Forestry

Forestry - Middle School

Forests are ecosystems, and the current approach to managing our forests is ecosystem management. Forests provide habitat for wildlife and support a great diversity of plant and animal species. They are watersheds that are important to water quality. An ecosystem management approach considers these roles, as well as, soil types, forest protection, wilderness preservation, historical roles, outdoor recreation, silviculture, and timber production.

Our forests are important economic resources, providing lumber and thousands of other products used by man. Forestry is the second largest industry in North Carolina. However, forests also provide many ecological services upon which man and wildlife depend. Some of these services include climate moderation, water and nutrient cycling, prevention of soil erosion and flooding, removal of air pollutants, and social, recreational, and aesthetic values. The distinguishing vegetation of the forest is its trees, which are second only to grass as the most common and widely distributed plants on earth. North Carolina has diverse forest communities representing forests found from our latitudes to the forests typical of New England. Our forests have been an important part of our history and our economic growth from the time of early settlement.

Forests are our renewable, ecological, and economic resource that supply habitat for wildlife and products for man. Henry David Thoreau suggested their multiple functions and importance when he stated, “In wilderness is the preservation of the world.”

Please refer to the resources listed below for study materials for Middle School teams in the 2020-2021 school year: