Forest Planning & Resource Management Flashcards
7 cards from real FM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Forest Planning & Resource Management flashcards as text
Which document type provides the long-term strategic direction for managing a National Forest, typically covering a 10-15 year period?
Answer: Forest Management Plan
A Forest Management Plan (also called a Forest Plan or Land and Resource Management Plan) provides the long-term strategic direction for managing a National Forest over 10-15 years.
In forest resource inventories, what does 'basal area per acre' measure?
Answer: The cross-sectional area of tree stems at breast height per unit area
Basal area per acre measures the total cross-sectional area of tree stems at breast height (4.5 feet) summed across all trees in a given acre.
What is the primary goal of 'uneven-aged' forest management?
Answer: Maintaining a mix of trees in multiple age and size classes simultaneously
Uneven-aged management maintains a continuous distribution of tree sizes and ages, creating structural diversity and enabling perpetual selective harvesting.
Under the National Forest Management Act (NFMA), what is required before a timber sale can be approved on federal land?
Answer: Compliance with the Forest Plan and completion of NEPA analysis
NFMA requires that all timber sales comply with the applicable Forest Plan and that NEPA environmental analysis is completed prior to approval.
What is the 'mean annual increment' (MAI) concept used for in forest planning?
Answer: Determining the average volume growth per year over a tree's or stand's lifetime
Mean annual increment (MAI) represents the average annual growth in volume over a stand's entire rotation, and its peak value often determines the biological rotation age.
Which of the following best describes 'multiple-use management' on US National Forests?
Answer: Balancing timber, recreation, wildlife, watershed, and grazing uses simultaneously
Multiple-use management, mandated by the Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act of 1960, requires balancing timber, recreation, wildlife, watershed protection, and livestock grazing on National Forests.
In forest planning, what is a 'prescription' in the context of stand management?
Answer: A specific set of management treatments designed to achieve stand objectives
A silvicultural prescription is a detailed, written set of management treatments specifying what actions will be taken in a stand to achieve defined resource management objectives.