Transcript A Walk in the Woods - School of Forest Resources

First, think about what is a forest?
These trees are
in water. Is this a
forest?
Is this?
So what makes up a forest?
• The answer is, it varies!
• There are many types of forests; upland pine,
bottomland swamp, and mixed hardwood are
just to name a few
• Forests vary by size, composition, and function,
but ALL provide ecosystem services
• Disturbances, such as fire and invasive exotic
species, can also influence how a forest
develops
Do trees in a forest grow randomly?
Bald cypress trees have
unique root structures called
“cypress knees” which allow
them to survive with roots
completely submerged.
Invasive exotic plants, such
as this Japanese Mimosa, can
prevent or impede other
trees from growing in those
areas by quickly taking up
space, water, and nutrients.
• Even in a single area there can be multiple forest
ecosystems
• This is due to pockets of different climate and
environmental conditions that affect which
types of trees can grow where
• These climate pockets are called microclimates
• The area where one ecosystem transitions into
another is known as an ecotone
• Ecotones are critical habitat for some wildlife
species
Can you point out the ecotone in this
mangrove forest ecosystem?
Can you point out the ecotone in this
mangrove forest ecosystem?
Do forests ever change?
• Absolutely, change is necessary for forests to
be healthy
• Some changes can be caused by human
activity or by nature itself
• When a tree dies and falls it leaves an open
space in the forest called a light gap
• Plants in the light gap suddenly experience
different conditions. What do you think
those could be?
• Now let’s take a virtual tour through a forest
and explore different forest ecosystems
• You can take a look at the “Treecosystems”
map you are about to see on page 10 of your
student page
What’s in this forest?
Riparian ecosystem
Mixed hardwood ecosystem
Sandhill ecosystem
• A forest is an example of a system. How a
forest looks and functions depends on
multiple factors, like what resources are
available in that area.
• These resources, such as water and sunlight,
are called inputs – they are what goes into a
system.
• What are some inputs needed for a sandhill
ecosystem to be healthy?
• There are also some things that come out of
forests.
• The things that come out of forests, or the
ecosystem services that they
provide, are called outputs, and
we benefit from them everyday!
• What are some examples of
forest outputs?
Light gaps and new trees
Name that Forest!
Name that Forest!
Name that Forest!
• Now that you are familiar with different
forest ecosystems and their unique
composition and functions, let’s do an
activity.
• Take a look at the student page provided and
try to work out the answers.
Strengthening the pulse of Florida’s forests, together