| Academic
Standards for Environment and Ecology |
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4.8. Humans and
the Environment
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Congratulations
to
| Allegheny
County |
Janet
Morris |
| Butler County |
Jim Moore |
| Carbon County |
Beth Sheckler |
| Cumberland County |
Richard Stewart |
| Dauphin County |
Carol Ressler |
| Montgomery County |
Christie
Jephson, April |
| Venango County |
Sue Leese |
| York County |
C. Richcrick, Brian Blum |
| ~ Sarah
Johnson,
Juae Kim |
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for submitting the correct answer!
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The best friend of earth and of man is the
tree. When we use the tree respectfully and economically,
we have one of the greatest resources on the earth
- Frank
Lloyd Wright
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Clearing our forests for
housing developments is not a sustainable use of the land.
When forest tracts are cleared for housing development,
wildlife habitat is altered and fragmented. Human activity
also increases the amount of pollution in the area. As
a result, the remaining wild areas are more susceptible
to invasive species. |
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In Pennsylvania,
we lose 120,000 acres of land to urban sprawl every
year,
about 3 times
more than public and private groups are conserving. |
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Humans rely on natural resources.
Taking care of these resources will ensure that they
are available for
future generations. This does not mean that we should not
use these resources in our lifetimes. If we manage our
resources wisely today, we can ensure that they are still
around for tomorrow.
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| Forests
provide humans with wood, clean water, wildlife, and outdoor
enjoyment.
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Timbering
results in removing trees from the forest to satisfy
human demands. If carefully planned, timbering can be
accomplished in a sustainable manner. Sustainable forestry
takes into account the social, ethical, ecological, and
economic factors that will be affected. An intermediate
cut is one method that may be employed in sustainable
harvesting.
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Buffer
areas around streams help to improve the water quality
of the stream. During a heavy rainfall, forested buffer
strips reduce the amount of sedimentation and pollution
entering a stream. Forest buffer strips also provide
shade and cover to the stream, thus providing aquatic
wildlife with excellent habitat.
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Forests
provide habitat for numerous species. Hunting regulations
created by the Game Commission help to ensure that healthy
wildlife populations are sustained. Legal hunting is
a means of sustaining healthy wildlife populations.
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Investigate ways in which
our utilization and consumption of wood products affects
the sustainability of our forests.
Research solutions...What can an individual do to reduce
their impact on natural resources?
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