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61 Cards in this Set
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- Back
Rangelands |
Vast natural landscapes in the form of grasslands, shrublands, woodlands, wetlands and prairies; they are typically unsuitable for farming due to low rainfall and poor soil |
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Riparian Zone |
Life-sustaining area by a river |
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Continuous Grazing |
Removes nearly all vegetation in one area, then herds are moved on to the next area |
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Rotational Grazing |
Allowing animals to feed in one area for a short time, then moving them |
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Closed Canopy Forest |
Those that have tree crowns that cover 20% or more of the ground |
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Open Canopy Forest |
Those that have tree crowns that cover less than 20% of the ground |
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Old-Growth Forest |
Uncut forest that has not been seriously disturbed for hundreds of years; 22% of world's forests |
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Second-Growth Forest |
Forest resulting from natural secondary succession, usually not as biodiverse |
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Timber / Lumber |
Trees that have been cut down and processed for use as wood products |
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Extractive Reserves |
Products such as nuts, fruits, mushrooms, latex (rubber) and gum that do not require the trees to be removed |
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Forest Management |
Science of maintaining a forest for sustainable harvests |
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Monoculture Forestry |
Trees are a single, fast-growing species |
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Tree Plantation |
Planted stands of a particular tree species for the sole purpose of growing them and then selling them |
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Selective Cutting |
Trees can be harvested individually from diverse forests |
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Clear Cutting |
An entire forest can be cut down; worst option |
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Strip Cutting |
Portions of the forest are harvested |
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Shelterwood Cutting |
Selective cutting in a series of two or more cuttings to make sure seedlings reach the forest floor and grow to a stable height |
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Seed-tree Cutting |
The removal of all trees except those of good genetic qualities and high productivity; more aggressive than shelterwood cutting |
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Habitat Fragmentation |
When large continuous habitats are divided into smaller, more isolated pieces |
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Forest Management Act of 1897 |
Created the forest reserves (now national forests) to serve as a source for timber, mining and grazing |
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Multiple Use Sustained Yield Act of 1960 |
Requires national forests to be managed for multiple uses including recreation, wildlife habitat, and logging |
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Debt for Nature Swap |
Allows developing countries to relieve their debt to developed countries and banks by setting aside protected areas in the country |
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Crown Fires |
Burns entire trees, leaps from tree to tree, kills wildlife, increases soil erosion |
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Ground Fires |
Occur on the O soil horizon and underground, very difficult to extinguish |
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Surface Fires |
Burns undergrowth and leaf litter, stimulates germination, releases minerals |
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Healthy Forest Restoration Act |
Allows timber companies to cut medium and large trees in 71% of the national forests; in return, must clear away smaller, more fire-prone trees and underbrush |
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Antiquities Act of 1906 |
Giving the president authority to, by executive order, restrict the use of particular public land owned by the federal government |
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National Park Service Act of 1916 |
Established the National Park Service |
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Wilderness |
Areas of underdeveloped land undisturbed by human activities that humans visit but do not inhabit |
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Wilderness Act of 1964 |
Allows public wilderness areas to be protected as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System; areas are roadless and uninhabited |
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Wildlife Refuge |
Areas managed for multiple use including recreation and resources |
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Arctic National Wildlife Refuge |
Wildlife Refuge in northeast Alaska; in the news because Congress considering opening up to oil drilling |
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Conservation Easement |
Deed restrictions put in place by governments or land trust groups that bar future owners from developing the land; to maintain and improve water quality, perpetuate and foster the growth of healthy forest, maintain and improve wildlife habitat and migration corridors |
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Land Trust Groups |
Private nonprofit groups in the US that protect large areas of land |
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Ecotourism |
Tourism that supports the conservation and sustainable development of ecological areas; Costa Rica |
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Restoration |
Repairing ecosystems damaged by humans or natural forces; bringing back to former condition |
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Reclamation |
Restoring badly damaged sites, usually mining, to their original topographic states |
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Rehabilitation |
Attempting to turn a degraded ecosystem back to being functional but not back to its original state |
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Mitigation |
Making up for damaging one ecosystem by protecting/enhancing an ecosystem in another location |
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Remediation |
"Cleaning" of pollutants or contaminants from soil, air, or water |
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Bioremediation |
Cleaning it with living things |
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Phytoremediation |
Cleaning it with plants |
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Everglades Diversion Project |
Dug channels and drained everglades for agriculture and development; killing everglades |
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Wetland Mitigation |
Creating new wetlands in lieu of those destroyed by development |
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Wetland Water Filtration |
•Primary treatment (physical/mechanical): grasses and soil act as mechanical filters as water leaches down and/or slowly moves laterally •Secondary treatment (biological): organic wastes are broken down/decomposed by bacteria in a natural environment |
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Ways that we are destroying wetlands |
•draining wetlands for agriculture or urban development •increased pollution in stormwater runoff reaches wetlands and damages them •overharvesting fish from wetlands •dams and other water management projects have unintended effects on water levels in wetlands |
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Ecosystem Management |
Attempt to manage ecosystems with regard to ecology, economic, and social goals not jurisdiction |
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National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 |
Requires a federal agency to submit the following as part of their proposal for a project: 1) Environmental Assessment 2) Environmental Impact Statement |
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Suburb |
A separate residential area within driving distance of a city |
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Exurb |
An area similar to a suburb, but unconnected to any central city or densely populated area |
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Urban Sprawl |
Urbanized areas that spread into rural areas, removing clear boundaries between the two |
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Greenbelt |
A land use designation to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighboring urban areas |
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Urban Blight (in developed countries) |
The degradation of the physical and social environments of the city that often accompanies and accelerates migration to the suburbs |
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Urban Blight (in developing countries) |
As jobs become scarce and poverty increases, people converge in cities looking for employment |
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Pull Factors |
Conditions that draw people from the country into the city |
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Push Factors |
Conditions that force people out of the country and into the city |
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Infill |
Building on vacant lots in urban areas to reduce urban sprawl |
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Urban Heat Island |
A warmer microclimate around cities |
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Zoning |
Classifying different areas within a city for different types of development and land use |
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Habitat Corridor |
Protected areas between isolated reserves; they help support more species and allow migration for vertebrates that need large ranges |
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Wildlife Crossings |
Allow animals to safely bypass highways and roads |