Natural Resources

Natural Resources Exploiting Earth

What is a natural resource? • A natural resource is a source of products that are inherent to earth • Natural resources include renewable and non-renewable resources • Natural resources are exploited to create the products and services that we depend on • Natural resource extraction causes great environmental disruption

Natural Resource Examples • Examples of Natural Resources are: Forests Minerals Water Fossil Fuels Soil Fishing

Forestry • Forests cover __42 %of Canada • There is a delicate balance between using the forest resources and maintaining a healthy forest ecosystem • Commercial forests have trees that can be harvested for profits • Non-Commercial forests are farther north and are inaccessible or regenerate very slowly making them poor choices for areas of forestry

Forestry • The largest forest region is the __Boreal______ Forest Region, it is comprised mainly of softwood which is ideal for pulp and paper production • Tree growth here is slow due to long winters and short summers______________ • The next forest region is the Taiga Forest Region, this region produces stunted trees and thus is not used for forestry in any great capacity

Forestry • The West Coast Forest Region is the most productive forest region in Canada • Trees here grow larger than anywhere else in Canada due to ideal climate • The Montane Forest Region is second only to the West Coast region in production • It is slightly cooler and drier which decelerates tree growth • Use the blank map provided to sketch the forest regions of Canada. Keep for your notes.

Forestry • softwoods (e.g., spruce, pine) offer a wider variety of high-quality wood in both construction and appearance grades for use in structural and finishing applications. • hardwoods (e.g., oak, maple) tend to find a home in interior environments, mostly in decorative applications. Because of their durability and appearance, hardwoods have long been used in the production of cabinetry, furniture and flooring.

Forestry • Clear-cutting is used most frequently in logging operations • Clear-cutting involves cutting down all the trees in an area and leaving a barren landscape

Forestry • Shelter wood logging is designed for old growth forests • Shelter wood logging is only clear-cutting older trees and leaving seed bearing trees behind so that they can replenish what was taken

Forestry • Selective cutting consists of harvesting only mature trees of the desired type, size and quality • Selective cutting is typically used when harvesting hardwood trees

Forestry • The province that has the largest pulp and paper industry is __BC_______, followed by Ontario and ___Quebec____________ • The province that has the largest lumber industry is British Columbia, followed by Quebec and ____Ontario_______ • Forests, commercial and otherwise, face threats from fire, pollution, erosion and acid rain

Minerals • A mineral is a naturally occurring, pure, non-living substance found in the rocks of earth • Canada’s valuable minerals can be divided into 3 categories metallic minerals, fossil fuels and industrial minerals • Canada’s most valuable mineral resource are fossil fuels

Types of Minerals • Industrial minerals are neither metallic nor fossil fuels but rather are a varied combination of products extracted from the earth • Fossil fuels are any mineral that can be ___used_____ to produce energy • Metallic metals are minerals that when __processed_____ become what we know as metals

Types of Mining • There are three types of mining, or extracting minerals from the earth’s crust • Strip mining is used when resources are close to the surface in horizontal layers • ____Open pit_ mining is used to extract minerals that are close to the surface but may extend deep into the earth’s crust • Underground mining is used when resources are deep in the earth

Strip mining • Strip mining involves removing the _minerals_____ from the area to be mined • It may require __heavy equipment________ • Materials are loaded onto trucks or conveyor belts by shovels or draglines • Typically strip mining is used to extract oil __gas____ and coal

Open Pit Mining • Open pit mining involves removing the forest cover and any extra earth • Holes are drilled 10-15 feet deep then explosives are used to blast the rock apart • Ore is loaded into trucks which may carry up to 250 tonnes • Ore needs to be processed before it can be used

Underground mining • Underground mining is the most involved mining activity • It involves digging a deep hole that is wide enough for an elevator so that workers can ride the elevator to the mineral source • ____________ shafts are required to prevent gas and dust build up • Tunnels are then built off the main shaft and these tunnels lead to stopes, areas where digging and blasting takes place to get at the mineral resources in the rock

Fishing • Fish used to be considered a renewable resource however over fishing and pollution are depleting the stocks to the point the industry has been ___Shut down__ _______on more than one occasion • The coasts of Canada are the areas where fishing is mainly practiced • Freshwater fishing is far less valuable than saltwater fishing because _numbers tend to be lower amongst resources_________________ ___________________________________________

Fishing • There are two classifications of saltwater fishing inshore and offshore fishing • Inshore fishing is fishing that takes place within 16 to 25 kms of shore • Inshore fishing is about 85% of the industry but has a tiny percentage of the overall catch • Inshore fishing is typically practiced by individuals and families

Fishing • Offshore fishing is typically practiced by large __companies____________ • The boats used are more than twice the length of inshore fishers and are equipped with state of the art fishing technology • Offshore fishing takes place anywhere on the __________Atlantic or Pacific oceans___ ________, up 370 km offshore • Oceans and seas provide close to 90% of the world’s catches. These catches have remained relatively stable since the mid-nineties (between 80 and 86 million tonnes)

Fishing • The fishing industry is in _______ in Canada • There are 5 main factors that have contributed to this decline in fish population: -overfishing -improved fishing _Technologies_______ -uncontrolled foreign fishing -__Foreign countries_ fishing practices -changes in ___habitates/ conditions

The two coasts • On the west coast the fishing industry is focused on shellfish and _ invertebrates ___ • The east coast is focused on _invertebrates____ and shellfish • The east coast fisheries have been exploited for hundreds of years • The west coast salmon industry is now in a tug of war between commercial, Aboriginal and sport fishers

Water • Water, specifically freshwater, is becoming a more and more valuable resource • Water is found above ground in the form of lakes and rivers and can also be found in the ground in the form of the water table and aquifers • Groundwater is water that seeps through the soil, bedrock and collects in the water table or an aquifer

Water

Water • Drainage basins are areas of land whose surface runoff is drained by a single river • Rivers are often used to produce hydroelectricity • Daily water consumption in Canada is second in the world only to _____U.S._________ • Canadians use on average 330L of water/___day______

Water • Water, especially groundwater from aquifers, is being used so quickly that it can not be replenished • Diverting water for the use of __hydro____________ dams or flood protection disrupts the hydrological cycle • Increases in global temperatures and decreases in precipitation are adding the pressure put on the already tapped water resources

Soil • Soil may not seem like a resource but all life on earth depends on soil • Soil faces threats from erosion, over use and __chemical disasters___________ • Soil contains nutrients and minerals that are necessary for all life on earth to continue • Soil consists of broken down rock, organic material and bacteria

Environmental Issues • The extraction of natural resources always damages the environment • There is no way of getting what we need from the environment that does not disrupt the natural balance • Most of the time little effort is put into environmental stewardship, or protection • The use of resources requires the implementation of machinery that pollutes • While natural resource extraction won’t stop it is important for us all to try and preserve the resources we do have and reduce the impact we make on the environment

Natural Resources