APES Unit 5 Vocab

cutting down only some trees in a forest and leaving a mix of tree sizes and species behind

A variation of clear-cutting in which a strip of trees is clear-cut along the contour of the land, with the corridor narrow enough to allow natural regeneration within a few years. After regeneration, another strip is cut above the first, and so on.

Movement of soil components, especially topsoil, from one place to another, usually by wind, flowing water, or both. This natural process can be greatly accelerated by human activities that remove vegetation from soil.

a practice in which loggers balance the use of the forests for wood production with protecting the ecosystem and the environment

the science or practice of farming, including cultivation of the soil for the growing of crops and the rearing of animals to provide food, wool, and other products.

Rapid diffusion of new agricultural technology, especially new high-yield seeds and fertilizers.

intensive farming practices involving mechanization and mass production

Organisms that have been geneticly altered to improve their usefulnes

The process of supplying water to areas of land to make them suitable for growing crops.

Chemicals used on plants that do not harm the plants, but kill pests and have negative repercussions on other species who ingest the chemicals.

farming strategy in which large fields are planted with a single crop, year after year

Simultaneously growing a variety of crops on the same plot.

Plants, such as rye, alfalfa, or clover, that can be planted immediately after harvest to hold and protect the soil. Return Nitrogen to the soil

suitable for growing crops

The turning-over of soil before planting.