Question 1. Discuss your thoughts on logging on federal lands. Should this practice be stopped altogether, or could restrictions on logging methods and road construction on public lands allow us to harvest timber sustainably? Does the value of the ecosystem services provided by these forests outweigh the benefit of the jobs and timber products that result from logging on federal lands?
Question 2. How can preserve size and shape impact species survival? Discuss the importance of core habitats and edge effects. If you were a regional or urban planner for your area, how would you take these concepts into account when making residential and commercial development decisions for your community?
Question 3. Do you think that the costs of the REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) program ($20-30 billion per year) will yield sufficient results to make the program worth its expense? As the largest contributors to global CO2 emissions, do you think that developed countries have a responsibility to pay for such programs in developing countries? Why, or why not?
Question 4 - Match words and definitions
1. Match each term with its definition.
Tropical seasonal forest
Tundra
Boreal forests
Tropical moist forests
• Deserts
A. Temperatures are below freezing most of the year, and only small, hardy vegetation can survive
B. Occur where precipitation is uncommon and slight
C. Occur where rainfall is abundant and temperatures are warm or hot year-round
D. Northern forests that lie between about 50o and 60o north latitude
E. Drought-tolerant forests that look brown and dormant in the dry season, but become green during rainy months
F. Broad-leaf forests that occur between 30o and 55o latitude where rainfall is plentiful
Question 5. Discuss your own eating practices and how those practices impact the environment. Do you buy organic produce or try to eat locally grown food? Why, or why not? Do you think that people should try to change their eating habits to lower their impact on the environment? Why, or why not?
Question 6. Describe the importance of the soil ecosystem to crop production and the causes of soil degradation. Do you think that farmers should be required to use more sustainable farming methods? Why or why not?
Question 7. What chemical characteristics control the fate and distribution of toxic chemicals, and what are the main routes of exposure to humans?
Question 8. Match each term with its definition.
Green revolution
Minimum till
Locavore
Food security
Terracing
A. Plowing across a hill rather than up and down
B. The ability to obtain sufficient, healthy food on a daily basis
C. Reduces the number of times a farmer disturbs the soil by plowing and cultivating by incorporating the use of a chisel plow
D. Shaping the land to create level shelves of earth to hold water and soil
E. Person who consumes locally produced food
F. The spread of new high-yield varieties of crops around the world