Glossary

The nonliving components of the environment, such as air, rocks, light, water, temperature, etc.

To mix air and water so that the oxygen content of the water is enhanced.

To go into a torpid state in which the body physiological parameters are not significantly reduced and responses to external stimuli are prompt.

In forestry, intervals (commonly 10 years) into which the age range of a tree crop is divided; also the trees falling into such an interval. With animals, individuals in the same age range.

A dynamic, ecologically-based natural resources management system that, through the integration of trees in farmland and rangeland, diversifies and sustains production for increased social, economic and environmental benefits for land users at all levels. For more information, see Landhelp.org's page on agroforestry.

An order in the USDA soil classification system which includes mineral soils characterized by umbric or ochric epipedons, arglillic horizons, and that hold water at less than 15-bars tension during at least 3 months when the soil is warm enough for plants to grow outdoors.

A cone-shaped mass of sediments built by rivers or streams as they deposit materials carried from mountains onto more level ground.

Pertaining to inorganic material, such as sand, gravel, and rock, deposited by running water.

The elevational life zone above timberline, corresponding to the Arctic tundra, and having distinct types of low-lying plants. Found at about 11,500 ft in Central Colorado.

A type of site preparation involving dragging a heavy ship anchor chain between 2 crawler-type tractors to remove or lessen competition from existing vegetation.

The species of animals supported by a combination of niches in a given area.

When referring to plants, those that complete their life cycle from seed to mature seedbearing plant in one growing season.

Inhibition of the growth of lateral buds by the terminal bud of a shoot resulting from auxins produced by the terminal buds.

Resembling a tree in growth, structure, or appearance.

A mineral soil horizon that is characterized by the alluvial accumulation of layer-lattice silicate clays.

An order in the USDA soil classification system which includes mineral soils characterized by an aridic moisture regime, an ochris epipedon, and other pedogenic horizons but no oxic horizon.

Dry, receives little precipitation.

Having no evident sex or sex organs; sex-less; pertaining to or characterizing reproduction involving a single individual, and without male or female gametes, such as binary fission, cloning, or budding.

The compass direction toward which a slope faces.

Major energy source is from within the stream.

Of, relating to, or derived from birds.

Seedling trees with their roots exposed; also refers to a method of planting seedlings in which the roots are bare.

The cross-sectional area of the trunk 4¹/₂ feet above the ground; (per acre) the sum of the basal areas of the trees on an acre; used as a measure of forest density.

The process of an animal lying down for rest.

Inorganic particles too heavy to be carried in suspension which moves from stream current along the stream bed.

The variety of life in all its forms and all its levels of organization. Biodiversity refers to diversity of genetics, species, ecosystems, and landscapes.

The maximum production of a selected organism that can be attained under optimum management.

The weight or total quantity of living organisms of one species per unit of space is called species biomass. The weight or total quantity of all the species in a community is called community biomass.

That portion of the earth's crust, waters, and surrounding air-layer which is inhabited by living organisms.

An assemblage of plants, animals, and other living things in a given locality.

Life or the act of living.

The feeding levels in a food chain or web.

A proliferation of living algae and/or other aquatic plants on the surface of lakes or ponds.

Trees felled by high winds.

A unit for measuring wood volume in a tree, log, or board. A board foot is commonly 1 foot by 1 foot by 1 inch, but any shape containing 144 cubic inches of wood equals one board foot.

The trunk of a tree.

A sexual ritual performed by birds or other taxa to solicit the attention of the opposite sex.

Vegetative growth form and composition needed for the rearing of young ground-dwelling birds.

Geographical areas used for brood rearing by ground-dwelling birds.

The young twigs and leaves of woody plants consumed by wild and domestic animals.

To cut trees into shorter lengths, such as logs or cordwood.

A strip of vegetation that is left intact or managed to reduce the impact of a treatment or action in one area on another.

A hole or tunnel dug in the ground by an animal.

Any broad-winged, soaring hawk of the genus Buteo.

A hill that rises abruptly from the surroundings. The sides are steeply sloped or with cliffs, and the top is nearly flat.

Plants adapted to dry conditions. Plural of cactus.

A tool to measure the diameter of a tree.

The areas, usually on spring-fall range, where cows give birth to calves and maintain them during their first few days or weeks.

In woody vegetation, the layer of cells that lies between the secondary xylem and secondary phloem cell layers; through a process of cell division, the cambium produces the secondary xylem and the secondary phloem that are also known, respectively, as the wood and the innermost living bark.

Refers to animals that eat their own kind.

The progressive reduction of space between tree crowns as they spread laterally; a measure of the percent of potenetial open space occupied by the collective tree crowns in a stand.

The continuous cover formed by tree crowns in a forest.

A deep, narrow gap or cleft in the earth caused historically by running water or glaciers.

An organism that depends largely on other animals as a source of nutrients.

Of, or relating to carnivores.

Dead and decaying flesh

The maximum rate of animal stocking possible without inducing damage to vegetation or related sources; may vary from year to year because of fluctuating forage production.

In wood, characterized by compression in the outer layers and tension in the core, the result of too severe drying conditions; trees or logs charred on the outside are often case hardened.

Species of birds and mammals that depends on cavities in trees for their shelter and/or nesting.

Wildlife species that nest in cavities.

An open conduit, either naturally or artifically created, which periodically or continuously contains moving water or which forms a connecting link between two bodies of water.

Burning or scorching the surface of woody material.

The process of reducing large pieces of wood into small pieces of more of less uniform size by running the material through a chipper.

A deep, steep-walled recess in a mountain, caused by glacial erosion at the head of a valley.

An operation in a young stand, not past the sapling stage, to: (1) free small trees, as in a plantation, from weeds, vines, or sod-forming grasses, and (2) provide better growing conditions by liberating crop trees from other individuals of similar age but of less desirable species or from which are overtopping or likely to overtop them.

Removal of the entire standing crop of trees; in practice much unsalable material may be left standing.

The harvest of all the trees in an area. Clearcutting is used to aid tree species whose seedlings require full sunlight to grow well or wildlife species that require open areas for forage near forest edge.

Final or stable community in successional series.

The culminating stage in plant succession for a given site where the vegetation has reached a highly stable condition; and is self-perpetuating and in dynamic equilibrium with the physical habitat.

An instrument used to determine the height of a tree or angle of a slope.

A group of plants, growing in close association, derived by asexual reproduction from a single parent plant.

The condition that exists when the canopy created by trees or shrubs or both is dense enough to exclude most of the direct sunlight from the forest floor.

Large, nearly level areas of land near ocean shores.

Naturally rounded stone larger than a pebble and smaller than a boulder.

A tree that extends its crown into the canopy and receives direct sunlight from above but limited sunlight from the sides. One or more sides of a codominant tree are crowded by the crowns of dominant trees.

A low intensity fire, usually characterized by moderately high fuel moisture content and little or no surface wind.

Any fish which propagates and thrives in colder waters, usually less than 70 F, and doesn't tolerate warmer waters for extended periods of time, including chars, trout, salmon, grayling, and whitefishes.

Any of a number of organisms common to the intestinal tract of man and other animals whose presence in water is an indicator of pollution and of potentially dangerous bacterial contamination.

Aquatic insects that filter small food particles.

A cone-shaped accumulation of rock fragments and other debris deposited at or near the base of cliffs or mountains by gravitational force.

Birds that commonly nest in colonies.

A group of the same kind of animals or plants living together.

2 or more organisms living together in a mutually beneficial relationship.

Any area capable of producing 20 cubic feet of timber per acre per year that has not been protected from such use by law or statute.

An overnight resting place used over an extended period of time by a group of birds, usually of the same species.

A generalized category comprising a number of similar units or stands of vegetation and including animal life.

A group of one or more populations of plants and animals in a common spatial arrangement; an ecological term used in a broad sense to include groups of various sizes and degrees of integration.

When two or more organisms use the same resource.

When animals group together in an area.

A forest dominated by cone-bearing trees.

Pertaining to trees that bear cones.

The most economically important order of the Gymno-spermae, comprising a wide range of trees within Coniferophytina (class Coniferopsida); Trees mostly evergreen that bear cones and have needle-shaped or scale-like leaves; timber commercially identified as softwood.

An independent professional who manages forests and markets forest products for private woodland owners. Consulting foresters do not have direct connections with firms that buy wood products, but are retained by woodland owners as their agents.

Organisms that require organic substances and obtain them by living off other organisms.

Young trees growing in biodegradable receptacles in which they have developed.

In wildlife management, the degree of difference in vegetative structure along edges where plant communitites meet or where successional stages or vegetative conditions within plant communities meet.

An inclusive term for constructed or natural fire barriers; a fire edge treated to control a fire.

The educational arm of the USDA that links university research to people who can benefit from it.

Small diameter or low quality wood suitable for firewood, pulp, or chips. Cordwood is not suitable for sawlogs.

Vegetation used by wildlife for protection from predators, or to ameliorate conditions of weather, or in which to reproduce; also a shortened version of "crown cover"

Coarse particulate organic matter, coarse bits of detritus found within an aquatic ecosystem.

A young tree of a desirable species with certain characteristics desired for timber value, water quality enhancement, or wildlife or aesthetic uses.

The region of a seed plant at which stem and root merge.

The upper part of a tree or other woody plant, carrying the main branch system and foliage, and surmounting at the crown base a more or less clean stem.

The ability of some plants to regrow after plant material above ground is removed by fire or other disturbances.

The amount of canopy provided by branches and foliage of trees, shrubs, and herbs in a plant community. May be specified by species, kind of plant, or collectively.

A forest survey used to obtain inventory information and develop a management plan.

The maximum distance an animal travels from a central point in its habitat; usually expressed in terms of time; daily, seasonal, or annual.

Trunks of trees that have been cut and left during a timber harvesting operation because they are of inferior quality.

Any item of production relegated or rejected because it did not meet certain specifications.

Tilling or working the soil for the purpose of growing crops and other desired plants.

Tree diameter at breast height. This has traditionally been the "sweet spot" on a tree where measurements are taken and a multitude of calculations are made to determine things like growth, volume, yield and forest potential. Tree DBH is outside bark diameter at breast height. Breast height is defined as 4.5 feet (1.37m) above the forest floor on the uphill side of the tree. For the purposes of determining breast height, the forest floor includes the duff layer that may be present, but does not include unincorporated woody debris that may rise above the ground line.

All woody material, from whatever source, that is dead and lying on the forest floor.

Deteriorating; when used in reference to forest stand condition, there are inferences for the loss of trees from the overstory and of the presence of disease, or indications of loss of vigor in dominant trees so that the mean annual increment is negative.

Shedding or losing leaves annually; the opposite of evergreen. Trees such as maple, ash, cherry, and larch are deciduous.

Causes of mortality in a wildlife population, i.e., hunting, parasites, disease, poison, starvation, and predation.

A structure placed in a stream or river to create more favorable fish habitat by altering the direction of flow.

To remove leaves from a plant.

Thick or crowded closely together.

A tree with cavities suitable for birds or mammals to nest in.

Matter deposited by either water or ice.

Having harmful effects.

Leaf litter, twigs, and other particulate organic matter.

Water droplets condensed from the air onto cool surfaces such as leaves.

Of or relating to diagnosis; identified with a species or situation.

The standard diameter measurement for standing trees, including bark, taken at 4.5 feet above the ground.

Hardwood dimension lumber is processed to be used whole in the manufacture of furniture or other products. Softwood dimension lumber consists of boards more than 2 inches thick but less than 5 inches thick. This wood is used in construction.

The movement of members of a population into or out of a habitat.

The pattern of distribution of individuals in an animal population; in the mathematical sense dispersion describes the probability of occurrence of such individuals in particular places.

The distance seed is naturally dispersed or distributed from its point of origin.

In contrast to the molecules of oxygen, along with hydrogen, of which water is physically constituted, is atmospheric oxygen that has been absorbed by water. Fish and other aquatic organisms depend upon dissolved oxygen.

A number that indicates the relative degree of diversity in habitat per unit area, as in the Shannon or Simpsons indices of diversity.

The relative degree of abundance of wildlife species, plant species, communities, habitats, or habitat features per unit of area.

Condition in communitites or in vegetational strata in which one or more species, by means of their numbers, coverage, or size, have considerable influence upon or control of the conditions of existence of associated species.

Plant species or species groups which, by means of their numbers, coverage, or size, influence or control the existence of associated species. Also, individual animals which determine the behavior of one or more other animals, resulting in the establishment of a social hierarchy.

Trunks and limbs of trees in various stages of decomposition found on the forest floor.

A method of clearing woody vegetation by using a tractor with a front-mounted blade to push over individual trees or bushes.

The lack of normal precipitation for an extended period of time.

A location where animals dust themselves.

The process of rolling or exercising vigorously in dust or duff; in birds, has the function of aligning barbules and maintaining feathers.

Characterized by or tending to produce continuous change or advance.

Organisms that exert a major controlling influence within a trophic level or a community by virtue of their numbers, size, production, or other attributes.

The role a particular organism plays in the environment.

Fundamental assumptions or laws that determine the existence and status of organisms within a community.

The transition of species within a given area through a definite ecological state; Through succession of species composition, grasslands can become tree-bearing forests.

The study of interactions between organisms and their environment.

An interacting natural system including all the component organisms together with the abiotic environment; occupying an arbitrarily defined volume of the biosphere.

A transition area between two distinct, but adjoining, communities.

The increased richness of flora and fauna resulting from the mixing of 2 communities at an ecotone where they join. Also the effects (often negative) of increasing surface to volume ratio in habitats thereby reducing effective space for interior species.

The boundary between two ecological communities, for example, field and woodland. Edges may provide wildlife habitat for certain species. Consideration of an edge can reduce the impact of a timber harvest.

A habitat used by elk for calving; usually located on spring-fall range in areas of gentle slope; contains both forage areas and hiding and thermal cover close to water.

Those animals which are favored in habitat management because they have certain attributes which meet the goals of the landowner or the agency having management responsibility, such as: those having sport, commercial, or special aesthetic values, those which are threatened or endangered, or a combination of these.

Any species or subspecies in immediate danger of becoming extinct throughout all or a significant portion of its range.

An order in the USDA soil classification system that includes mineral soils characterized by the absence of distinct pedogenic horizons within 39 inches of the soil surface.

Tree harvesting activities.

A degree of consistency in environmental parameters that tends to produce a balanced community.

The sum total of all the external conditions that may influence organisms. The surroundings that affect the growth and development of an organism.

Branches that grow out of the main stem of a tree from buds produced under the bark. Severe epicormic branching increases knottiness and reduces lumber quality.

The water layer overlying the thermocline of a lake.

Usually vegetation dense enough to hide an animal; used by animals to escape from potential enemies.

Organisms with wide ranges of ecological tolerances that permit them to be widely distributed.

Having waters rich in mineral and organic nutrients that promote a proliferation of plant life, especially algae, which reduces the dissolved oxygen content and often causes the extinction of other organisms.

A stand in which the age difference between the oldest and youngest trees is minimal, usually no greater than 10 to 20 years. Even-aged stands are perpetuated by cutting all the trees within a relatively short period of time.

Plants that retain foliage year round.

To make a cavity or a hole.

Keeping something out of an area.

Expressed in terms of a designated power of E, the base of natural logarithms.

A Cooperative Extension Service professional who educates woodland owners on how they can effectively manage their forests.

The branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that administers cost-sharing programs for such forestry practices as tree planting and timber stand improvement.

An area, usually on spring-fall range, where does give birth to fawns and maintain them in their first few days or weeks.

A wildlife management strategy to produce relatively high numbers of selected wildlife species in particular places for particular purposes.

The cutting of standing trees.

Rich in material needed to support plant growth.

Having filaments, or long thread-like appendages.

Generally, removal of the last trees left in a stand; more particularly, removal of the last seed bearers or shelter trees after regeneration is considered to be established under a shelterwood system.

Fractured into narrow openings or cracks.

Land areas adjacent to streams that are subject to periodic flooding.

A combination of velocity and volume of water carried by a stream that determines channel characteristics and sediment load capacity.

To vary, or rise and fall irregularly.

A periodic, higher than normal volume of stream flow that serves the beneficial purpose of removing fine sediments from coarse-textured stream beds.

The path through which energy is transferred from plants to herbivores and then to carnivores.

Aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates carried downstream by the current.

A graphic portrayal of the flow of energy through a biotic community, using categories of food-consuming organisms as the strata in a triangular configuration.

The interlocking of food chains.

Nongame fish upon which many game fish rely as a major source of food.

Vegetation used for food by wildlife, particularly ungulate wildlife and domestic livestock.

Any herbaceous plant species other than those in the Gramineae, Cyperaceae, and Juncaceae families. Broad-leaved flowering plant, other than a grass or woody shrub.

A degreed professional trained in forestry and forest management.

The subdivision of large natural landscapes into smaller, more isolated fragments. Fragmentation affects the viability of wildlife populations and ecosystems.

A Federal cost-sharing program that reimburses part of the costs landowners incur in completing certain forestry practices. The F.I.P. is administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The profession embracing the science, art, and practice of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources for human benefit and in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values.

Alteration in the vegetative composition of a stand of trees resulting from the implementation of a planned effort.

A biological community dominated by trees and other woody plants.

Fine particulate organic matter, fine bits of detritus found within an aquatic ecosystem.

Water that is not bound to any surface, particularly soil particles.

The method of killing trees by inflicting a series of cuts around the bole and applying an herbicide to the wounds. Frilling or girdling can be used to reduce the density of a stand or kill individual trees that are undesirable for timber and/or chosen to provide standing dead trees (snags) for wildlife.

A low-lying, localized area in which the frost-free growing season is appreciably shorter than that of the immediately surrounding area.

The ripened ovary or ovaries of a seed-bearing plant, together with accessory parts, containing the seeds and occurring in a wide variety of forms. An edible, usually sweet and fleshy form of such a structure.

Living or dead trees, or portions thereof, suitable for burning as fuel.

The stocking level (density) of a forest stand that yields maximum biologically possible growth rates; synonymous with optimum stocking.

A chemical substance that kills fungi.

Plural of fungus; Any of numerous eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Fungi, which lack chlorophyll and vascular tissue and reproduce sexually and asexually with the formation of spores. Fungi range in form from a single cell to a body mass of branched filamentous hyphae that often produce specialized fruiting bodies. The kingdom includes the yeasts, molds, smuts, and mushrooms and include species that exist as saprophytes or parasites of other plants and animals.

Species of vertebrate wildlife hunted by man for sport.

Narrowly, the genic material of a localized interbreeding population; broadly, the genic resources or materials of a species throughout its entire range.

Of or like the earth or the configuration or shape of the earth's surface.

A method of killing trees by cutting through the stem, thus interrupting the flow of water and nutrients. Girdling can be used to reduce the density of a stand or kill individual trees that are undesirable for timber and/or chosen to provide standing dead trees (snags) for wildlife.

The action of huge masses of moving ice formed from compacted snow.

One who gleans or picks up bit by bit.

A process of feeding, particularly by birds, in which food items are gathered from the surface of the foraging substrate.

To gather food in a systematic manner with a minimum of waste and unnecessary effort.

The rise or fall of a ground surface expressed in degrees of slope.

Cereal grains for human consumption.

Of, pertaining to, or derived from granite.

1 of 5 forest structural stages, a successional stage dominated by grasses and forbs.

Relatively short plants typically having long narrow leaves and hollow, jointed stems.

Aquatic insects that feed on attached algae or other aquatic plants.

Granular inorganic matter ingested by gizzard-equipped birds to facilitate the grinding of hard food items.

Water within the earth that supplies wells and springs.

A modification of the selection system in which trees are removed in small groups rather than individually.

All the trees growing in a forest or a specified part of it; generally expressed in numbers or volume.

The pattern of increasing and/or decreasing density an animal population exhibits over time.

Morphological categories of plants, such as trees, shrubs, and vines.

The layers of wood a tree adds each season; also called annual rings. These rings frequently are visible when a tree is cut and can be used to estimate its age and growth rate.

A functional category used for combining species that overlap significantly in their utilization of a particular resource.

A simple part, or a relatively complex entity regarded as a part, of an area or type of environment in which an organism or biological population normally lives or occurs.

The smallest unit of a habitat (the arrangement of food, cover, and water) that is occupied by an organism. Habitat niche refers to the physical space occupied by the organism while ecological niche refers to the organism's role.

The area or environment where an organism or ecological community normally lives or occurs.

A snag composed primarily of sound wood, particularly sound sapwood; generally merchantable.

A general term encompassing broadleaf, deciduous trees.

In forestry, the cutting, felling, and gathering of forest timber. May also refer to the hunting of game animals.

The feeding behavior of birds wherein they catch insects in flight.

A management action designed to reduce risk from a recognized combination of factors that may lead to injury or economic loss.

Any rot in a tree confined to the heartwood, associated with fungi species; generally originating in a living tree.

Relating to plants having little or no woody tissue.

A chemical substance used for killing plants.

An organism that eats plants.

An artificial grouping of animals that includes amphibians and reptiles.

A relative term used to express the degree of abundance of different species in an animal or plant community. Also used to describe genetic variability.

Major energy sources are produced outside the stream.

To go into a torpid state in which the body physiological parameters are drastically reduced and responses to external stimuli are gradual.

Vegetation capable of hiding 90% of a standing adult deer from the view of a human at a distance equal to or less than 200 feet; generally, any vegetation used by deer for security or to escape from danger.

Vegetation capable of hiding 90% of a standing adult elk from the view of a human at a distance equal to or less than 200 feet; generally, any vegetation used by elk for security or escape from danger.

To remove all mature, good quality trees from a stand and leave inferior species and individuals. High grading should be distinguished from even-aged management in which mature and immature trees are removed to aid regeneration.

Synonymous with crown thinning.

Emphasizing the importance of the whole and the interdependence of its parts.

The area that an animal traverses in the scope of normal activities; not to be confused with territory.

Degree of sameness.

The diversity in an area that results from the number of plant communities or successional stages or both; the greater the number, the greater the horizontal diversity.

A high intensity fire, usually characterized by low fuel moisture content and high surface wind velocities.

Primary succession that is initiated in or at the margin of a lake, pond, or stream.

Of, relating to, or having a strong affinity for water.

Repelling, tending not to combine with, or incapable of dissolving in water.

The water layer underlying the thermocline of a lake.

Cuttings made in a stand past the sapling stage for the purpose of improving its composition and character, by removing trees of less desirable species, form, and condition in the main crown canopy.

An order in the USDA soil classification system which includes mineral soils characterized by one or more pedogenic horizons in which mineral materials other than carbonates or amorphous silica have been altered or removed but not accumulated to a significant degree.

The time interval between egg laying and hatching.

Plants or animals whose physical presence denotes the presence of other species or environmental conditions not readily observed.

A number that indicates the relative degree of induced diversity in habitat per unit area produced by edges formed at the junction of successional stages or vegetative conditions within plant communities by direct human activities.

An edge created between 2 successional stages or vegetative conditions within a plant community due to direct human activities.

A clearing in forested or brushy areas created intentionally by man.

The relationship between the volume of water flowing into a body of water to that being discharged.

A number that indicates the relative degree of inherent diversity in habitat per unit area produced by plant community to plant community edges.

An edge that results from the natural meeting of 2 plant community types.

An animal that eats insects.

Land areas that are generally bowl-shaped and surrounded by hills and mountains.

Cuttings made in a stand between the time of its formation and its major harvest.

A stream that ordinarily goes dry at one or more times during the year but sustains flows for some period.

The intermixing of plant species and plant communities that provide habitat for animals in a defined area.

Existing or arising between members of different species.

Existing or arising between members of the same species.

A nonnative species that was intentionally or unintentionally brought into an area by humans.

To supply cropland, parks, yards with water through the use of diversions, ditches, and pipes.

To situate side by side; to place together.

The act of arranging stands in space.

A species whose presence contributes to a diversity of life and whose extinction would consequently lead to the extinction of other forms of life. Keystone species help to support the ecosystem (entire community of life) of which they are a part.

Refers to those soils that originated from sediments in lakes.

Any of an order of gnawing animals having two pairs of incisors in the upper jaw, one behind the other, and comprising the rabbits, hares and pikas.

A feature of the earth's surface with distinctive form characteristics which can be attributed to the dominance of particular processes or structure in the course of its development and to which the feature can be clearly related.

A cleared area within a timber harvest where harvested logs are processed, piled, and loaded for transport to a sawmill or other facility.

An inventory of organisms based on their occurrence in relationship to latitude and longitude.

The positioning of vegetative strata within a plant community.

Stands of trees left standing between areas where trees have been removed.

A plant of the pea family (Leguminosae) that bears seeds in a pod.

A site where birds traditionally gather for sexual display and courtship.

Cuttings designed to release a young stand, sapling stage or younger, from overstory competition.

The environmental influence through which the toleration limit of an organism is first reached, which acts, therefore, as the immediate restriction in one or more of its functions or activites or in its geographic distribution.

The uppermost layer of organic debris on a forest floor.

Refers to shallow water in which aquatic vegetation can be present on the bottom.

Cutting up the tree branches or slash created by logging and spreading it more or less evenly over the ground without burning.

After felling, the chopping of small trees and branches and tops of large trees so that the resultant slash will lie close to the ground and decay more rapidly.

A type of thinning that particularly favors the dominant trees by removing a varying portion of the other trees.

Geographical differences in plant or animal diversity in relationship to latitude or topographic relief.

of, relating to, or derived from mammals.

Endangered and threatened species (or species of concern) identified on state and federal lists for the planning area.

Manage or influence to achieve desired results.

Indicating by paint or other means which trees are to be cut or otherwise treated. It is advisable to mark trees to be harvested twice - once at eye level and once on the stump.

The nuts of forest trees suitable as food for livestock and wildlife.

1 of 5 forest structural stages in which the stand is primarily composed of or dominated by mature trees in vigorous condition.

The stage at which a tree or other plant has attained full development and is in full seed production.

A combination hoe, rake and scraping tool used by Firefighters to remove plants and shrubs when building a fireline.

Following a winding, intricate course.

Any thinning that selects the trees to be removed according to some simple, objective criterion.

Refers to environmental situations characterized by moderately moist conditions.

Refers to plants that grow under moderately moist environmental conditions.

The climatic conditions within a small or local habitat that is well defined.

A small environment.

Too small to be seen by the unaided eye.

Site specific differences in species diversity.

The middle story of a three-story tree canopy.

A belt, band, or stringer of vegetation that provides completely or partially suitable habitat which animals follow during migrations.

A travel route used routinely by wildlife in their seasonal movement from one habitat to another.

A stand composed of trees of 2 or more ages.

A stand of trees in which less than 80% of the trees in the main crown canopy are of a single species.

A type of plow that turns the soil completely upside down, burying all crop remains underneath.

An order in the USDA soil classification system which includes mineral soils chacterized by a mollic epipedon overlaying mineral material with a base saturation of 50% or more when measured at ph 7.

A chemical compound that can undergo polymerization

Made up of a single species.

Of, or pertaining to a single species.

An elevational life zone extending from the foothills up to the subalpine zone.

The act of making a fire safe after it has been controlled.

An accumulation of earth and stone carried and finally deposited by a glacier.

The death or loss in a population from any cause.

Stands with 2 or more distinct tree layers in the canopy.

A concept of land management in which a number of products or services are deliberately produced from the same land base.

An obligatory relationship between 2 species wherein both species benefit from the relationship.

The production of new animal life by a given animal population; Birth.

Clearings in a forest or shrub area that are inherent because of site factors or that have been created by natural causes.

The branch of the USDA that coordinates and implements soil conservation practices on private lands. The NRCS can provide woodland owners with detailed information about soil characteristics.

The mortality or loss of trees in a stand due to suppression by more vigorous growing individuals.

A pesticide having a short life or existence under natural conditions.

Opposite of serotinous; opening at maturity without requiring heat to expose seeds.

Wild vertebrates not commonly subject to sport hunting or fishing.

The degree of fertility.

Any substance that can be metabolized by an organism to give energy and build tissue; Nutritive substance required for plants and animals to grow and exist.

An interspecific relationship in which one species is highly dependent on the other.

An interspecific relationship in which one species excludes another.

The last stage in forest succession. An old-growth forest often has large individual trees, a multi-layered crown canopy, and a significant accumulation of coarse woody debris.

1 of 5 forest structural stages dominated by over-mature trees.

A forest stand that is past full maturity and showing decadence.

A canopy condition that allows large amounts of direct sunlight to reach the ground.

Detritus, consisting mostly of gravel and sand, transported by the running water from a melting glacier and laid down in stratified deposits.

The condition that exists after an even-aged stand reaches maturity and declines in vigor, health, and soundness.

The situation in which trees are so closely spaced that they compete for resources and do not reach full growth potential.

The portion of the trees that form the uppermost canopy layer in a forest of more than 1 story.

The sinking of surface water and rise of bottom water in a lake that results from changing temperatures that occur in the spring and fall wherever lakes are icebound in the winter.

Number of eggs available for fertilization in a given period of time.

A crescent-shaped body of water that remains after a stream channel has been altered.

The relish with which a particular species or plant part is consumed by an animal.

Organism that attacks or lives at the expense of another organism.

Organic or inorganic material from which soil originates by a process of weathering and chemical decomposition.

An open space all or partly surrounded by trees.

Any timber harvest that leaves live trees standing for some management purpose.

Minute particles of organic or inorganic materials.

The act or process of giving birth.

Any agent that causes disease, especially microorganisms.

A cutting time for trees determined on the basis of pathological factors.

A concentration of numerous particles of fecal material resulting from a single defecation.

A long, narrow projection of land into water.

Downward flow or infiltration of water through the spaces between rocks or particles of soil.

For streams, running water ordinarily present on a year round basis. For plants, a plant lasting for three seasons or more.

A chemical poison which doesn't decompose within 1 growing season or 1 year after application and is capable of being stored within the tissues of an organism and transferred from 1 organism to another through a food chain.

A substance that destroys pests.

A plant grouping resulting from site-differentiated variations within a plant association rather than time-differentiated occurrences.

A notation designating acidity and alkalinity.

Free-swimming or floating animal and plant life generally dependent upon water current for locomotion.

A grouping of plants that have reached dynamic equilibrium with the local environmental conditions and is equivalent to climax.

A vegetative complex unique in its combination of plants; A reflection or integration of the environmental influences on the site; denotes a general kind of climax vegetation.

A broad level of plant classification which is primarily controlled by major climatic relations and is distinguished on the basis of physiognomy of life form of the dominants only, e.g., coniferous forests, deciduous forests.

A division of a plant formation that is similar throughout its extent in physiognomy and is generally controlled by regional climate, e.g., temperate xerophytic forest.

A division of a plant region that has specificity of physiognomy of its ecological structure and is generally characterized by 1 or 2 common climax dominant plant species, e.g., ponderosa pine forest.

An elevated, relatively level expanse of land.

The level area at the bottom of a closed basin that is often covered with water from rain runoff and snow melt.

1 of 5 forest structural stages in which the dominant vegetation is trees that qualify as poles (generally 4 to 10" DBH) or saplings (generally 1-4" DBH).

A stand of trees whose average dbh is between 4 and 10 inches.

Trees 4 to 10 inches dbh.

A tree, from the time its lower branches begin to die until the time the rate of crown growth begins to slow and crown expansion is noticable.

A chemical compound or mixture of compounds formed by polymerization and consisting essentially of repeating structural units.

An expression of the length of a stream composed of pools in relation to that of riffles.

An area of stream that is deep and of low current velocity relative to the main stream.

The aggregate of all units forming the subject of study. A community of individuals that share a common gene pool.

The vegetation that would exist if humans were removed from the scene and the resulting plant succession were telescoped into a single moment.

A sizeable, rounded, and often water-filled depression in land.

Cutting in forest stands to remove wood too small to be marketed. Precommercial operations improve species composition and increase the quality, growth, and vigor of remaining trees.

Any animal that kills and feeds on other animals.

A light partial cut, made towards the end of the cutting rotation cycle in stands under shelterwood management.

Skillful application of fire to natural fuels under conditions of weather, fuel moisture, soil moisture, etc. that allow confinement of the fire to predetermined areas to accomplish management objectives.

Fire used as a management tool under specific conditions for burning a defined area.

The formal written plan of action to carry out a silvicultural treament of a forest stand to achieve specific objectives.

A species that excavates, digs or chips out cavities in wood to provide itself with a site for nesting, e.g., woodpecker.

The rate at which new organic material is created.

Any ecological development of plant or animal life originating from a bare area.

Green plants that synthesize their own organic compounds from inorganic substances.

A document that describes the location of a property, indicates trees marked for cutting, and states that the timber will be sold in accordance with a suitable contact. A prospectus includes the number of trees marked, their diameter classes, and a volume.

an interspecific relationship favorable to both species but not obligatory.

The act of sawing or cutting branches from a living tree. In forest management, pruning is done to promote the growth of clear, valuable wood on the tree bole.

The cutting away of unwanted material.

Wood suitable for use in paper manufacturing.

A stand of trees in which at least 80% of the trees in the main crown canopy are of a single species.

A method of clearing shrubby vegetation by dragging railroad rails through it with 2 large tractors.

Pertaining to birds that are raptors.

A predatory bird that catches and kills its prey with sharp claws or talons on its feet and tears flesh with a specialized hooked beak.

To renew a tree crop through artifical or natural means or both. Also to replace lost or damaged parts with new tissue.

Any removal of trees intended to assist regeneration already present or to make regeneration possible.

The process by which a forest is reseeded and renewed. Advanced regeneration refers to regeneration that is established before the existing forest stand is removed.

To stimulate and return to youthful health and vigor.

Cuttings designed to free trees from competition by cutting or otherwise removing neraby vegetation.

The last cuttings made in stands under shelterwood.

The trees remaining intact following any cutting operation.

A measure of the ability of a system to persist in the presence of perturbations arising from weather, physical-chemical factors, other organisms, or humans.

The production of new plant growth from the root crown.

An intensive system of management whereby grazing is deferred on various parts of the range during succeeding years.

A measure of the relative degree or number of plant or wildlife species or both associated with particular habitat conditions.

The faster moving portion of a stream.

Of, pertaining to, or situated on the banks of a watercourse (as a river or stream).

A method of clearing shrubby vegetation by pulling a large, water-filled drum with attached cutters through the vegetation.

The planned number of years between the regeneration of a stand and its final cutting at a specified stage.

Rough broken stone

Coldwater fishes of the family salmonidae, e.g., salmon and trout.

The removal of dead, damaged, or diseased trees to recover maximum value prior to deterioration.

The removal of dead or damaged trees or trees susceptible to death or damage.

A tree at least 4¹/₂ feet tall and up to 4 inches in diameter

The maximum population density an optimum habitat for a species will support.

To break up and loosen the surface of the ground; To etch, slit or soften the outer seed coat in order to speed germination.

Removed or screened from view of other areas and disturbances.

A group of trees that has been regenerated naturally.

Wildlife that occupies a cavity in a tree or snag that was excavated by another species.

Ecological development of a site that takes place following the destruction of part or all of the vegetation on the site.

Any of numerous grasslike plants of the family Cyperaceae, having solid stems, leaves in three vertical rows, and spikelets of inconspicuous flowers, with each flower subtended by a scalelike bract.

Rocks formed by the accumulation of sediment in water.

Material suspended in liquid or air.

Any tree retained to provide seed for natural regeneration.

Soil prepared for planting of seed or natural reseeding.

A cut designed to further open a shelterwood managed stand after the preparatory cut and before seeding takes place to provide the necessary light and heat required for regeneration.

A young tree grown from seed from the time of germination until it becomes a sapling.

A mature tree left uncut to provide seed for regeneration of a harvested stand.

The propagative part of the plant.

The harvest of individual trees or small groups of trees at regular intervals to maintain an uneven-aged forest. Selection harvests are used to manage species that do not need sunlight to survive.

A cut of the largest dominant trees and the poorest overtopped trees in effort to utilize the timber before dominant trees become wolf trees of low economic value and overtopped trees are lost to mortality.

One in a series of steps in the process of ecological succession.

Cones that remain closed without allowing dissemination of the enclosed seeds long beyond the time of maturation, often released by heat in fire-prone areas.

Plant species that do not germinate or grow well in shade.

Plants that grow well in shade.

Loss or movement of soil in thin layers.

The harvest of all mature trees in an area in a series of two or more cuts, leaving enough trees of other sizes to provide shade and protection for forest seedlings until they are well established.

The shallow portion of a body of water usually characterized by light penetration to the bottom.

Grasses of short stature that grow on sites characterized by sparse rainfall.

Aquatic insects that feed on leaves, twigs, and living or nonliving plant tissue.

1 of 5 forest structural stages in which the vegetation of the stand is dominated by shrubs or tree seedlings or both.

A plant with persistent woody stems and relatively low growth form.

The distance at which 90% or more of an adult elk or deer is hidden from the view of a human.

Material consisting of small granular particles of earth capable of being readily transported and desposited by water.

Any activity designed to produce or improve a stand of trees to meet a predetermined objective.

The art and science of controlling the establishment, growth, composition, health, and quality of forests.

A stand of trees in which the canopy is contained in 1 layer.

A method of harvesting under an uneven-aged forest management system in which trees are individually selected for harvest. Also called individual selection.

A comparison of the distance traversed by a segment of a stream channel with that of the straight-line distance of the segment.

Treatment of an area prior to reestablishment of a forest stand. Site preparation can include mechanical clearing, burning, or chemical (herbicide) vegetation control.

The combination of biotic, climatic, topographic, and soil conditions of an area.

A rubber-tired machine with a cable winch or grapple used to drag logs out of the forest.

The act of moving trees from the site of felling to a leading area or landing. Tractors, horses, or specialized logging equipment can be used for skidding. Skidding methods vary in their impact on soils and the remaining stands.

A prepared road or trail used for pulling logs from the stump to the landing or yard.

A method of powered cable logging in which a heavy cable is stretched between 2 spar-trees or their equivalents in effort to move timber to a landing overhead.

Branches and other woody material left on a site after logging.

The degree that the land surface is inclined

A dead tree that is still standing. Snags provide important food and cover for a wide variety of wildlife species.

A snag composed primarily of wood in advanced stages of decay and deterioration.

Any tree in the gymnosperm group, including pines, hemlocks, larches, spruces, firs, and junipers. Softwoods often are called conifers although some, such as junipers and yews do not produce cones.

The diversity of organisms in relationship to space.

A wildlife management strategy where the goal is to produce a relatively high number of species per unit area.

A measurement or expression of the number of species of plants or animals present in an area.

Related organisms that share the same characteristics and are capable of interbreeding and successfully reproducing the same kind of organism.

A tree growing from a cut stump or previously established root system.

A short branch of a main timber haul road.

The ability of an ecosystem when changed from a steady state to develop forces that tend to restore it to its original condition.

A stand in which the growth of individual trees is much below potential because of crowding or high density of trees.

The process of the lessening of the growth rate of individual trees in a stand because of overcrowding.

The quantity of trees per unit area, usually evaluated in terms of basal area, crown cover and stocking.

A group of forest trees of sufficiently uniform species composition, age, and condition to be considered a homogeneous unit for management purposes.

Organisms with low ranges of ecological tolerance that narrowly restrict their distribution.

The administration of land and associated resources in a manner that enables their passing on to future generations in a healthy condition

The number and density of trees in a forest stand. Stands are often classified as understocked, well-stocked or overstocked.

Division of a forest, or any ecosystem, into separate layers of vegetation that provide distinct niches for wildlife. See canopy, understory, and herbaceous vegetation.

Any of several developmental stages of tree stands.

The value of standing trees in a forest.

An elevational life zone extending from about 10,000 feet above sea level in central Colorado to timberline.

A stage in succession short of the climax community in which further development is inhibited by the influence of some factors other than climatic factors.

A component of a plant community, typically a species which, though locally dominant, exerts much less dominance than the widespread dominant does.

With respect to aquatic situations, the bottom of the lake or stream.

A stage or recognizable condition of a plant community that occurs during its development from bare ground to climax.

The natural replacement of one plant (or animal) community by another over time in the absence of disturbance.

Having thick fleshy leaves that conserve moisture.

to send out suckers.

A shoot arising from below ground level, either from a rhizome or from a root.

Injury to bark and cambium caused by exposure of the tree stem to high temperatures from intense sunlight.

An unstable condition in which a medium contains more of an element or substance in solution than would be the case under stable conditions.

A tree condition characterized by low growth rate and low vigor as a result of competition with overtopping trees. See overtopped.

Death of plants caused by natural thinning.

Soil and other materials suspended in water.

An ideal forest management objective in which the volume of wood removed equals growth within the total forest.

The accumulation of broken rocks that occurs at the base of cliffs or other steep slopes.

A forest occurring in the temperate zone.

The portions of the earth in the northern and southern hemispheres that lie between the tropics and the polar circles.

The atmospheric condition in which the air temperature increases with height, contrary to the usual condition in which the air temperature increases closer to the earth.

The character or topography of the land.

A behavioral trait in which an animal defends a geographical area from intruders of the same or other species.

The area that an animal defends, usually during breeding season, against intruders of its own or other species.

Cover used by animals to ameliorate effects of weather.

The transition zone between the epilimnion and the hypolimnion.

The process in which a lake separates into layers due to differing water temperatures.

Felling of part of an immature crop or stand to accelerate growth in the remaining trees.

A species or subspecies whose population is so small or is declining so rapidly that it may become endangered in all or a significant portion of its range.

A stand of trees whose crown structure is divided into 3 distinct canopy layers.

Materials carried by glaciers, ranging in size from large boulders down to silt, which are deposited in place when glaciers melt.

Any practice that increases the value or rate of value growth in a stand of potential sawtimber trees. Pruning and thinning are considered T.S.I.

Those natural physical terrain features that are commonly identified on topographic maps.

The sum total of diversity within an area. The sum of induced and inherent diversity.

Pertaining to poision.

The process of changing from one form to another.

An area on which 2 or more plant communities or successional stages within plant communities merge and which shows characteristics of all involved communities or stages.

The process by which water vapor passes from the foliage or other parts of a living plant to the atmosphere.

A strip of land in which travel by humans is or can be accommodated.

A route followed by animals along a belt or band of suitable cover or habitat.

Areas of cover commonly used by animals moving from one location to another.

A privately owned forest managed on a multiple use basis with timber production as an important management goal.

A plant that is usually more than 12 feet tall and has a single main woody stem with a distinct crown of leaves.

Functional classification of organisms in a community according to feeding relationships.

A graphic portrayal of the biomass in different trophic levels within a biotic community.

Feeding relationships within the community that determine the flow of energy from plants to herbivores to carnivores.

A swollen, fleshy, starchy end of an underground side shoot or stem, distinguished by their eyes, which sprout into plants with shoots and roots.

A stand of trees whose crown structure is divided into 2 distinct canopy layers.

The level of forest vegetation beneath the canopy.

A regular rising and falling or side to side motion.

A system of forest management in which stands are produced or maintained with an intermingling of trees that differ markedly in age.

A group of trees of a variety of ages and sizes growing on a uniform site; also called all-aged stand.

A mammal with hooves.

An elongated lowland between mountains, hills, or other upland areas that often has a river or stream running through it.

Plants containing a network of structures that carry or transport water (xylem) or nutrients (phloem).

A high-quality log of a desirable species suitable for conversion to veneer (A thin surface layer, as of finely grained wood, glued to a base of inferior material). Veneer logs must be large, straight, of minimum taper, and free from defects.

A figure indicating relative degrees of versatility between species in terms of the number of plant communities and successional stages used by the individual species for feeding and reproduction.

The diversity in an area that results from the complexity of the above ground structure or layers of the vegetation.

A wildlife population of sufficient size to maintain its existence over time in spite of normal fluctuations in population levels.

In plants and animals, refers to the capacity for strong growth and high survival.

An area of old-growth trees that has never been harvested by humans.

Any fish that requires warm water in which to propagate.

The water that runs off cropland during irrigation. Also refers to sewage as spelled wastewater.

A shallow channel or raised barrier constructed diagonally across a road, trail or control line so as to lead water away.

Determined by a series of standard parameters; turbidity, temperature, bacterial content, pH, and dissolved oxygen.

A region defined by patterns of stream drainage. A watershed includes all the land that contributes water to a particular stream or river.

Those elements within an animal's habitat that contribute to its well-being.

Those areas that are inundated by surface or groundwater with a frequency sufficient to support, and under normal circumstances does or would support, a prevalence of vegetation or aquatic life that requires saturated or seasonally saturated soil.

Lands designated by law as wilderness; An unsettled, uncultivated region left in its natural condition, especially a large wild tract of land covered with dense vegetation or forests.

An unplanned fire requiring suppression action.

The native environment of an animal. Habitats ideally provide all the elements needed for life and growth: food, water, cover and space.

A tree uprooted or broken off by wind.

Having the ability to withstand heavy wind.

Slash, brushwood, etc. concentrated along a line so as to clear the ground between the lines.

A tree felled by wind. Windthrows, also known as blowdowns, are common among shallow-rooted species and in areas where cutting has reduced stand density.

The death of an organism caused by intolerable conditions during the winter period.

A dominant vigorous tree, generally of bad form, that occupies more growing space that its timber value warrants. Wolf trees may offer value to wildlife.

Refers to environmental situations characterized by arid conditions.

Refers to plants that grow under arid environmental conditions.

Transporting timber from the point of felling to a yard or landing.

1 of 5 successional stages in which a stand of trees is dominated by trees that are no longer poles but have not yet reached maturity.

Free-swimming or floating animal plankton.