1. Coniferous Trees Environmental Science Fireside 2014

2. Learning Goals  Students will identify 10 species of native conifers in the lab and in the field  Students will use a dichotomous key

3. The Value of Trees Wildlife:  FOOD (nuts & other fruit, twigs, buds roots, wood in living or dead trees)  SHELTER (cover for deer & moose, roosts for birds/squirrels, weasels, or fallen logs for salamanders, mice, martens)  PATHWAYS (tunnels left from decayed root canals are used by rodents, amphibians, and reptiles are used to transport and store food)  SUBSTRATES (nesting, perching for hunting & singing)  SUPPORT (lichens, mosses, epiphytic/aerial or parasitic plants & vines)

4. The Value of Trees The Ecosystem:  The capture, storage, & slow release of nutrients in trunks, leaves, roots  A key role in the carbon cycle, water cycle, and nitrogen cycle (thus influencing climate and soil fertility)  Sinks for excess atmospheric carbon (if unburned)  Regulators of runoff from precipitation (reduce impact of rain on the land & act like sponges to release water slowly/prevent erosion)  Air cleaners (produce O2 and capture CO2 in their wood)

5. Carbon Cycle

6. Water Cycle

7. Nitrogen Cycle

8. The Value of Trees People:  Fuel (wood and charcoal)  Lumber, Paper, Cork, latex, rubber, cellophane & rayon  Essential oils (for aromatherapy and perfumery)  Spices (bay leaves, cloves, all spice, cinnamon)  Oil and syrup  Fodder for domestic animals  Resins & gums used in turpentine, lacquer, paint, polishes  Methyl alcohol (wood alcohol) used to make degreasing compounds, silicone, formaldehyde, aerosol propellants & paint removers  Medicines (eg. Pacific Yew for cancer treatments, Ginko for circulatory disorders)

9. What Are Conifers?  Trees and shrubs in the Class Coniferinae  50 Genera and 550 species in the world today  Dominate landscapes in colder & drier climates (Boreal Forests of Canada, Northern Europe, and Siberia)  Largest and Oldest living things in the world (Bristlecone Pine – Pinus Longaeva is 4 700 years old and growing in the US)  Characterized by needle-like leaves with many drought-resistant features and cones  Have flowers! (separate flowers for male and female)  Leaves are evergreen in almost all species (except for larches and a few other groups)

10. How To Identify Conifers Use a DICHOTOMOUS KEY… But not this one