APES Unit 5 Questions

Explain urban blight as a destructive positive feedback loop.

As the property, sales, and taxes shrink when people move out of a city, costs, crime, and commuting traffic begin to increase.

Why is it difficult to calculate the MSY in reality?

Because it is difficult to obtain essential information such as birth rates, death rates, and carrying capacity.

What is the difference between clear cutting and selective cutting? Lists some pros and cons of each.

Clear cutting refers to the removal of a section of trees at once. Selective cutting refers to the removal or a single or very few trees in a forest. Clear cutting is more efficient and cost-effective, while selective cutting is less harmful to a forest ecosystem.

What are some economic reasons to move outside of an urban center?

Livings in the suburbs is relatives less expensive. It is less crowded, less polluted.

Why is it hard for the USFS to manage forests?

Managing the production of timber and biodiversity is impossible. They have many different objectives to manage.

What is Maximum Sustainable Yield? What happens if you harvest below the MSY? At the MSY? Above the MSY?

Maximum Sustainable Yield refers to the maximum amount of a renewable resource that can be harvested without compromising its future availability. If you harvest below the MSY, you will have slow growth If you harvest above the MSY, you will compromise its future availability. It is best to harvest at the MSY.

What are two ways to prevent the Tragedy of the Commons? Be specific.

Private Ownership of land and regulation. Private Ownership prevents overgrazing common land. Regulation enables governments to get involved and limit the amounts of resources used.

Fill in the correct acronym and full name for each Federal Agency that manages federal lands in the US ]

Public Land Uses- Recreation and Conservation: NPS National Park Services Timber Harvesting, grazing and Recreation: USFS US Forest Services Wildlife Conservation, hunting and recreation: FWS Fish and Wildlife Services Grazing, mining, timber harvesting and recreation: BLM Bureau of Land Management

Why are land uses outside of National Parks impacting the inside of the park? Give a few specific examples.

air and water pollution from distant sources can reduce biodiversity, recreational value, and economic opportunities

List some environmental impacts of urban sprawl.

forces driving cars, emissions, highway construction, more land per person.

When/why are banned activities such as mining allowed in National Wilderness Areas?

roads that existed before the designation sometimes remain in use and activities such as mining that were previously permitted on land are allowed to continue

hat percent of the Earth's total land area is protected?

11%

In the US, what percentage of land is publicly held? Where is most of the protected land?

42% Most protected land is in the Western States and Alaska.

What kind of environmental impacts are the same regardless of what type of logging you choose?

All logging disrupts the habitat.

National Wildlife Refuges

Although they are often categorized with wilderness areas, wildlife refuges are not nearly as protected as wilderness areas. Hunting, fishing and other resource extraction activities are often allowed in wildlife refuges as long as they do not threaten a protected species.

What is an externality and who pays for the costs of them? Describe one positive externality and one negative externality of living near the ocean.

An externality is a cost or benefit of a good or service that is not included in the purchase price. The owner of the goods pays for those extra costs. A positive externality of living near the ocean would be that one can easily go fishing. A negative externality of living near the ocean would be the noise of the boats and crowds surrounding that area.

What is the tragedy of Commons and who came up with the theory Explain how the tragedy of the commons could apply to the ocean.

Garret Hardin established the theory of the Tragedy of the Commons. This theory refers to the tendency of a shared, limited resource to become depleted because people act from self-interest for short term gain. The Tragedy of Commons applies to the ocean because global fishing has rapidly declined harvested fish populations, which destroys the marine ecosystem.

What is infill? What is an urban growth boundary?

Infill is development that fills vacant lots with existing communities. An urban growth boundary refers to a restriction on developing outside of a designated area.

How did the automobile cause urban sprawl?

It allows for easy transport between the city and the suburbs.

Why is the BML not always successful in its quest to manage rangeland?

It does not have environmental scientists to maintain control.

Describe areas that suffer from urban sprawl.

Suburban Areas

How should land be used based on the Resource Conservation Ethic? How realistic is this?

The Resource Conservation Ethic states that areas should be preserved for economic, scientific, recreational, and aesthetic purpose. This is not very realistic as we have to consider lands that have multiple uses.

What is the Taylor Grazing Act of 1934? How does it work? Is it an economically sound solution?

The Taylor Grazing Act was passed to halt overgrazing. It converted federal rangelands from a commons to a permit-based grazing system. It is economically sound as it limits the number of animals grazing in a particular area and avoids a tragedy of the commons situation.