State Forestry Test Knowledge -- 2010

Ecological Classification System

• Ecological land classifications are used to identify, describe, and map progressively smaller areas of land with increasingly uniform ecological features. – The system uses associations of biotic and

environmental factors, including climate, geology, topography, soils, hydrology, and vegetation.

• There are 8 levels in the total hierarchy. – You need to know the top 3 levels!

Top Level of Ecological Classification System

• Provinces– Units of land determined by major vegetation and

climate – Also known as MN’s biomes– There are 4 in MN• Eastern Broadleaf Forest• Laurentian Mixed Forest• Prairie Parklands• Tallgrass Aspen Parklands

Second Level of Ecological Classification System

• Sections– Areas within provinces determined by amount of

glacial deposits, land elevation, plant distribution, and local climate• 2 sections in prairie• 4 sections in laurentian forest• 2 sections in broadleaf forest

Third Level of Ecological Classification System

• Subsections– Units within Sections that are defined using glacial

deposition processes, surface bedrock, local climate, topographic relief, and the distribution of plants, especially trees.

– 26 total subsections in MN

Working Trees for Water Quality• This the idea that trees if properly planted and

maintained can improve regional water quality– Trees absorb a lot of water, reducing runoff.– Trees also slow runoff down, allowing water to

percolate soils better• Less runoff means less pollutants in the water getting to our

open water sources– Trees prevent soil erosion and keep soil from getting

into water– Trees absorb contaminants and keep them being free

in the water supply• Reduce pollutants in our water

Ways to Use Trees to Improve Watershed Water Quality

• Ways to Use Working Trees for Runoff Control and Pollutant Filtration– Windbreaks – knock air pollutants down, keeping them out of

air to get into water– Silvopasture – minimizes waste issues from grazing cows, as

manure is recycled to trees better– Alleycropping – reduces soil erosion and soil getting into water– Wastewater Treatment plantings - trees near wastewater

plants absorb nutrients of wastewater rather than it getting into the dumped in river

– Riparian Forest Buffers – keeping trees along waterways keeps erosion done and absorbs pollutants before getting to the waterway. • Also, trees dump leaves and branches in the water, making habitat in

the water and adding nutrients/food to the system

Defective and Hazard Trees

• Trees with defects are called a hazard tree eventually– Most hazard trees are

labeled this way, as they could fall or be a harm to someone or property in the way

– Hazard trees need to be dealt with or removed

Recognizing Defects in Trees

• What do you look for in a hazard tree?– Dead wood – must be removed

immediately– Cracks – indicates failure in the

tree– Weak Branch Unions –

where 2 or more similar sized branches will branch away from each other; weak unions look cracked and indicate failure

Recognizing Defects in Trees• Decay – crumbly, soft tree

tissue; usually occurs from inside out

• Cankers – localized area where bark/trunk is sunken in or missing

• Root Problems – make them vulnerable to blow down in high winds

• Poor Architecture – uneven growth or imbalance of limbs on tree

How to Remember This?

• Mnemonic Device: DCWDCRP– This was developed last year by the team:

“Doctors and Crack Whores Demand Collectively Rapid Prescriptions”

Deadwood, Cracks, Weak Branch Unions, Decay, Cankers, Root Problems, Poor Architecture

Planting for Energy

• West is best (to conserve energy from air conditioning in summer)

• To let sun in, avoid planting in south

Invasive Forest Pests or Plants

• Next slides are things that are invasive to forests

Gypsy Moth

• Defoliate trees quickly• Love oak, birch, aspen,

basswood• How to stop spread– Use local firewood– Try not to import goods

where moths are common

– Be familiar with moth and life cycle

Emerald Ash Borer• Larvae bore and tunnel in

the layer underneath the bark.

• Disrupts the flow of water and nutrients in the plant and kills it

• Only kills ash trees• Small holes out of the tree

are seen as larvae escapes• Don’t use firewood from

other places or transport it• Avoid ash for firewood

Invasive Plants

• Forest Plants (woody)– Common Buckthorn– Amur Maple– Black Locust– Norway Maple (outcompetes sugar maple)

• Forest Plants (herbaceous)– Garlic Mustard

Other Trees to Know!!!

• These are other trees that you may not know well but they could show up!

Silver Maple

• Found in wet areas, by rivers

• Large shaggy bark strips• Leaf is pointy and club-

like• Back of leaf is

significantly whiter than the front side

Black Locust

• Compound leaves• Leaflets are individually

perfectly oval with not pointy tip at the end of the leaf

• Black locust is exotic and invasive

• Strong competitor with other trees

Honey Locust

• Similar to black locust leaf – compound, smooth leaf edges

• Not totally ellipse shaped, but slightly fatter at base of each leaflet

• Spines on the bark of the tree often

Red Mulberry

• Leaves are sometime whole or mitten-like and asymmetrical

• Often have blackish fruits on them

• If you see some mitten-like leaves, then likely a mulberry

• More often seen as a shrub

Hackberry• Leaves are

asymmetrical with one side of base fatter than other

• Toothed edges• Bark is warty looking…

not large ridges formed

Black Walnut

• Large, compound leaves with over 10 leaflets

• Produce large walnuts• Walnut is in a green

foamy looking casing• If that is broken open,

then the walnut is black and looks like a very thick walnut shell

Ironwood

• Small understory tree• Shreddy shreddy looking

bark• Vertical shred strips• Leaves are doubly

toothed• Have flaky looking catkins• Birch-like leaves – similar

to musclewood – use bark to identify

American Hornbeam (Musclewood)

• Shrubby understory tree

• Bark is sinewy, like a rippled muscle

• Leafs are doubly toothed and alternate

• Have catkins, like birches (little soft cone-like things) hanging with leaves

Native Spruces• Black spruce and white

spruce are native– Found in wet areas – usually

bogs, fens, and swamps– Can’t really tell apart without

cones• Norway spruce are non-

native• All spruces have single

needles attaching to the branches.

Jack Pine• 2 needles per bunch• Found always in super dry

soils – sandy!• They are serotinous…

need fire for cones to open and seeds to germinate

• Most other trees do not live where they live … so will likely see lots of jack pines in one area