Conservation & Sustainability Flashcards
7 cards from real SAF practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Conservation & Sustainability flashcards as text
Which forest certification standard is administered by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and is most widely recognized in international markets for sustainable forest products?
Answer: FSC Principles and Criteria
The FSC Principles and Criteria constitute the global standard used to evaluate forest management for FSC chain-of-custody certification, widely accepted in export markets.
What is the primary conservation purpose of establishing 'old-growth set-asides' in managed forest landscapes?
Answer: Maintaining refugia for species dependent on late-successional forest structures
Old-growth set-asides serve as refugia—source populations and habitat reservoirs for species dependent on structural features like large snags, down logs, and multi-layered canopies.
A forester conducting a watershed-scale conservation assessment should prioritize which hydrologic condition as an indicator of ecological integrity?
Answer: Natural flow regime with minimally altered timing and magnitude
The natural flow regime—the characteristic pattern of flow timing, magnitude, frequency, duration, and rate of change—is the master variable that determines aquatic ecosystem integrity.
Which concept in conservation biology warns that protected areas may lose species over time if they are too small to maintain viable populations?
Answer: Relaxation effect
Relaxation refers to the post-isolation decline in species richness within a habitat fragment as small, isolated populations go extinct without immigration to rescue them.
In sustainable forest management, 'growing stock' refers to:
Answer: The total volume or basal area of live trees on a given forested area
Growing stock is the aggregate volume, basal area, or biomass of live merchantable trees on a defined area, serving as the fundamental inventory metric in sustained-yield calculations.
The Lacey Act, as amended in 2008, affects US forest product importers primarily by:
Answer: Prohibiting trade in plants and wood products harvested illegally under foreign laws
The 2008 Lacey Act amendments extended the law to plants and plant products, making it illegal to import wood harvested in violation of the laws of the country of harvest.
Which term describes a managed disturbance regime that mimics the size, frequency, and intensity of natural forest disturbances to maintain biodiversity?
Answer: Natural disturbance emulation
Natural disturbance emulation (NDE) designs silvicultural systems to replicate the spatial pattern, rotation length, and structural outcomes of historical disturbances like fire or windthrow.