Forest Resource Management & Planning 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 Forest Resource Management & Planning flashcards as text
A forester is writing a prescription for a commercially thinned stand. The 'thinning from below' method preferentially removes:
Answer: Suppressed, intermediate, and overtopped trees in lower crown classes
Low thinning (thinning from below) removes trees from the lower crown classes first — suppressed, intermediate, and overtopped — to concentrate growth on dominant trees.
Which federal law established the framework for ecosystem management and planning on National Forests, requiring an interdisciplinary approach?
Answer: National Forest Management Act of 1976
NFMA (1976) mandated interdisciplinary forest planning, diversity maintenance, and the development of Land and Resource Management Plans for each National Forest.
A forester uses stratified random sampling rather than simple random sampling in a forest inventory. The main advantage is:
Answer: Increased precision by reducing variance within homogeneous sub-populations
Stratification groups the forest into internally homogeneous strata, reducing within-stratum variance and improving the precision of population estimates at a given sample size.
In a forest GIS, raster data layers are most appropriate for representing:
Answer: Continuously varying surfaces such as elevation or slope
Raster (grid-cell) format excels at representing continuous spatial variables like elevation, slope, aspect, and canopy cover across a landscape.
A 'residual stand' following a partial harvest is assessed for damage. Which measure best quantifies logging damage to remaining trees?
Answer: Percentage of residual trees with wounds exposing cambium or sapwood
Logging damage to residuals is typically quantified by the proportion of trees with fresh wounds exposing cambium or sapwood, which are entry points for decay fungi.
Which forest planning concept requires that all resource values — timber, water, wildlife, recreation, and range — receive equal consideration in management decisions on National Forests?
Answer: Multiple use
The Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act of 1960 mandates that National Forests be managed for multiple resources simultaneously, not for any single dominant use.
A forester developing a habitat management plan for a cavity-dependent species should prioritize retaining which stand elements?
Answer: Large-diameter snags and mature live trees with decay
Cavity-dependent wildlife require large-diameter snags (dead trees) and large live trees with heartwood decay for nesting and denning; these are the priority elements to retain.