Forest Protection & Conservation 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 Protection & Conservation flashcards as text
Which tree disease, caused by the pathogen Phytophthora ramorum, has devastated oak and tanoak populations in the western United States?
Answer: Sudden Oak Death
Sudden Oak Death, caused by Phytophthora ramorum, has killed millions of oaks and tanoaks in California and Oregon since the late 1990s.
In the context of forest carbon markets, what is 'additionality'?
Answer: The requirement that carbon credits represent sequestration that would not have occurred without the project
Additionality ensures carbon credits represent real climate benefit by verifying that the carbon sequestration or avoided emissions would not have happened in the absence of the offset project.
Which Forest Service planning framework, established under the National Forest Management Act, governs how each National Forest develops its long-term management strategy?
Answer: Land and Resource Management Plans (Forest Plans)
The National Forest Management Act requires each National Forest to develop a Land and Resource Management Plan that guides all management activities for 10–15 years.
A forest manager wants to reduce the risk of bark beetle outbreaks in a dense lodgepole pine stand. Which silvicultural treatment is most appropriate?
Answer: Thinning the stand to reduce competition stress and improve tree vigor
Thinning reduces inter-tree competition, improves individual tree vigor and resin flow, which are key defenses that allow pines to resist bark beetle colonization.
What does the term 'biological legacy' refer to in the context of post-disturbance forest management?
Answer: Structural and biological elements — snags, logs, residual trees — retained after a disturbance to speed ecological recovery
Biological legacies are the living and dead organic material surviving a disturbance that serve as colonization substrates, refugia, and nutrient sources driving ecosystem recovery.
Under the Lacey Act, what is prohibited regarding plant material, including timber?
Answer: Importing, exporting, or selling plants harvested in violation of state, federal, or foreign law
The Lacey Act prohibits trade in plants and plant products — including timber — that were taken, transported, or sold in violation of any applicable law, domestic or foreign.
Which of the following best describes the 'shifting baseline syndrome' problem in forest conservation?
Answer: Each generation accepting the already-degraded state of forests as the natural norm, leading to progressive lowering of conservation goals
Shifting baseline syndrome causes conservationists to compare current conditions to a recent degraded state rather than historical benchmarks, gradually normalizing ongoing forest decline.