1 / 22

UNIT 3 - FORESTRY

UNIT 3 - FORESTRY. TOPIC 5 – THE BOREAL FOREST . LOCATION. Boreal Forests are also known as TAIGA forests What portion of forests are BOREAL?

rae
Download Presentation

UNIT 3 - FORESTRY

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. UNIT 3 - FORESTRY TOPIC 5 – THE BOREAL FOREST

  2. LOCATION • Boreal Forests are also known as TAIGA forests • What portion of forests are BOREAL? • Boreal forests are CIRCUMPOLAR, meaning they circle the earth, spanning the top of Northern Europe, North America, and Asia (Called the “great green scarf”the Earth) • 82 % of all Canadian Forests are boreal (Largest Canadian Biome) • 100 % of NL forests are boreal

  3. CLIMATE • Coldest biome on Earth other than the tundra • Latitude is 50-60 degrees north of equator • Long, cold winters lasting 5-6 months of the year • Short, warm summers • Precipitation is generally snow • Temperatures: • –50 0C to 300C throughout the year • average is less than 10 0C for eight or more months of the year

  4. GROWTH RATE • The Boreal forest is the SLOWEST GROWING FOREST on EARTH • WHY? • Shoot/root growth does not occur until temperature is high enough • Short Growing Season – 130 days • Low decomposition rate due to cold temperatures, so nutrient levels in soil are low • Extreme weather is common, killing buds and reducing growth • Cold snaps during growth season can reduce growth for the next season

  5. SOIL CONDITIONS • SOIL is THIN(SHALLOW). • Soils is ACIDIC • Due to decomposing needles • Soil has LOW DRAINAGE • Evergreens provide permanent shade, so soil is often waterlogged as a result. • Soils is NUTRIENT-POOR • Decomposers are slower in cold, acidic soil • Waxy coating of evergreens makes for a slower decomposition rate

  6. BIODIVERSITY • On a species level, it the LEAST BIODIVERSE of all forest types • Sometimes called the “spruce-moose” forest! • Why? • With colder temperatures, and slower decomposition rates, ENERGY AVAILABILITY IS LOW • Recall the FLORA means “plants” and FAUNA means “animals”

  7. BOREAL FOREST FLORA • Boreal forests are mostly CONIFEROUS, with a smaller portion of DECIDUOUS TREES • Most common trees are coniferous softwoods BLACK SPRUCE and BALSAM FIR. • Other softwoods include Eastern larch and pine. • The smaller portion deciduous hardwoods include white birch and trembling aspen.

  8. BALSAM FIR • Used in NL for pulp and lumber • Most abundant tree on the island, 2nd most abundant in Labrador • At maturity, about 12-15 m in height meters in height and 30-50 cm in diameter • Can reach ages of 70-100 yrs old • Favourite snack of MOOSE • Most common naturally disturbance is INSECT DAMAGE • Needles are flat (will not roll in fingers) and grow horizontally on twig • Memory Tool: Flat is Fir

  9. BLACK SPRUCE • Provincial tree of NL • Used in NL for pulpwood and for Christmas trees • Most abundant tree in Labrador, 2nd most common on island • At maturity, about 9-12 m in height and 15-30 cm in diameter • Can reach age of 200 years • Most common disturbance is FIRE, cones are adapted to survive fire • Needles are four-sided, will roll in fingers and are spirally arranged • The other common spruce in NL is white spruce.

  10. EASTERN LARCH (TAMARACK) • Makes good posts and poles. • Many locals incorrectly call this tree a juniper in NL • It is an unusual conifer because it drops its needles in winter (deciduous conifer).

  11. WHITE BIRCH • Most common birch in NL and most important HARDWOOD in NL • Also called the paper birch or canoe birch • Used for fuel wood and in value-added wood products • scattered over the island but common in valleys on west coast of island • Other less common birch is YELLOW BIRCH

  12. BOREAL FOREST FAUNA • What types of fauna live in our forests? • Moose • Black Bear • Woodland Caribou • Canadian Lynx • Snowshoe Hare • Red Squirrel • Little Brown Bat • Mink • Coyote • Beaver • Newfoundland Marten • Red Fox • Masked Shrew • Voles • Rock Ptarmigan

  13. LINKS • http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=YNG7_aAhyY4 • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xhj_qVII1Wg • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RB9uzMjiYSQ • http://fliiby.com/file/130754/cuwxmfpbfd.html • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfxRXL0KGXQ&feature=related • http://www.hww.ca/media.asp?mcid=2

  14. UNIT 3 - FORESTRY TOPIC 6 – SURVIVING THE HARSH ENVIRONMENT of a BOREAL FOREST

  15. ADAPTATION 1 – PREVENTING DESSICATION) • Coniferous leaves are modified to prevent dessication, which means “drying out” • They are modified into needles or scales that: • decrease surface area • reduce water loss by transpiration (evaporation from leaves)

  16. ADAPTATION 2 – WITHSTANDING SNOW LOAD • Conifers have downward sloping of boughs, allowing trees to shed a heavy snow load.

  17. aDAPTATION 3 – WITHSTANDING EXTREME COLD • At low temperatures between 0 to -40 degrees Celsius, other trees might freeze to death. • In conifers, liquids in the tree remain liquid, a process known as super cooling. • Some conifers that can survive below -40 degrees Celsius include white and black spruce, and tamarack

  18. ADAPTATION 4 – MAXIMIZING PHOTOSYNTHESIS • Due to the ALBEDO EFFECT, darker objects absorb more heat energy as compared to lighter–hued objects. • The dark green of conifer needles helps the trees absorb the maximum heat from the sun and begin photosynthesis as early as possible

  19. ADAPTATION 5 - CONES • Example: Black Spruce • It produces two types of seed cones, CLOSED and OPEN CONES. • Open seed cones drop each year and sprout in any area where there is enough light to grow. • Closed cones cannot release their seeds unless heated to a high temperature by fire. The heat of the fire melts the resin that acts like glue to keep the seed cone closed

More Related