Matching

Match the following words with their meanings by putting the letter of the definition beside the correct term.

____ producer ____ consumer ____ decomposer ____ old growth forest ____ canopy ____ block cut ____ selective cut ____ high grade ____ pioneer species ____ keystone species

a forest that has not been logged where trees are at least 150 years old a form of timber harvesting where some whole blocks of trees are cut down, leaving the forest areas around them alone the layer formed by the leaves and branches of the tallest trees in the forest a plant or animal that takes dead matter and changes it into forest soil nutrients timber-harvesting form where each tree cut is carefully selected with regard to its location and possible future effect on the growth of the tree stand one of the first species of trees to grow in an old field a green plant that uses sunlight and inorganic matter to make its own food a dominant species such as the American Chestnut on which many other organisms depend to help them survive an animal that gets its energy from eating plants or other animals a form of timber harvesting which removes all the best trees and leaves the poorer trees. (This is not a good way of harvesting because it will not produce good seeds or high-quality trees in the future.)

Multiple-Choice

Circle the letter of the best answer.

11. Most forests in Kentucky are owned by
    1. the United States government
    2. logging companies
    3. private landowners
    4. the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission


12. The reason you see very few American Chestnuts in Kentucky forests today is
    1. they were all cut down by loggers in the 1800s.
    2. there never were many American Chestnuts in Kentucky.
    3. they were killed by a disease called chestnut blight.
    4. they were killed by Japanese beetles.


13. The nuts of the American Chestnut were a very reliable food source because
    1. the tree flowered very early, during spring frosts.
    2. the tree flowered late, after the spring frosts.
    3. chestnut trees produced more nuts than oak trees did.
    4. the nuts from the American Chestnut were easier to harvest than those of other nut trees.


14. A disturbance event is
    1. what happens when you wake up a sleeping bear.
    2. something like a fire or disease that disturbs the natural cycles in the forest.
    3. one plant community slowly replacing another one through natural processes.
    4. something that only happens when humans cause damage to the forest.


15. A food web is
    1. a diagram of how energy flows through an ecosystem.
    2. the web that a spider spins to catch its food.
    3. food, shelter, water, and space.
    4. another word for succession.


16. What is succession?
    1. food, water, shelter, and space
    2. one plant community slowly replacing another one through natural processes
    3. one animal succeeding by eating another animal
    4. something that disturbs the natural cycles in the forest


17. Fill in the blank: The Clear Creek iron furnace used _______________ as its heat source.
    1. freshly cut timber
    2. coal
    3. propane gas
    4. charcoal


18. Timber harvesting guidelines and methods that help ensure healthy future forests and prevent or reduce water pollution that could otherwise result from logging are called
    1. pioneer species
    2. ecology rules
    3. best management practices
    4. succession


19. Which of the following is not something you would find in an old-growth forest?
    1. large trees that are 150 years old or older
    2. a deep layer of leaf litter on the forest floor
    3. large spaces in the canopy caused by old trees falling
    4. young, evenly spaced trees


20. The endangered fish called the black-sided dace can live in the streams found in Blanton Forest because
    1. they nest in the roots of the trees that grow by the streams.
    2. they eat the chestnuts that fall into the water.
    3. they need the cool, clean water that occurs in this old-growth forest.
    4. they live by eating an insect that lives only in Blanton Forest.

Open-Response Questions

Answer these questions in your own words.

21. Describe some ways that a forest helps to clean and store water.













22. Describe the steps in succession, starting with an abandoned field.













23. What is an animal’s habitat? Be sure to list all of its parts.













24. Who were the first forest managers in Kentucky? How and why did they make changes to the forests?













25. Why is it important to help prevent loss of plant and animal species?