FOREST Basics

(Getting Acquainted With the Forest)

ENGR. NANCY M. ESPARTINEZ Faculty, AE Dept, BUCAF

Rapid River WHAT IS A FOREST? School Only trees? A community? An ecosystem? s Includes animals? Fish? Streams & lakes? Houses? How big of an area? Regeneration areas? Plantations? Christmas tree farm? That Ecological portion of processes a geographically like nutrient largeor area energy dominated cycling? by trees. As an ecosystem, it is meant to include all plants and sometimes the animals dependent upon the trees and plants. Smaller area of largely homogenous tree compositions are called stands.

It is a community of trees, shrubs, herbs, and associated plants and organisms that cover a considerable area that use oxygen, water and soil nutrients as the community attains maturity and reproduces itself.

What is a forest?
trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area an area with a high density of trees; also called a wood, woodland, wold, weald holt, frith, firth, timberland. FAO defines it as a portion of land bigger than half a hectare with trees higher than 5 m and a tree canopy cover of more than 10 %, or with trees that will be able to meet these criteria. It does not include land that is predominantly under agricultural or urban land use.

forest ecosystem - defined intrinsically with

additional species such as fungi.

Dry Upland Forest

Dry Upland Forest Animals

What is a forest?
Forests differs from a woodland by the extent of canopy coverage. In a forest, the branches and the foliage of separate trees often meet or interlock. A woodland has a more continuously open canopy, with trees spaced further apart, which allows more sunlight to penetrate to the ground between them monoculture single species of tree grown in a forest Strata several layers of vegetation in a forest

S T R A T A

canopy forms the ceiling which

contains the tall broadleaf; the highest level. understory the area beneath the canopy which is filled in with smaller trees shrub layer small woody plants at the lower strata of a forest, herb layer shortest plants; consists of ferns, grasses, and flowering plants. forest floor composed of a layer of litter

Trees in the forest grow with one trunk, and codominant stems toward the top of the tree

One of Earths most valuable resources:

Biodiversity is the variety and complexity of species that are present and that interact in an ecosystem, plus the relative abundance of each.

One of the biggest threats to biodiversity

Invasive Species Plants

Insects Diseases

Healthy forests provide quality habitat for wildlife

flying squirrel box turtle

screech owl

spotted turtle

spotted salamander

Animals and insects have a huge role in the forest.

1. decomposers breakdown organic matter 2. daily activity helps fertilize and aerate the soil 3. pollinators and seed dispersers 4. predators control harmful insects and mammals

Animals and insects can also become a nuisance or serious threat to a natural setting.
Excessive deer browsing on a forests seed crop squirrels and white footed mice girdle the trunks of young trees.

insects may reach a population that require large acres

of tree to be removed