GEOG 1220 Chapter Notes - Chapter 8: Sustainable Forest Management, Groundcover, Siltation
18 Apr 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Clear- cutting logging practice that removes all trees from an area. Old- growth forests complex, primary forests in which the trees are at least 150 years old. In 1995, the government called for an end to clear-cutting at clayoquot sound, bc after its scientific panel of experts submitted a new forestry plan for the region. The plan recommended reducing harvests retaining 15-70% of old-growth trees in each stand, decreasing the logging road networks, designating forest reserve areas and managing riparian zones. Logging selectively with the goal of retaining a certain percentage and particular characteristics of the forest ecosystem is more expensive than normal clear- cutting. Forest cover roughly 31% of earth"s land surface. They provide habitat for countless organisms and help maintain soil, air and water quality. They play key roles in our planet"s biogeochemical cycles, serving as one of the most important reservoirs in the carbon cycle.
