Pennsylvania Envirothon

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Pennsylvania Envirothon 2009
Forestry
Essential Topics & Objectives

The basic resources for each objective are found on the Forestry Reference Materials CD provided through your County Conservation District. Additional resources are suggested under a following heading.

*Correlated with the Academic Standards for Enviornment and Ecology.

After completing study on this issue, students will:

I.	Forestry CD Section I. Knowledge of Trees


	a.	Identify common species without a key and specific or unusual species of trees or shrubs using a botanical key. (Use of a botanical key is an important skill in many environmental professions. Practice with the Summer Key to Pennsylvania Trees provided.) Pay special attention to shade tolerance and soil moisture requirements of each species studied. Understand their timber and wildlife values.
		*4.2 Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources - 4.2.4.A - D, 4.2.7.A - D, and 4.2.10.A and B
	b.	Explain typical tree growth and life cycle. Be able to describe the parts and tissues of a tree and their arrangements and functions. Recognize defects that effect a tree’s health, quality and resource potential.
		*4.7 Threatened, Endangered, and Extinct Species - 4.7.10.B
	c.	Explain the cause and effect relationships between environmental factors (light, soil and moisture) and tree growth. Be able to interpret these effects in the growth rings of a sample of wood (either a “tree cookie” or "core" taken with an increment borer).
		*4.6 Ecosystems and their Interactions - 4.6.7.A - C, and 10.A
II.	Forestry CD Section II. Knowledge of Forest Ecology.
	a.	Explain general forest typing based on the dominant tree species. Describe major forests types found in Pennsylvania . Analyze and type a specific forest site.
		*4.6 Ecosystems and their Interactions - 4.6.10.A *4.7 Threatened, Endangered and Extinct Species - 4.7.7.A - C
	b.	Explain typical forest structure (canopy, understory and ground layers) and crown classes.
	c.	Explain typical forest succession from open areas to closed canopy and back again. Analyze the successional stage of a specific forest site.
		*4.6 Ecosystems and their Interactions - 4.6.7.C and 10.C
	d.	Explain how wildlife habitat relates to the forest plant community (i.e. tree species present, age structure, snags and dead-and-down trees, availability of food, and riparian zones).
		*4.6 Ecosystems and their Interactions - 4.6.10.A
e.	Explain what effects a specific species increase or decrease might have on the forest ecosystem.
	*4.3 Enviornmental Health - 4.3.10.C
f.	Evaluate species diversity and its importance. Explain biological diversity as an indicator of a healthy environment as well as analize the effects of species extinction on the health of an ecosystem.
	*4.3 Environmental Health - 4.3.10.C
III.	Forestry CD Section III. Knowledge of Forest Benefits and Resources
	a.	Be able to summarize the general history of Pennsylvania’s forests from the arrival of the first humans 10,000 years ago to the present.
		*4.4 Ecosystems and their Interactions - 4.4.10.A *4.8 Humans and the Environment - 4.8.10.C
	b.	Describe values and benefits of forests for recreation, wildlife and watershed quality.
	c.	Demonstrate the use of common forestry equipment (Biltmore stick, diameter tape, and clinometer), to measure tree diameter and height. Be able to calculate wood volume.
	d.	List products and uses of the following commercial species grown in Pennsylvania: Red & White oaks, Black cherry, White ash, hickories.
		*4.4 Ecosystems and their Interactions - 4.4.10.A
	e.	Describe the benefits of maintaining trees in urban and suburban communities and factors effecting their health and survival.
		*4.3 Environmental Health - 4.3.12.A
IV.	Forestry CD Section IV. Forest Resource Management and Protection
	a.	Study The State of the Forest: A Snapshot of Pennsylvania's Updated Forest Inventory 2004. This is the most current data available describing Pennsylvania's forest resources. Particularly note the patterns of forestland ownership, area of forests, distribution of age and size classes and of tree species, wood volume statistics and regeneration issues.
	b.	Explain the uses of these silviculture techniques in even-aged and uneven-aged forest management: thinning, clear-cutting, seed-tree method, shelterwood method, and selection method. Describe the practices of “high grading” and “diameter limit” cutting.
		*4.2 Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources - 4.2.10.C 4.4 Ecosystems and their Interactions - 4.4.12.A 4.8 Ecosystems and their Interactions - 4.8.10.C
	c.	Identify and describe the life cycle and impacts of common forest pests and invasive plants. Research integrated pest management strategies for selected pests.
		*4.5 Integrated Pest Management - 4.5.10.A and 12.A
	d.	Predict how human or natural action can produce change to which an organism cannot adapt (Gypsy Moth, Chestnut blight, invasive species, etc.).
		*4.6 Ecosystems and their Interactions - 4.6.10.B *4.8 Humans and the Environment - 4.8.10.C
	e.	Explain the role of fire in forest ecosystems. Describe the basic principles of wildfire prevention and control.
		*4.6 Ecosystems and their Interactions - 4.6.12.C
	f.	Explain the potential for pollution from timber harvesting and the practices used to minimize erosion and sedimentation.
		*4.3 Environmental Health - 4.3.10.B *4.8 Humans and the Environment - 4.8.10.C
	g.	Summarize State and local regulations and programs pertaining to timber management PA Code Chapter 102 Erosion & Sedimentation Control regulations, waterways management regulations - PA Code Chapter 105, Pennsylvania’s Right to Practice Forestry Act and the Forest Stewardship Program.
		*4.9 Environmental Law and Regulations - 4.9.12.A
Back to Top Reference Materials
New - The following reference is on the 2008 Current Issue CD * This is the most current data available on Pennsylvania's forest resources. Forestry Reference Materials Compact Disk - Review the topics and objectives listed above on the Forestry Reference Materials compact disk provided by your County Conservation District. Most of these materials are from publications produced by the Pennsylvania State University or from the USDA Forest Service. Although the CD contains a large amount of material, many topics are covered more than once in different ways. So, it is not as overwhelming as it might appear at first glance. Forestry CD Index I. Knowledge of Trees Common Trees of Pennsylvania Tree ID PowerPoint; SummerTree Key; Slide index Tree ID Tree Rings (an example of interpreting patterns in the growth rings of trees) Tree Layers (an illustration of the tissue layers that make up a tree trunk) II. Knowledge of Forest Ecology Forest Types of Pennsylvania Penn's Woods: Our Heritage from the Past, Our Legacy for the Future Forest Succession of Wildlife Habitat Adaptations of Some Common Trees of Pennsylvania Vertical Stratification Pennsylvania Woodlands: #6 Woodland Wildlife Management Understand Biological Wealth in Our Forests III. Knowledge of Forest Benefits and Resources People of Penn's Woods Tree Inventory and Utilization Forest Measurement Tools Measuring Tree Height Using a Clinometer Urban and Community Forestry Benefits of Urban Trees From the Woods Series Hardwood Lumber Hardwood Veneer Ten Important Hardwoods Incredible Wood Maple Syrup American Chestnut Watersheds IV. Forest Resource Management and Protection The State of the Forest Forest Stewardship Bulletin #15 Regenerating Hardwood Forests: Managing Competing Plants, Deer, and Light Basic Forest Management PA Woodlands Forest: #8 Principles of silviculture From the Woods Series 1. Sustainable Forestry 2. White tailed Deer Insect Threats Hemlock Woolly Adelgid PA Gypsy Moth Control Asian longhorn beetle Emerald Ash Borer What is an Invasive Plant? Purple loosestrife Mile a Minute Bush honeysuckle Japanese honeysuckle Japanese barberry Japanese knotweed Multiflora rose Tree-of-heaven Autumn-olive Garlic mustard Watershed Management Wildfires in Pennsylvania Government Programs and Regulations Pertaining to Forestry Non-Government Sources of Forestry Assistance PA Woodlands: #4 Forestry Terminology 2009 Current Issue "Biodiversity in a Changing World" and the overlap with Forestry. Section II of the Forestry Reference Materials contains most of the resources addressing biodiversity issues. Explanations of genetic, species, and ecosystem biodiversity are included in Understanding biological wealth in our forests. Review the threats of forest resources discussed in the sections of Pennsylvania's Wildlife and Wild Places: Our Outdoor Heritage in Peril provided. This resource can also be found on the 2009 Current Issue CD in the "Forestry" file. Review updated information with these on-line resources. Information on Pennsylvania native wild plants, invasive exotic plant problems and ginseng can be found at www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/wildplant/index.aspx. Study Ailanthus and Mile-a-minute weed information on the internet at www.invasivespecies.gov under “Species Profiles”. Get updated information about the Emerald Ash Borer, gypsy moth and other insect pests on the DCNR-Bureau of Forestry-Forest Pest Management website www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/fpm_invasives.aspx and the US Forest Service web site at http://www.emeraldashboorer.info/ The Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences – School of Forest Resources provides a Sustainable Forestry Teacher Resource Center which includes lesson plans in sustainable forestry, natural resources, water, and wildlife. The lesson plans have been designed by teachers for actual use in the classroom and meet Pennsylvania's environmental and ecology education standards. Each lesson plan indicates subject matter, grade level, and regional applicability. The lesson plans can be adapted to fit your location. These resources can be found at http://sftrc.cas.psu.edu/. Additional sources of helpful information, illustrations and background materials are available in libraries and bookstores.
Peterson Field Guide Series, Published by Houghton Mifflin Company
	1.	A Field Guide to Eastern Forests, by John C. Kricher and Gordon Morrison. Good coverage of several complex topics: Section 2. Forest Field Marks
		Stratification; Predicting a Forest's Future; The Forest Food Chain and Ecological Pyramid
		Section 4 Disturbance and Pioneer Plants
		Ecological Succession: The Process of Vegetation Development Over Time
		Section 8. Autumn and Winter
		Tree Trunks and Growth Rings
	2.	For help with tree identification try: A Field Guide to Trees and Shrubs, by George A. Petrides A Field Buide to Eastern Trees by George A. Petrides/Janet Wehr

Bureau of Forestry Service Foresters can help teacher/advisors prepare for local Envirothon events. See the Bureau's web site for the service forester assigned to your county at http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/serviceforesters_select.aspx