Grasslands and forestry threats
Farming disrupts the natural vegetation found in grasslands and in some cases, particularly when farming a single crop, limits the _____ of the area
biodiversity
Forests were _____ to make space for crops and livestock grazing.
cleared
Estimations show the United States was once covered in nearly 46 percent of forests. By 1900, the forest coverage had shrunk to only _____
33%
Though grasslands provide valuable resources, less than _____ of grasslands are protected
8%
Within a few decades, scientists say as many as 4,600 native plants and animals in the United States are at risk of _____ because of the degradation, fragmentation and destruction of forest habitats.
extinction
The most common invasive animal species is _____
feral hogs
Many forest habitats have adapted to _____, and fire can rejuvenate growth by releasing seeds, clearing dead vegetation from the forest floor and removing weak or dying trees
fire
Housing developments and increased urbanization continue to _____ forest habitats
fragment
Grasslands today, like most landscapes in North America and elsewhere, are influenced predominantly and sometimes put at risk by ______
human activities
Quickly, early settlers realized the incredible resource they had at their disposal in these vast amounts of undisturbed forests and ______ became the most significant industry in the new world.
logging
Experts estimate around 81 million acres of tree-covered land is considered in "risk of _____
mortality
Feral cats and outdoor domestic cats are responsible for killing billions of birds and small mammals every year and spread _____ with their waste which have been known to kill larger mammals
parasites
Because most grasslands in the United States are ______ and very few are protected, grasslands are difficult to conserve.
privately owned