World Geography 3202
Unit 4: Primary Resource
Activities
Chapter 10
4.6 STUDENTS WILL BE EXPECTED TO
ANALYZE TRENDS IN THE UTILIZATION
OF FOREST RESOURCES
What is Forestry? Harvesting?
• Forestry is the science of harvesting, planting
and tending of trees, primarily in managed
forests
• Harvesting refers to methods used to cut and
remove trees from the forest
Harvesting Timber: Clear Cutting,
Strip Cutting & Selective Cutting
• Clear cutting is a form of forest harvesting that
removes all trees from an area. Marketable trees
and undesired trees alike are cleared and the land is
left uncovered. Most intensive
• Strip cutting is actually a variation on clear cutting
where strips of forest are left between the clear cut
areas.
Clear Cutting
Strip Cutting
• Selective cutting is a form of forest harvesting that
removes only the desired trees and leaves the other
trees in place. Immature trees, undesired species
and underbrush are all left intact. Least intensive
Selective Cutting
Advantages and Disadvantages
• There have been raging debates over the type of
cutting that should occur in the forest industry.
• Clear cutting has the advantage of being economical.
Simple and easy to plan. Land is vulnerable to erosion.
• Selective cutting has the advantage of leaving the
ecosystem intact. May not regenerate quickly.
Vulnerable to more damage from storms and ice
• The advantage of strip cutting is that the seeds of trees
left uncut fall into the strips that have been cut. More
costly in terms of planning and administration
What does the Forest Provide? Why
are Forests so Valuable?
• The forest provides much for nature and humanity.
• Valuable because it provides:
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Biodiversity
Habitats for animals
Food for animals
Air purification
Water retention
Building materials
Recreation
– Home heat
– Paper
Deforestation: Threats to Forests
• Deforestation is the process of converting forested
land to other uses
• For many decades we have used the forest without
regard for the sustainability of forests.
• Will coming generations have a forest to rely on? Are
we allowing deforestation to occur at a rate faster
than it can replace itself?
Global Deforestation
Reasons for Deforestations?
• Some reasons for extensive deforestation include:
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expanding needs in agriculture
urbanization
mining operations
hydroelectric operations
Global: Deforestation
Examples:
1. In Africa, forests are being cleared to make room for
subsistence farming to support the growing
population.
2. Latin America has cleared forests for major
hydroelectric projects to provide stable electrical
supplies to an increasing number of people.
3. Large scale cattle ranches and urbanization have also
been the cause of deforestation in Latin America.
4. Asia's growing population means that more forest is
cleared for housing and for agricultural land to feed
the people.
Trends in Deforestation
• Review pp.163-164
• Look at Figure 10.2, Rates of Deforestation
What is Sustainable Development?
• Sustainable development involves using
enough resources to satisfy current human
wants and needs. Yet preserving enough of
the resource for future use
Sustainable Forestry
• Sustainable Forestry is simple and complex. The basic idea
is simple. If we cut trees faster than they grow back, we
will run out of trees.
• However, as the world's population increases so does the
demand for forestry products and so does the demand for
forestry land to be converted to housing, mining, and
hydro-electricity projects.
• In the past we have looked at the forest as an endless
resource. Now we realize we must manage the forest for
the forestry industry and many other things. Biodiversity,
hunting, hiking, camping, habitat protection and many
other things are all considerations.
Ways to Slow Deforestation/Sustain
our Forests…
• If we look at sustainable forestry from a "Systems
Model" perspective we can see that we have three
options to sustain our forests:
1. Inputs: Improve what we input into forestry
(replanting & seedlings)
2. Processes: Improve processes like:
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road construction
harvesting techniques
environmental protection actions
reducing losses (use all of the tree)
3. Outputs: Reduce the need of output product
(recycle or use alternate building materials)
Distribution of the World’s Forests
Continent
% Forest Cover
North America
32.2%
South America
51.8%
Europe
33.4%
Africa
23.2%
Asia
20.2%
Australia
23.5%
Distribution of the World’s Forests
• 1/3 of the earth’s land mass is covered by forests
• The type of forest that grows reflects the regions
unique environmental characteristics!
1. Equatorial Regions:
- with hot, moist climate produces evergreen, broadleaf
trees, such as teak and mahogany.
- these forests feature a multilayered canopy top that
prevents much sunlight from penetrating lower forest layers
and the forest floor.
- as a result, ground vegetation is sparse and roots are
shallow
2. Temperate Regions:
- with cool and moist climates, produce
deciduous trees. Examples include oak, maple, and
birch
- these trees are leafless during the winter
months. Losing their leaves is an adaptation to
prevent water loss
3. Colder Regions:
- with short growing seasons, grow coniferous
evergreen, or needle-leaf trees. Examples include
pine, spruce and fir.
- the needle leaves reduce water loss and the
flexible branches allow these trees to shed snow
Facts about Forest Growth
1. Precipitation
– Forests require a large amount of water. Consequently,
one of the greatest factors that determine whether a
forest will grow in a region is the amount of precipitation.
– Equatorial areas with high rainfall have tropical rain
forests. Tropical areas that have intermittent rainfall have
savannahs because there is not enough water to support
trees and a forest.
2. Seasons
– Temperate regions of the world often have deciduous
trees to help them deal with the lack of water in
winter. Some regions have dry seasons and they have
deciduous trees even though it does not get "cold."
– The type of trees and forest present in a region is
determined by the climate. Trees have adapted to climate
just as animals have. The needle leaf trees of the
coniferous forests are adapted to deal with winter and the
lack of water.
3. Diversity
– Colder regions tend to have less biodiversity while tropical
regions tend to have greater biodiversity. The same is true
of trees. Tropical forests tend to be a blend of many
different species, while coniferous forests tend to be "pure
stands" of one type of tree.
What is a Pure Stand?
• Pure Stands: When a single tree species
dominates an area
• Caused by coming together of unique
characteristics (elevation, slope, drainage)
that promote growth of a single dominant
species. Can be either broadleaf or needle
Chapter 12
FOOD FROM THE
OCEANS
Fisheries
Major World Fish Stocks
Simply put the worlds fish stocks are located
almost exclusively on the continental shelves.
Figure 12.3 indicates that about 80% of fish
harvested come from oceans. Why is this
obvious? Most of the world’s water is ocean
therefore it would be expected that fresh water
would only contain a small portion of the
world’s fish.
Figure 12.7 on page 202 might be a bit of a surprise
to us Newfoundland and Labradoreans. It shows
the world regions by tones of fish caught. There
seem to be four major fishing regions, globally
speaking and eastern North America (north western
Atlantic) is not one of them. The 4 major fishing
regions are:
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North east Atlantic (England/Norway);
North west Pacific (Japan);
West central Pacific (China/Indonesia);
South east Pacific (Western South America).
Continental Shelves
Most fishing grounds are found on continental
shelves for 2 reasons.
The shallow waters of the self make harvesting
more cost effective. The fish have to be landed
on shore for human use so the regions closer to
shore are fished most profitably. See Figure 12.6
on page 202.
Most of the fish are on the continental
shelves. The shallow waters of the shelf
promote plankton production which serve as
the base of the marine food web including fish.
– Shallow water ensures enough light for
phytoplankton and effective circulation of
nutrients.
– See figure 12.4 on page 200. Figure 12.6, page
202 shows stocks correspond to shelves & figure
12.4 shows food web and shelves.
Assigned activities
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Read the introduction to Chapter 12 on page 197.
Read "Fish as a Food Source" on page 198 of your text book.
Complete Question #1 p. 198
Read "Major Source areas for Fish Harvesting" on pages 198-199
of your text book.
Complete Question #2 p. 199
Read "Locations of Fish Stocks and Fishing Grounds" on pages
199-201.
Complete Questions #3 & 4 & 5 on page 201
Read "Fishing Grounds" on page 201 of your text book.
Complete Question #6 & 7 on page 203
Fisheries Management
There are a number of issues related to the
fishery that require management, pollution and
conservation of fish stocks.
1. Major Sources of Ocean Pollution
– There are a number of ways to classify the
greatest ocean pollution concerns. The Ocean
Planet web site identifies 4 major sources of
ocean pollution.
a) Oil
• When it comes to mixing oil and water, oceans suffer
from far more than an occasional devastating spill.
Disasters make headlines, but hundreds of millions of
gallons of oil quietly end up in the seas every year,
mostly from non-accidental sources. The graph below,
shows how many millions of gallons of oil each source
puts into the oceans worldwide each year.
b) Toxic Material
• Industrial, agricultural, household cleaning, gardening,
and automotive products regularly end up in water.
About 65,000 chemicals are used commercially in the
U.S. today, with about 1,000 new ones added each year.
Only about 300 have been extensively tested for
toxicity.
Example:
TBT, or tributyl tin, is added to boat paints to kill or repel
barnacles and other nuisance organisms that foul ships'
hulls.
c) Dangerous Debris
• Our trash kills. When odds and ends of life on land-particularly plastics--end up in the sea, they pose
hazards to marine life. Animals drown or strangle from
getting tangled in discarded or lost fishing gear, or
suffer and even die from eating plastics and other
garbage.
Examples:
– a northern sea lion,
entangled in an old net,
St. Paul Island, Alaska
– a party balloon that
killed a sperm whale by
blocking its digestive
tract.
Examples:
– a party balloon that
killed a sperm whale by
blocking its digestive
tract.
d) Deposits & Withdrawals
• For thousands of years humans have viewed oceans as
vast dumps for domestic, municipal, and industrial
garbage. The enormous deep-sea resources will
undoubtedly attract more miners in the future, as easyto-reach deposits on land are depleted.
2. Impact of New Catch Technology on the
Environment
– Factory freezer Trawlers have likely had the most
significant and negative impact.
• Highly efficient at catching fish which greatly reduces
the population & reproduction. Large diesel engines,
echo sounding equipment, onboard freezers, and GPS
navigation contribute to their efficiency.
• Destruction of the ocean floor by trawls/draggers
eliminates good spawning locations for fish.
Furthermore it disperses eggs, making fertilization
more difficult.
• By-catch is often discarded. Some regulations require
ships to return with low levels of by catch.
• Traveling great distances and being able to stay at sea
for long periods allows trawlers from all over the world
to congregate in good fishing areas. This puts added
pressure on the fish stock.
3. Declining Fish Resource & the Livelihood of
Fishers.
– The declining fish resources may have a variety of
affects on fishers. Some of those include:
– Fishers may concentrate more on conservation.
– Fishers and the community they live in will have to
diversify:
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develop aquaculture ex. Bay D'Espoir;
golf course construction ex. Frenchman’s cove
sea weed aquaculture ex. Isle aux Morts
eco-tourism ex. Northern Peninsula
catch underutilized species
Assigned activities
– Read "Issues in a Sustainable Fishery" on pages
209-211
– Complete Question #14-15 on page 211.
Empty Seas Case Study
Assigned activities
– Read the case study "Empty Seas" p. 211-212
– Complete the questions #16-19 p. 212
– Keep in mind; you will not be required to
memorize the answers to these questions but you
will be asked about other fishing situations and be
asked to analyze them.