Measuring Old Growth ForestHow much old growth forest did we actually lose in the past few hundred years? How much was lost in your state? In this investigation, you can use image analysis software to determine the percent loss of old growth forests over time by analyzing the four maps on the previous page. Materials
What to do... 2. You'll find that it is a single-purpose program that allows you to explore the amount of old growth forest lost across the country according to the maps on page 25. The software allows you to draw a box in any area of the map and simultaneous identical boxes are drawn in the other 3 maps, with percentage of old growth shown for each near the bottom of the computer display.
Remaining Old Growth Forests. The shaded areas in the illustrations on this page show the remaining old growth forests in the United States in 1620, 1850, 1926, and 1990. Each dot represents an area of 25,000 acres of old growth forest. (Data are from Paullin, Charles Oscar, Atlas of the Historical Geography of the United States, Edited by John K. Wright, Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut, 1932, 1975; Findley, Rowe, and Blair, James P. "Will We Save Our Own? National Geographic, vol. 178, no. 3, September, 1990, page 120; and the Wilderness Society. Questions: 3.1 How much old growth forest was lost in your state? 3.2 How does your state compare with other states in terms of amount of old growth forest lost?* 3.2 How does your state compare with the national average and to other states in terms of amount of old growth forest lost? Since you are restricted to rectangular boxes which can't match most state boundaries, your measurements are necessarily approximations. 3.3 Which state lost the least old growth forest? 3.4 How much old growth forest was lost in your region, in a particular size box around your city or town? 3.5 Compare the loss of old growth forest in a particular size box around your city or town with that of identically sized boxes around cities or towns where you have friends, relatives, or a city/town that interests you. 3.6 Are there any areas that had an increase in old growth forest during a particular time? If so, how could this happen? 3.7 Prepare a written statement summarizing your findings and be ready to present it to your classmates. 3.8 What additional questions come to your mind that you cannot answer with the data given? Write these along with your summary statement.
* If You Don’t Have the Software... |