Forest Ecology
Choose
a forest plant or animal and write a booklet introducing young children
to the organism and its environment.
Prepare
a report on nonwood uses and benefits of forests. Some of these
benefits are difficult to quantify in economic terms. How much forest
should be preserved for these other uses? Which forests?
Consider
biological diversity and extinction, both as a natural process and
as it has been altered by human activity. Delineate the impacts of
human activities on species dependent on old-growth systems. What
are the implications of designating the owl as an indicator species?
Distinguish
between temperate and tropical forests. Research the structure
and function of a forest ecosystem, including plants and animals,
water relations, soil development, air purification, climate
regulation, and susceptibility to disturbance. Prepare a Users
Guide to a Forest that details how to preserve the integrity of
the system, and the reasons for doing so.
Do
a case study of an area impacted by logging. Include information about
the soils, topography, and climate of the area, as well as the logging
practices used, related impacts, and restoration efforts.
Create
a display board of the pre-European settlement and current forest
types in Oregonincluding tree farms and even-aged stands. Define the
word forest. Include information about animals typical of the different
forest types, as well as tree species composition, spacing, and
susceptibility to fire and disease. Develop a concept map that shows
changes that have occurred in Oregons forested areas since European
settlement7, and the major impacts of these changes on the
forest ecosystem. Include also the particular impacts of fragmentation.
Review
the definition of a resource (e.g., a natural source of wealth or
revenue). Often the word is used to designate something of use or a
commodity. How would you define the forest resource in a way that
takes into account the conditions needed to sustain the resource, and
what it means to the people who work the resource?
Investigate
the relationship of Native Americans to forested areas.
Identify
common conifers in Oregon.8 Describe the benefits of healthy urban
and community forests.
Spend
time in an old-growth forest, complete with nursery logs Visit one of
Oregons big trees10.
7Consider summary material, such as Wilkinson (1992) and
that in Assault on Mount Hood (The Sunday Oregonian, December 15, 1996).
8Visit a national forest. See, for example, Trees to Know
in Oregon (n.d., EC 1450, Department of Forestry, Oregon State
University).
9See, for example, Wendell Wood (1991, A Walking Guide to
Oregons Ancient Forests, Oregon Natural Resources Council). Visit state
parks such as Tryon Creek and silver Falls.
10 Refer to the 1996 Resitster of Big Trees in Oregon
Department of Forestrys Forest Log 65(4).
|
