Trees and Forests

Ecosystem  An area of living and non living components which form an environment.

Conks  A type of fungi that looks like shelves growing out of a tree. They are indicators that the tree is sick.

Fungus

Lichens  The organism resulting from the relationship between an alga and a fungus

Moss

Layers of the forest

Upper Canopy Plants- leaves and branches of tallest trees Animals- owls, eagles

Understorey (Middle) Plants- smaller trees and larger shrubs Animals- insects, squirrels, woodpeckers, and many birds.

Underbrush or Shrubbery Layer Plants- ferns, wildflowers Animals- butterflies, mice, weasels, deer, skunks, rabbits

Forest Floor Plants- leaf litter, mushrooms, soil, moss, flowers, tree roots Animals- insects, salamanders, toads, millipedes

Food Chains!

Nutrient Cycle  The chemicals or minerals that plants and animals need to grow.

 As consumers animals cannot make their own food of use the nutrients directly from the soil.  That is where plants and the nutrient cycle come in.

Water Cycle

Photosynthesis  The process by which a tree produces its own food (sugar).

For photosynthesis to occur a plant needs:  CO ₂ carbon dioxide what humans/animals breathe out  H ₂ 0 water from the ground  Sun (light energy)  These 3 combine in a chemical process which takes place in the leaves of the plants and produces...

 O ₂ oxygen What we need to breathe  C ₆ H ₁₂ 0 ₆ sugar What the plants need to eat to live.

 CO ₂ + H ₂ 0 + light energy = O ₂ + C ₆ H ₁₂ 0 ₆  Photo from notebook.

Parts of the tree  Crown  Roots  Trunk/ Stem  Outer bark  Phloem  Cambium  Sapwood  Heartwood  to-crown/

What is a tree? 1. Must be perennial (lives for more than 2 years). 2. Must have a self supporting trunk. 3. Trunk must be made of woody material. Anything else is a shrub.

Coniferous Trees  Cone bearing trees.  Needle shaped leaves which are green all year long.

Deciduous Trees  Usually have leaves (except for the needle leaf tree tamarack).  Produce either flowers or catkins (scaly structures that contain seeds that fall off the tree).  Leaves are flat, green blades which fall off in the autumn.

Examples of each? 

Parts of the Leaf

Leaf Classification 1. Type

2. Arrangement on branch

Needle Arrangements

Margins

4. Shape:

Bark

Tree Shapes

Branching Patterns

Tree Cookies.... Mmmmmmmm.... Not!

1. Center ring- tree is born. 2. Broad, evenly spaced rings- plenty of moisture and light, tree grows rapidly. 3. Wider rings on one side- something pushing on one side preventing growth. 4. Narrow rings- crowded by other trees, competing for nutrients. 5. Tree scar- forest fire or mechanical damage. Fire damage= darkened area. 6. Wider rings- more nutrients 7. Tree damage- dead branches, torn bark. 8. Narrow rings- drought. 9. Narrow rings- insect attack. 10. Tree is harvested.

Use of Trees  2 of each from each category in your notes

Reforestation- the building of a new forest by planting or reseeding.

Regeneration  The process of growing back what has been lost. 1. Natural regeneration- seeds fall to the forest flow and geminate. 2. Direct seeding- cones and seeds are gathered and sown from tractors. 3. Planting seedlings- small trees that are grown in nurseries and taken out and planted.