Talk About Trees: List of Forest Terms

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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B	Balance - A state of equilibrium or stability Bark - The tough outside covering of a woody stem or root Biodegradable - Being able to be broken down or decomposed by natural means By-product - Something that is made in the process of making something else Back to the Top
C	Cambium - Clusters of tree cells that produce a new layer of wood and an new layer of bark each year, thus forming the tree rings we can count to tell the age of a tree Carbon Dioxide - A colorless, odorless, incombustible gas that is formed during respiration, combustion, and organic decomposition Cells - The basic building blocks of living things Cellulose - The material that makes up plant cell walls Chlorophyll - The green substance found in leaves and needles Compost - A collection of organic scraps and garbage that decays and becomes good fertilizer Conifer - A cone-bearing tree Back to the Top
D	Decay The coming apart or rotting of organic material Decompose To decay or come apart Back to the Top
E	Ecology - The study of how plants and animals interact with their environment Energy - A source of usable power, such as sunlight or food Environment - The conditions or elements that surround an ecological community or its members Erosion - The wearing away of the soil, usually by wind or water Back to the Top
F	Feedback - The return of information about the result of a process or activity. It often results in change by the receiver of the feedback information. Fiber - Thin threads that bind together to form animal and plant matter Back to the Top
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H	Habitat - The place that is home to a plant or animal Heartwood - The hard, inactive wood at the center of the tree Hydroelectric plant - A place where electricity is produced by the energy of rapidly moving water Back to the Top
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L	Landfills - Places in our communities where garbage is unloaded and then covered over with dirt and packed down Lignin - The sticky substance that binds plant cells together Back to the Top
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N	Natural regeneration - The process by which seeds sprout to produce seedlings in the wild (without the use of a nursery to cultivate them) Natural Resources - Things we use that come from the earth Back to the Top
O	Organic - Material made of carbon; made of living matter Oxygen - An element found freely in nature that is necessary for humans and animals to breathe and is needed for nearly all combustion to occur Back to the Top
P	Photosynthesis - The process of producing food for trees by combining sun light, water, chlorophyll and carbon dioxide Pulp - The mash that forms when wood chips are cooked Back to the Top
Q
R	Recyclable - Being able to be utilized again, often by being restructured into something else Relic - An object with historic value that has survived from the past Renewable - Having the capability of replenishing itself Riparian zone - The area along a river or stream Roots - The tree parts below ground that hold the tree. Root hairs, which push their way through the soil and absorb moisture, send water and nutrients up into the tree. Back to the Top
S	Sapwood - Wood that lies between the cambium and the heartwood. It acts as a major conductor of water and minerals for the tree Spawning - The producing or depositing of eggs by fish Back to the Top
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W	Web of Life - The network of relationships that interconnect all species of an ecological community Wild fire - A fire that is burning out of control Back to the Top
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