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.

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