What is a carbon sink?

something that takes in carbon dioxide. Growing trees take in carbon dioxide by photosynthesis.

How do trees return water to the atmosphere?

by transpiration. Water vapour is lost from the leaves.

Why is a forest called a genetic resource?

it holds a great variety of species and genes. Some may give new medicines or crops.

Which use of a forest is sustainable?

ecotourism. The forest stays standing and keeps earning.

How do tree roots help prevent soil erosion?

they bind the soil together. Bound soil is not easily washed away.

Which describes sustainable management of a forest?

using the forest in a way that conserves it for future generations. It balances the needs of the environment, wildlife and people.

Why forests need sustainable management · Cambridge IGCSE Environmental Management

In plain words

A forest does a set of jobs for free that no machine could do: it stores carbon, makes rain, holds back floods and keeps soil on the hills. Sustainable management is the art of using a forest without sacking it from those jobs.

8 things to know

Sustainable management of forests means balancing the needs of the environment, wildlife and humans, while conserving forests for future generations.
Climate regulation: trees act as carbon sinks and stores. A sink takes in carbon dioxide, by photosynthesis. A store holds the carbon, in wood, roots and soil.
Role in the water cycle: leaves intercept rain, roots take up water, and leaves return it to the air by transpiration. All of this reduces surface run-off.
Flood control: because rain is intercepted and taken up, water reaches rivers slowly, and floods are less likely.
Prevention of soil erosion: roots bind the soil, and the canopy shelters it from heavy rain and wind.
Genetic resource: forests hold a huge variety of species and genes, which may be useful for breeding crops and developing medicines.
Forests supply food, medicine and raw materials, such as timber, rubber and fruit.
Forests give opportunities for recreation, ecotourism and education, which bring income without cutting trees.

Worked example

A government can earn money by selling a forest for logging, or by keeping it. Give three reasons for keeping it that would matter to people living nearby.

Flood control: the forest slows the water reaching the river, which protects their homes.
Prevention of soil erosion: the soil on their farmland stays in place.
Income: ecotourism, and the harvest of fruit and other products, can continue every year, while logging pays only once.

Tips and tricks

A carbon sink takes carbon dioxide in. A carbon store holds it. A growing forest is both. A cut and burned forest becomes a source.
"Sustainable" needs the future in the answer. Add "for future generations" or "so that the forest can still be used later".

6 questions, about 2 minutes.

It lands in your notebook with its questions as flashcards.

Why forests need sustainable management: 6 questions and answers

These are the quiz’s questions. Do the quiz first, then come back here for the ones that got you.

What is a carbon sink?
- something that releases carbon dioxide
- something that takes in carbon dioxide (the answer)
- a hole where coal is mined
- a gas that traps heat
Growing trees take in carbon dioxide by photosynthesis.
How do trees return water to the atmosphere?
- by infiltration
- by interception
- by transpiration (the answer)
- by condensation
Water vapour is lost from the leaves.
Why is a forest called a genetic resource?
- its trees all share the same genes
- it is used for genetic modification
- it has no useful species
- it holds a great variety of species and genes (the answer)
Some may give new medicines or crops.
Which use of a forest is sustainable?
- clearing it for a mine
- ecotourism (the answer)
- burning it to make farmland
- flooding it for a reservoir
The forest stays standing and keeps earning.
How do tree roots help prevent soil erosion?
- they bind the soil together (the answer)
- they absorb sunlight
- they release carbon dioxide
- they make the ground steeper
Bound soil is not easily washed away.
Which describes sustainable management of a forest?Stretch
- taking all the timber as fast as possible
- banning every human use for ever
- using the forest in a way that conserves it for future generations (the answer)
- replacing it with a plantation of one species
It balances the needs of the environment, wildlife and people.

6 questions

Tap an answer and you’ll see straight away whether it’s right, and why.

Worksheet

3 questions, 8 marks. Write your answers on paper, then check them.

Why forests need sustainable management

Cambridge IGCSE Environmental Management 0680 · 8 marks · papermunch.org

Name ______________________________ Date ______________

Define sustainable management of forests.[2]
Show answerHide answer
Balancing the needs of the environment, wildlife and humans, while conserving forests for future generations.
I got this one
Explain how a forest reduces the risk of flooding.[3]
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Leaves intercept the rain. Roots take up water, and it is returned to the air by transpiration. Less water runs off the surface, and it reaches rivers more slowly.
I got this one
State three resources or benefits that people get directly from forests.[3]
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Any three: food; medicine; raw materials such as timber; recreation; ecotourism; education.
I got this one

Answers: Why forests need sustainable management

1. Balancing the needs of the environment, wildlife and humans, while conserving forests for future generations.
2. Leaves intercept the rain. Roots take up water, and it is returned to the air by transpiration. Less water runs off the surface, and it reaches rivers more slowly.
3. Any three: food; medicine; raw materials such as timber; recreation; ecotourism; education.