Every 15 meters the average height increased and by the 90 meter mark the average height was 4.11 meters with a standard deviation of ±6.33 meters. This is a difference of 2.65 meters between the dune and the end of the transect. This establishes that the back of the forest is older as there is more growth and the plants are taller in that
Earth, the home to humans, animals, and all of biological diversity, experiences changes every second of every day, and these changes are referred to as biological altercations. Biological altercations, like the Santa Ana winds, are commonly disputed among society due to both the positive and negative outcomes of the altercations. The Santa Ana winds are extremely dry winds that affect Southern California and are known to cause wildfires. Individuals like Joan Didion argue that a Santa Ana brings darkness and danger, whereas other individuals like Linda Thomas argue that it brings beauty and value. Each side of this dispute is discussed in Linda Thomas’ essay “Brush Fire”, and
Hello Jamal, you made a valid point concerning nutrition being one of the most important factors of the human life. I am a witness that the proper nutrition can enhance the flow of our blood, and the oxygen to the brain. However, in my forestry class, I learned that trees function as a natural air filter, which leads to the importance to our environment and health matters. Upon learning about the importance of the nurturance in the dirt, to the importance of trees within an environment, this allowed me to appreciate being surrounded by trees, which was a different experience for me. Indeed, I can relate to eating anything without getting heartburn, and remaining the same size for the majority of my life.
Wildfires can destroy entire habitats of plants and wipe out life over miles of land. Once these fires clear large areas of vegetation the loss of plants can heighten the risk of significant erosion and landslides. In sudden rainfall these cleared areas become extremely dangerous and some observers have even reported soil “glassification,” where the silica in the soils become melted and fused, forming an impermeable layer in the soil. This impermeable layer can make it very difficult for future plants to grow back and for animals to re-inhabit the area. Although many don’t think of a benefit to wildfires in the biosphere, there are some positive outcomes of wildfires.
Earth, the home to humans, animals, and all of biological diversity, experiences changes every second of every day, and these changes are referred to as biological altercations. Biological altercations, like the Santa Ana winds, are commonly disputed among society due to both the positive and negative outcomes of the altercations. The Santa Ana winds are extremely dry winds that affect Southern California and are known to cause wildfires. Individuals like Joan Didion argue that a Santa Ana brings darkness and danger, whereas other individuals like Linda Thomas argue that it brings beauty and value. Each side of this dispute is discussed in Linda Thomas’ essay “Brush Fire”, and
The Amazon The Amazon is a sublime location. This region is abundant in species of vegetation and animals, many of which have not even been discovered (National Geographic). The animals of the Amazon Rainforest all come together to form a complex and intricate ecosystem. Deforestation, climate change, are factors that have recently come against the Amazon Rainforest (National Geographic). In this scenario, the future of the Amazon Rainforest appears bleak.
Old growth forests are rare to come by, especially in the United States. The Camillus Unique Forest Area, located in northeastern New York, has many characteristics of an old growth forest. It is unclear how old the forest actually is, as the tree species that reside there have a life span of 100-200 years. This could mean that the forest is thousands of years old, with hundreds of generations of these species, or only a few hundred years old, with the first generation just reaching maturity. Either way the forest has many traits of an old growth forest.
Environmental change is defined as the adjustment or disturbance of the environment due to human influence and natural ecological processes. There are different types of environmental change which can include any number of things such as natural disasters, human interference or animal interaction. As such all life is subject to the effects of climate change and must somehow develop ways to adapt to such change. One Ancient civilization which felt the full effects of climate change were the Mayans which came into its own between the periods of 250 and 900 A. D (Anno Domini).
Deforestation By the time you have finished reading this article, over 150 acres of rainforest will be burnt. Deforestation is a global issue that destroys the natural world and has clear correlations to global warming. We as the Romantic Party of Australia are highly against deforestation. Under our government, we would make it our mission to prevent deforestation around the world, to preserve the earths natural beauty.
This is applied to procedures such as the decision making, planning and evaluation of forest management (Natural Resources Canada, 2015). The ecosystem-based approach is a perspective process that considers the interactions of various factors, including humans, and their effects on an ecosystem (Convention on Biological Diversity, n.d). Ecosystem Based Management (EBM) has been noted as being a flexible approach to managing the coexistence of human activities and a functioning ecosystem so that they may be mutually beneficial (Ecotrust, n.d). This means that human activities must not be in excess of what the ecosystem can produce, and not damage the ecosystem in terms of its diversity and functions (Ecotrust, n.d). The purpose of this scientific approach is to ensure the ecosystem, in this case forests, maintain their social, environmental and economic benefits (Ecotrust, n.d).
Introduction The number of plant species inhabiting Earth keep our planet highly diverse as well as play a vital role in sustaining our environment and our population. The understanding of plant species and their diversity and abundance is important because plants are vital to maintaining Earth and its atmosphere. In our research project, we addressed the question: How does the abundance of the ponderosa pine species vary within different elevation levels on the Bear Peak Trail? The article by Wathen et.
To feel free, living off the land, or to live the way we do in our current lives? These kinds of questions are ones that we often ask ourselves in our modern world of metropolises, cars, and grocery stores. But what would it really mean to have kept living in a society, thousands of years ago, that continued the roaming lifestyle. Would life be simpler and happier? In my opinion, the benefits that hunting and gathering proposed would be really tempting, and from the evidence better for my health too.
Theoretical underpinnings: Ecosystem Services Valuation Framework The study will be guided by the ecosystem valuation framework (Hein et al., 2006) to quantify and map a range of ecosystem services and evaluate the impact of land use change on these ecosystem services (provisioning, regulating and cultural services). The ecosystem valuation framework is applicable to all ecosystems and very valuable in modified (semi-natural and natural) ecosystems. The framework categorize valuation of ecosystem services into four (4) phases, viz (1) Specification of the boundaries of the ecosystem to be valued, (2) Assessment of the ecosystem services supplied by the system, (3) Valuation of the ecosystem service and lastly, (4) Aggregation or comparison
First, deforestation creates space for human expansion. The population of the world is drastically increasing. By 2050, it is expected that there will be “10 billion people,” indicating that the need for space is a necessity if humans are going to keep growing at the rate that they are now ("17 Important Pros and Cons of Deforestation", 2015). The increase of space will not only be used for habitation purposes, but also for commercial establishments, which can improve the economy. Furthermore, trees are used to make valuable material.
The north, south, east and western parts of the Mediterranean differentiate between precipitation, temperature and weather patterns (Bottenberg, Schanus, Kluss and Kuball, n.d.). All four parts experience a summer drought which has lead to vegetation such as olive trees, small shrubs and hardy grass adapting to it by having waxy leaves, thick bark, growth of hair or smaller leaves. Prior to the summer drought, rain has supported the growth of plant life such as dense shrubs and trees; these same plants create dead fuel during the summer drought. The build-up of this dead fuel can contribute in createing wildfires during the summer or early autumn (Dallman, 1998). Due to maritime influence at the coast, the average temperature of the coldest winters would still be above the freezing point allowing for plants such as the evergreen trees and shrubs to thrive and create a lush winter landscape (Dallman, 1998).