Land Management
This term describes a situation where individuals deplete a shared resource for personal gain, leading to long-term damage.
What is the Tragedy of the Commons?
The goal of the U.S. National Forest Management program is to maintain and improve these three key aspects of forests.
What are health, diversity, and productivity?
The replanting of trees after clear-cutting to restore forests and reduce erosion is called this.
What is reforestation?
This process occurs when removing too many trees leads to soil being washed away by rain or blown away by wind.
What is erosion?
This 1969 U.S. law requires an environmental impact statement for any federally funded projects.
What is the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)?
In the United States, this percentage of land is publicly owned, more than any other nation.
What is 42%?
This logging technique removes all or almost all trees from an area, making it the most economical but environmentally damaging method.
What is clear-cutting?
This method involves setting controlled fires to reduce dead biomass and prevent uncontrolled wildfires.
What is a prescribed burn?
Clear-cutting increases this greenhouse gas in the atmosphere due to increased microbial decomposition.
What is carbon dioxide?
These designated areas limit human activities to preserve ecosystems and biodiversity.
What are protected areas?
These government agencies manage 95% of federal lands in the U.S.
What are the Bureau of Land Management (BoLM), United States Forest Service (USFS), National Park Service (NPS), and Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)?
Unlike clear-cutting, this method removes only select trees, creating small openings where younger trees can grow.
What is selective cutting?
This 1973 law protects and restores plant and animal species that are threatened with extinction.
What is the Endangered Species Act?
This natural disaster becomes more likely in clear-cut areas due to soil compaction and lack of vegetation.
What are mudslides?
The federal government allows private companies to harvest timber in these forests as long as they pay a royalty fee.
What are national forests?
This type of land is open, dry grassland primarily used for grazing cattle.
What are rangelands?
This type of forestry approach ensures that noncommercial tree species remain unaffected and mimics natural ecosystems as closely as possible.
What is ecologically sustainable forestry?
Certified lumber is more expensive than non-certified lumber because of the cost of sustainability programs, but increased demand could lower prices. This term describes ensuring wood products come from sustainably managed forests.
What is the "chain of custody"?
Logging roads built for timber harvesting negatively impact this aspect of biodiversity by disrupting animal habitats and compacting soil.
What is species diversity?
This type of forestry practice balances timber production with maintaining biodiversity, soil health, and carbon sequestration.
What is sustainable forestry?