This document provides information for teachers on forests and the forest industry in the United States. It begins by outlining learning objectives for students to define forests and describe the six forest regions in the US. It then gives a brief history of the first forestry industry, which began with Leif Ericson in the 10th century. The document defines forests and explains that they cover about a third of the US land area today. It also outlines that private landowners, the government, and forest product industries are the main owners of the 250 million acres of commercial forests in the US. It concludes by describing the two main types of trees used in forestry - softwoods and hardwoods - and noting that the six forest regions vary
2. Our Forests and Their Products
Pgs 235-242 in Ch.19 of Managing Our Natural
Resources
Rangelands, Forests, & Fire
3. Students will be able to…
Define forest
Describe the six forest regions in the U.S.
4. The 1st Forestry Industry in the U.S.
Began with the 1st European to set foot
in North America Leif Ericson
Leif and his Vikings established
logging camps in northeastern Canada
Harvested wood shipped back to
Europe
600 years prior to the settlers of
Jamestown
5. Forests
Occur where moisture is sufficient for tree
growth
Arid regions like the Great Plains too dry to
support forests
Complex community of trees and other
organisms forest
House = tree, city = forest
A housing development ≠ city
Clump of trees ≠ forest
6. Forest: Friend and Enemy
Dense forests made farming & settlement
difficult
But trees supplied materials for houses, forts,
and ships
Source of wild game and fruit
7. Forests Today
749 million acres in the U.S. forested = 1/3
of the U.S.
2/3 of this = commercial forest
250 million acres of commercial forest are actually
usable
1/3 (250 million acres) = noncommercial forest
Commercial Forest that has economic
potential
8. Who owns commercial forestland?
Private landowners 58%
Government 28%
Forest product industries 27%
Weyerhauser, Kraft, Union-Camp
Maine & New Hampshire > 80% forested
Nebraska & North Dakota < 2% forested
9. What trees are used in forestry?
Two general kinds
Softwoods
Hardwoods
Gymnosperms = conifers
Douglas fir, blue spruce, yew
Angiosperms = flowering, broad-leafed trees
Oak, maple, beech, apple, cherry
Most timber production softwoods
10. U.S. Forest Regions
Different species of trees have different
requirements
Different environmental conditions forest
regions
Climate
Altitude
Soil type
6 forest regions in continental U.S.
Hinweis der Redaktion
*All relevant terms are bolded.
Just like a group of houses don’t equate a city, a group of trees doesn’t equal a forest. A forest includes trees and all other plants and animals that interact to create the forest system.
A forest is a balanced ecosystem in which trees and plants photosynthesize to generate food that is used by themselves and animals. Decaying plants and animals release nutrients that are taken up again by the plants.
Forests were a formidable barrier to European settlers in America. Forests had to be cleared to create room for crops.
Commercial forests are forests that have the potential to be economically productive. This doesn’t mean that the forest is being used this way. Much of the commercial forestland is in small parcels near homes or parks. Noncommercial forest might be on very rough terrain or on swampy land or be part of a park or preservation area. Much of the forestland of today is being taken over for urban and industrial development.
The terms softwood and hardwood have little bearing on the actual hardness of the wood!