ES Chapter 14
The U.S. Census Bureau defines an urban area as an area that contains more than ____________ people.
2500
What tool might a land-use planner use to determine where to locate a new mall?
GIS
What is an example of land used as protected area to preserve the scenery and ecosystems within it?
Yellowstone National Park
What was the first national park established in 1870 to protect and preserve the land for future generations?
Yellowstone National Park
the first national park in the United States
Yellowstone National Park
How do people use land?
agriculture, lumber, preserved areas
What gas do forests remove from the atmosphere?
carbon dioxide (CO2)
What is the difference between clear-cutting and selective-cutting tree harvesting methods?
clear cutting is fast and cheap but destroys habitats. selective cutting is harder and more expensive but preserves habitats
all trees removed from an area
clear-cutting
the process of removing all trees from an area of land
clear-cutting or deforestation
a trip of protected land that connects one preserve to another
conservation corridor
land used to grow plants for food and fiber
cropland
the clearing of trees from an area without replacing them
deforestation
resources produced by natural and artificial ecosystems
ecosystem services
What are some impacts of suburban sprawl?
increased suburban development, loss of arable land, traffic
all the things society builds for public use
infrastructure
fire stations, roads, and bridges are examples of:
infrastructure
Why do most people move to the city?
jobs
What do heat islands affect?
local weather and precipitation
rural areas contain large areas of __________ and relatively few people
open space
What causes the most damage to rangeland?
overgrazing
land used for recreation and scenic enjoyment and for preserving native animal and plant communities and ecosystems
parks and preserves
the negative consequences of harvesting trees using the clear-cutting method
soil erosion and wildlife habitat destruction
What are several environmental effects of deforestation?
soil erosion, decreased carbon dioxide absorption, decreased oxygen production, loss of habitats, species extinction
A side effect of heat islands
increased precipitation
where do most Americans live?
urban areas
The phenomenon caused by rapid growth in cities including traffic jams, substandard housing, and polluted air and water
urban crisis
having a governing body and 2500 people or more in an area are characteristics of:
urban land
rapid expansion of a city into a surrounding countryside
urban sprawl
the deterioration of living conditions is a side effect of:
urban sprawl
the movement of people from rural areas to cities
urbanization
Why is it important to preserve farmland?
water filtration, air filtration, temperature moderation and food
the most protected public lands
wilderness areas
What negative impacts does inadequate infrastructure have on urban crisis?
If the population of a city grows too rapidly, the infrastructure cannot keep up and will start to fall apart
What are some parts of the community that are considered to be infrastructure?
fire station, hospitals, power lines, schools, sewage systems, bridges, roads
What resource do about 1.5 billion people rely on for fuel?
firewood
Why should rural areas be preserved?
for the ecological services they provide (water filtration, moderation of temperature, food)
Cities generate and trap _______, causing increased temperatures
heat
an effect caused by increased temperature in a city due to generated and trapped heat
heat island
eliminating invasive plants and replacing them with native plants is one aspect of:
range improvement
land used to graze livestock
rangeland
the opposite of deforestation
reforestation
What can be done to sustain the productivity of rangeland?
remove invasive plants, limit grazing animals, let it lie fallow
what is reforestation?
replanting an entire stand of trees in an area
As opposed to urban land, _________ land has relatively few people.
rural
Regardless of where people live, the are dependent on resources produced where?
rural areas
Where did most people live before 1850?
rural areas
an effective way to allow forests to recover from tree harvesting
selective cutting
mature, middle-aged trees are removed from an area
selective-cutting
the environmentally preferred method of harvesting trees
selective-cutting
Why is deforestation a serious problem in tropical rainforests?
the land is not fertile for crop prduction, so they continue to clear more and more land
What is appositive aspect of having designated wilderness areas?
they protect habitats and the species that live there
