ENV100Y5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 33: Forest Ecology, Agroforestry, Understory
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ENV100Y5 Full Course Notes
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Document Summary
Forest ecosystem: covers 30% of earth"s land surface, contain 90% of terrestrial biodiversity. Mature forests are complex ecosystems provide habitat, maintain soil, soil, and water quality, and play key roles in biogeochemical cycles. Trees provide many ecological services crucial link in nutrient and water cycles stabilize and prevents erosion slow runoff and less flooding store carbon, release oxygen, moderate climate. Forests are economically valuable benefits: fuel, shelter, transportation (ships), paper softwood timber harvested from coniferous trees hardwood timber harvested from deciduous trees: ntfps non-timber forest products, such as medical, herbal, decorative, and edible products. >1. 6 billion people depend on forests for their livelihoods. ~20 million indigenous people are dependent on forests. ~1. 2 billion people rely on agroforestry to sustain agricultural productivity and generate income. Three major types of forest biome boreal (taiga) temperature: generally low, cold winters precipitation: snow, 40-100 cm/yr soil: thin, nutrient-poor, acidic canopy: closed; low light penetration; understory limited.
