FM FM Wildlife & Biodiversity Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An 'umbrella species' in conservation planning refers to a species that:
- Lives only at the top of the forest canopy
- Has habitat requirements so broad that protecting it protects many other species (Correct answer)
- Is legally protected under the Endangered Species Act
- Migrates across multiple international boundaries
Correct answer: Has habitat requirements so broad that protecting it protects many other species
Umbrella species have large habitat needs or specific requirements such that managing land for their conservation simultaneously protects many other species sharing the same ecosystem.
Question 2: What is the significance of 'habitat connectivity' in forest management for wildlife?
- It improves communication between forest managers
- It allows wildlife to move between habitat patches for feeding, breeding, and genetic exchange (Correct answer)
- It increases timber production by linking productive stands
- It connects forest roads for efficient log transport
Correct answer: It allows wildlife to move between habitat patches for feeding, breeding, and genetic exchange
Habitat connectivity—maintained through wildlife corridors, riparian buffers, and landscape-level planning—is essential for wildlife movement, genetic diversity, and species' ability to respond to climate change.
Question 3: Which practice best describes 'integrated forest and wildlife management'?
- Managing forests exclusively for maximum timber yield
- Incorporating habitat objectives into forest management plans alongside timber and other resource goals (Correct answer)
- Banning all hunting on commercial timberlands
- Replacing native forests with wildlife food plots
Correct answer: Incorporating habitat objectives into forest management plans alongside timber and other resource goals
Integrated management balances timber production with explicit habitat goals—retaining snags, maintaining stand diversity, scheduling harvests to minimize disturbance during sensitive wildlife periods.
Question 4: The Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires federal agencies to ensure their actions do not:
- Exceed annual timber harvest quotas
- Jeopardize the continued existence of listed species or destroy critical habitat (Correct answer)
- Reduce public recreation opportunities on federal lands
- Prevent tribal access to traditional forest resources
Correct answer: Jeopardize the continued existence of listed species or destroy critical habitat
Section 7 of the ESA obligates federal agencies to consult with USFWS or NMFS to ensure their actions neither jeopardize listed species nor adversely modify designated critical habitat.
Question 5: What is a 'mast crop' and why is it significant for forest wildlife management?
- A plantation of fast-growing timber species
- The nut and fruit production of trees like oaks and beeches that provides critical wildlife food (Correct answer)
- A map of timber stand conditions
- A type of tree planted for wildlife screening
Correct answer: The nut and fruit production of trees like oaks and beeches that provides critical wildlife food
Mast crops—acorns, beechnuts, hickory nuts, and other hard and soft mast—are critical seasonal food sources for deer, bears, turkeys, and many other wildlife species in eastern US forests.
Question 6: Which silvicultural treatment typically provides the greatest short-term benefit to early successional wildlife species like ruffed grouse and American woodcock?
- Old-growth retention
- Clearcutting or heavy partial harvest creating shrubby regeneration (Correct answer)
- Tree injection with pesticides
- Installation of nest boxes
Correct answer: Clearcutting or heavy partial harvest creating shrubby regeneration
Early successional species require dense, shrubby young forest conditions created by disturbance; clearcutting and heavy harvests mimic natural disturbances and create this essential but declining habitat type.
FM FM Wildlife & Biodiversity Management 2
An 'umbrella species' in conservation planning refers to a species that: