Deck 13: Land Resources

Question 1

Sustainable forestry:

A)seeks to conserve forests for the long-term commercial harvest of timber and non-timber forest products by maintaining a mix of forest trees,by age and species,rather than imposing a monoculture.
B)due to the complexity of goals,is most effective when it involves cooperation among environmentalists,loggers,farmers,indigenous peoples,and local,state,and federal governments.
C)approaches vary from one forest ecosystem to another,in response to different environmental,cultural,and economic conditions.
D)is all of the above.

Answer 1

is all of the above.

Question 2

Which of the following statements about the Forest Stewardship Council is TRUE

A)The FSC is a German organization that acts as a legitimate third party in certifying wood that is harvested using environmentally sound and socially responsible practices.
B)FSC certification is based on the sustainability of the timber resource,socioeconomic benefits provided to local people,and maintenance of forest ecosystem health.
C)FSC is criticized by some who are skeptical about the reliability of FSC investigations and the economic viability of this type of forestry.
D)All of the statements are true.

Answer 2

All of the statements are true.

Question 3

Who manages federal lands in the United States

A)National Park Service.
B)U)S.Forest Service.
C)U)S.Fish and Wildlife Service.
D)All of these agencies help to manage US lands.

Answer 3

All of these agencies help to manage US lands.

Question 4

A protected zone that connects isolated unlogged or undeveloped areas is called:

A)a habitat corridor
B)sustainable forestry
C)shelterwood cutting
D)a monoculture

Question 5

In one tree harvesting model called ___,in the first year of harvest,undesirable tree species and dead or diseased trees are removed and then subsequent harvests occur at intervals of several years,allowing time for remaining trees to grow.

A)Clear-cutting
B)even-age harvesting
C)selective cutting
D)shelterwood cutting

Question 6

Fifty percent of all the wood that is harvested from the world's forests is:

A)made into furniture
B)used in producing paper
C)burned directly as fuelwood
D)used to make children's toys

Question 7

Federally owned land encompasses all of the following EXCEPT:

A)land that that contains important resources such as minerals and fossil fuels
B)land that possesses historical or cultural significance
C)land that provides critical biological habitat
D)no exceptions,all of the above are examples of federally owned land

Question 8

Who owns the LEAST land in the United States

A)The federal government,as national parks.
B)Native Americans,as communal lands.
C)Citizens,corporations,and non-profit organizations,as private land holdings.
D)State and local governments,as state and municipal parks.

Question 9

What is the reason that forests tend to be cooler and moister than surrounding open lands

A)elevation
B)latitude
C)canopy cover
D)transpiration

Question 10

Conventional forestry practices that manage for timber production:

A)involve planting a collection of specific species of commercially important trees,but thinning or removing only those trees that are not ecologically desirable.
B)are reflected in the planting of a monoculture of young pines that are all the same age and are planted in rows a fixed distance apart.
C)reduce the use of insecticides and fungicides as managed forests are at less susceptible to disease and damage from insect pests.
D)increase forest diversity because managed forests offer a lot of one kind of food,and thus can support a larger variety of organisms than typically found in natural forests.

Question 11

What is an important ecosystem service provided by forests

A)They fix large amounts of oxygen,removing it from the atmosphere
B)They promote soil erosion
C)They maintain watersheds
D)They provide habitat for a few animal species

Question 12

Habitat corridors are intended to provide:

A)additional habitat fragmentation.
B)increase in species richness within forest monocultures.
C)a means for controlling insect pests and invasive species.
D)a means of migration so animals can interbreed.

Question 13

Forests play an important role in the hydrologic cycle by:

A)keeping most moisture to underground storage as groundwater.
B)keeping small amounts of water to the atmosphere.
C)recycling 75% of precipitation to the atmosphere by transpiration and evaporation.
D)removing large amounts of carbon monoxide from the atmosphere.

Question 14

Which of the following statements about clear-cutting is FALSE

A)Timber companies prefer clear-cutting because it is the most cost-effective way to harvest trees.
B)Wood from clear-cut forest would bear the FSC certification.
C)Clear-cutting is ecologically unsound because it destroys biological habitats and increases soil erosion,particularly on sloping land.
D)With clear-cutting,most recreational benefits of forests are lost.

Question 15

The following are benefits of habitat corridors:

A)they provide animals with escape routes,should they be needed.
B)they allow animals a safe migration route to find mates.
C)they allow large predators a way to maintain large territories.
D)all of the above are benefits of wildlife corridors.

Question 16

In the US land is managed by four government agencies,of which the ___ is the only one NOT in the Department of the Interior.

A)National Park Service.
B)U)S.Forest Service.
C)U)S.Fish and Wildlife Service.
D)Bureau of Land Management.

Question 17

What is the tree harvesting method most preferred and used by timber companies

A)Clear-cutting
B)seed tree cutting
C)selective cutting
D)shelterwood cutting

Question 18

Public lands may be used for:

A)resource extraction
B)livestock grazing
C)wildlife habitat
D)all of the above

Question 19

Who owns the MOST land in the United States

A)The federal government,as national parks.
B)Native Americans,as communal lands.
C)Citizens,corporations,and non-profit organizations,as private land holdings.
D)State and local governments,as state and municipal parks.

Question 20

Most of the federally owned land in the United States is located in:

A)Alaska and 11 western states.
B)Alaska and the Rocky Mountain area.
C)11 western states and the Hawaii.
D)New York,Maine,Texas,and Florida

Question 21

As part of the National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS),areas that are designated as wilderness are found in the following types of publicly owned lands:

A)national parks
B)national forests
C)public rangelands
D)all of the above

Question 22

Which of the following statements about rangelands is TRUE

A)Rangelands have native grasses with fibrous root systems that can survive extended periods of drought.
B)Rangelands are valuable for food production but yield no other economically valuable resources.
C)Rangelands can benefit from overgrazing by cattle since it may actually increase the plant diversity.
D)Rangelands are found in temperate regions,but not in tropical climates.

Question 23

Deforestation is the most serious problem facing the world's forests and the main regions of forest loss are:

A)Africa and South America
B)North and Central America
C)Europe and Asia
D)Australia and Caribbean sea

Question 24

Conservation strategies that set aside ecosystems for preservation:

A)are meant to preserve an area's diversity.
B)increase the likelihood that a given ecosystem will be exploited.
C)decrease the number of endangered species living in that ecosystem.
D)can only be carried out by government agencies.

Question 25

Which of the following is NOT a threat to U.S.National Parks

A)Ecosystem services
B)Graffiti
C)Collecting plants,minerals,and fossils
D)Declining wildlife populations

Question 26

The Wilderness Act of 1964:

A)established five new national parks.
B)limits the percentage of an area that can be developed for human habitation and other activities.
C)allows the U.S.government to set aside federally owned land that retains its primeval character and lacks permanent improvements.
D)established wilderness areas,but only within existing national parks.

Question 27

The effects of deforestation include:

A)increased soil fertility,as without trees to absorb them,the essential mineral nutrients remain in the soil.
B)harm to downstream fisheries,due to sedimentation of waterways from increased soil erosion.
C)increase in local rainfall and cooler temperatures,due to reduced plant respiration and transpiration.
D)benefit to many species especially tropical and migratory species,due to habitat fragmentation

Question 28

Which of the following statements regarding rangelands in the United States is TRUE

A)Approximately 50% of the total land area in the United States is rangeland,and most of it is located east of the Mississippi.
B)The condition of U.S.rangelands which declined starting in the 1930s,at the time of the Dust Bowl,have continued to be on the decline largely due to the lack of federal legislation.
C)Public rangelands in the U.S.are managed by the National Park Service with a preservation mandate and thus cannot be used for grazing private livestock.
D)Restoration of degraded rangeland in the U.S.is a slow and costly process but effective as a result of techniques that include seeding in places where plant cover is sparse or absent,conducting controlled burns to suppress shrubby plants,constructing fences to allow rotational grazing,and controlling invasive weeds.

Question 29

Which of the following statements about forests in the U.S.is FALSE

A)The majority (well over 50%)of U.S.forests are owned and managed by private individuals.
B)Forests in the eastern U.S.are holding steady or even expanding due to secondary succession on abandoned farmland.
C)One of the biggest threats to forests in the U.S.is their potential subdivision and conversion to suburban development like housing and shopping malls.
D)Projected conversion of forests to agriculture,urban,and suburban lands over the next 40 years will have the greatest potential impact in the south.

Question 30

How are wilderness areas different from national parks

A)Only wilderness areas contain large populations of predators like wolves or grizzly bears.
B)No human development is allowed in wilderness areas.
C)Except for research purposes,people are not allowed to visit wilderness areas.
D)Wilderness areas allow grazing and some timber removal.

Question 31

Why are tropical rain forests considered so important to global ecology

A)They contribute greatly to the world's carbon and oxygen cycles.
B)They retard soil erosion.
C)They contain much of the world's biodiversity.
D)All of the above.

Question 32

Which of the following can be found in U.S.National Parks

A)Significant modern architecture.
B)Economically significant areas or buildings.
C)Historic battlefields.
D)Farm land.

Question 33

Which of the following statements about boreal forests is TRUE
1)Boreal forests occur primarily in Brazil,Indonesia,and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
2)Boreal forests are currently the primary source of the world's industrial wood and wood fiber.
3)Boreal forests are harvested primarily by clear-cut logging.

A)1 only
B)2 only
C)3 only
D)2 and 3

Question 34

Which of the following is NOT a way to slow deforestation

A)By replanting trees.
B)By managing commercial logging operations.
C)By promoting additional slash-and-burn agricultural practices.
D)By discouraging plantation style agriculture of crops like bananas and palm oil.

Question 35

Which of the following is NOT a goal of the wise-use movement

A)To allow unrestricted development of wetlands.
B)To put all national forests under timber management.
C)To sell portions of resource-rich federal lands to private interests.
D)To uphold the Endangered Species Act as currently written.

Question 36

A legal agreement that protects privately owned rangelands,forests or other property from development for a specified number of years is termed:

A)a public rangeland.
B)a national park.
C)a conservation easement.
D)a wildlife corridor.

Question 37

What is the relationship of overgrazing to desertification

A)Overgrazing is the destruction of a grassland ecosystem; desertification is the destruction of a desert ecosystem.
B)Overgrazing results in barren exposed soil; if erosion continues,it contributes to desertification.
C)Overgrazing is brought about by livestock operations; desertification is brought about by crop cultivation.
D)Overgrazing and desertification are both a result of the introduction of non-native species coupled with extended droughts.

Question 38

National Parks are increasingly becoming like islands.What is meant by this is:

A)During peak seasonal use,National Parks are like islands of human activity that resemble urban areas,in a otherwise rural landscape.
B)Most National Parks are located on islands.
C)National Parks are like sanctuaries that successfully maintain healthy populations of species such as grizzly bears and wolves.
D)National parks are increasingly becoming islands of natural habitat surrounded by human development that limits the areas in which wild animals may range,forcing them into isolated populations.

Question 39

While tropical rain forests are largely being cleared for ___,tropical dry forests are being destroyed largely due to ___.

A)commercial logging…road construction
B)sourcing pharmaceutical products…cattle ranching
C)mining mineral ores…charcoal production
D)subsistence agriculture…fuelwood harvesting

Question 40

Why have conservative economists joined environmentalists in criticizing the management of federal rangelands

A)Both groups agree that to preserve ecosystem services grazing must be stopped on these lands.
B)Both groups agree that overgrazing is costing too much and want grazing fees increased to cover costs of maintaining herds on public lands.
C)Both groups agree that federal rangelands should be planted with trees,as forests are a more valuable resource.
D)Both groups agree that irrigation is the best way to reverse desertification in rangelands and want to install irrigation systems at taxpayer expense.

Question 41

According to the Defenders of Wildlife,the top three most endangered ecosystems in the U.S.include:

A)Northwestern grassland,Heartland savanna,and California native grassland
B)South Florida landscape,Southern Appalachian spruce-fir forest,and longleaf pine forests and savannas.
C)Alaskan tundra,Hawaii's rainforest,and coastal wetlands
D)Bogs,Arizona's deserts,and Rocky Mountain evergreen forests

Question 42

What are ecosystem services
How would you respond to the critic who says,"Forests are only good for providing timber"
Support your answer with examples of at least four different ecosystem services offered by forests.

Question 43

Describe public rangelands,stating which government agencies administer them in the U.S.What is the carrying capacity of a rangeland and what results when this capacity is exceeded

Question 44

Describe three reasons why government owned lands are important.

Question 45

In the United States,National Parks serve to provide biological habitat and facilitate human recreation.This is generally a very successful model,but National Parks as a result are victims of their own success.Discuss at least three ways in which the popularity and success of national parks imperils them.Also provide some potential solutions to address these threats.

Question 46

Identify the criteria used by the Defenders of Wildlife to rank the endangered ecosystems in the United States.Identify three endangered ecosystems that meet these criteria and explain how the criteria apply to them.

Question 47

What is the "wise-use movement
" Identify four goals of the "wise-use movement" and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of implementing each.Do you personally support or oppose this movement
Justify your position.