Land Managment Quiz

urban sprawl

An Urbanized area that has spread into a rural area in a way that removes clear boundaries between the two

Industrial logging threatens many forested ecosystems. Which of the following environmental consequences will most likely result from clear-cutting deciduous forests for logging? A More carbon dioxide will be added to the atmosphere and increase anthropogenic climate change. B Farmers will be able to utilize more land, resulting in a decrease in the number of floods. C Less oxygen will be used by the trees, so more oxygen will be in the atmosphere for humans and other animals to use. D The regulating services of the area, such as nutrient cycling and water regulation, would increase with fewer trees in the landscape.

A More carbon dioxide will be added to the atmosphere and increase anthropogenic climate change.

Which of the following solutions would help decrease flood frequencies and flood sizes that are caused by urbanization? A Using new, more permeable materials for roads and sidewalks B Filling nearby wetlands to reduce the amount of water in an area C Encouraging construction of housing developments outward into nearby suburban and rural areas D Installing new, more energy-efficient appliances in existing apartment buildings

A Using new, more permeable materials for roads and sidewalks

Prescribed burn Pros/cons

A fire deliberately set under controlled conditions in order to reduce the accumulation of dead biomass on a forest floor Pros: nutrient cycling, regeneration, opening for early successional species Cons: spread

Clear Cutting Pros/Cons

A method of harvesting trees that involves removing all or almost all of the trees within an area. Pros: Most ecological in the short term, increased bio diversity? Cons: Creates most erosion, loss of nutrients, carbon concentration

Smart growth

A set of principles for community planning that focuses on strategies to encourage the development of sustainable, healthy communities.

Sustainable use of forests in the United States would likely be encouraged by A. Cutting small groups of medium-large trees in uneven-aged forests B. Clear cutting old growth forests to allow secondary succession C. allowing road building in wilderness area so that older, clear cut forests have time to regenerate D. logging steep slopes designated wilderness areas

A. Cutting small groups of medium-large trees in uneven-aged forests

Ecologically sustainable forestry

An approach to removing trees from forests in ways that do not unduly affect the viability of other noncommercial trees.

Which of the following changes to the local hydrologic cycle will result if large areas of land experienced clear-cutting? A Transpiration of water from vegetation will increase. B Evaporation of water from the soil will increase. C Runoff from watersheds will decrease. D Siltation of local streams will decrease.

B Evaporation of water from the soil will increase.

One example of the tragedy of the commons occurs when trees are harvested from tropical rain forests without any regulations. Which of the following best describes why this is an example of the tragedy of the commons? A Tropical rain forests have a thin layer of decaying organic matter and relatively low nutrient levels slowing tree growth. B Trees are an important resource, but not all individuals can access the resource. C Timber producers remove as much timber as possible as cheaply as possible. D Tropical rain forests have the highest number of species per unit area, and trees are important for stability in the ecosystem.

C Timber producers remove as much timber as possible as cheaply as possible.

Which of the following statements best describes the most unsustainable method of clear-cutting forests to harvest timber? A All but the healthiest trees are removed from a forest. B The highest-value trees are selectively removed from a forest. C All of the shade-intolerant trees in a small section of a forest are cut down. D All of the trees in a forest are cut down and removed in one operation.

D All of the trees in a forest are cut down and removed in one operation.

Which of the following scenarios best explains the concept of the tragedy of the commons? A Fish farming, a type of aquaculture, produces fish through selective breeding to produce a cheap source of protein, reducing the fishing pressure on wild stock fish. B A collapse of the fishing industry leads to a loss of fishing-related jobs, which will have negative consequences on the economy. C Declines in the fish population lead to a decline in the population of fish predators, affecting the entire food chain. D Fish are shared resources, and as the fishing industry competes for the fish, the resource extraction is no longer sustainable.

D Fish are shared resources, and as the fishing industry competes for the fish, the resource extraction is no longer sustainable.

Which of the following describes an aspect of urbanization that would most increase the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere compared to rural and suburban areas? A A greater amount of impermeable surfaces in urban areas that prevents organic material from entering soils B Reliance on mass transportation systems in urban areas, such as buses and trains rather than individual cars and trucks, which increases carbon dioxide release C Decreased square footage of living space, per person, in most housing units in urban areas that leads to an increased carbon footprint D Increased amounts of waste per unit area in urban areas that leads to higher rates of decay and decomposition

D Increased amounts of waste per unit area in urban areas that leads to higher rates of decay and decomposition

Which of the following best describes an environmental advantage of urbanization? A Individuals living in cities have more varied employment opportunities than individuals living in rural areas. B Individuals living in cities have greater access to health care than individuals living in rural areas. C Individuals living in cities usually have greater access to fresh, local agricultural products than individuals living in rural areas. D Individuals living in cities usually have a lower transportation carbon footprint than individuals living in rural areas.

D Individuals living in cities usually have a lower transportation carbon footprint than individuals living in rural areas.

One way a local community might regulate a shared and limited resource and reduce the tragedy of the commons is to A eliminate ownership of the resources and make them available to all B reduce the cost of access to the resources C offer subsides to users of the resources in the form of tax breaks D divide the resources into parcels and assign them to individuals

D divide the resources into parcels and assign them to individuals

Rangeland Pros/Cons

Grassland primarily used for grazing cattle. Pros: Animals can get food and energy from these lands Rangelands decrease fossil fuels and cycle nutrients Cons: damage of stream banks, pollute surface waters, denude vegetation- vulnerable to erosion

Resource Conservation Ethic

The belief that people should maximize use of resources based on the greatest good for everyone- economic, scientific, recreational, aesthetic

Externality

The cost or benefit of a good or service that is not included in the purchase price of that good or service or otherwise accounted for. Negative- air pollution Positive- ecosystem services that benefit you (ie. yellowstone national park)

Maximum Sustainable Yield

The maximum amount of a renewable resource that can be harvested without compromising the future availability of that resource

Selective Cutting Pros/cons

The method of harvesting trees that involves the removal of single trees or a relatively small number of trees from the larger forest. Pros: Creates age diversity if tree species Optimum shade tolerant tree species Cons: habitat loss, compacts soil, nutrient loss and lowers water infiltration

Tragedy of the Commons

The tendency of a shared, limited resource to become depleted if it is not regulated in some way.

suppression of wildfires

can lead to large quantities of of dead biomass, which can lead to harsher fires when they do occur