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Glossary of terms for the Interpretive Trail*
- Biogeoclimatic classification zones
- A multilevel, integrated system of ecological classification utilizing climate, vegetation and soils data to produce a classification of ecosystems.
- Blowdown
- A tree uprooted by the wind. May indicate the presence of a pest problem such as root rot.
- Clearcut logging
- A silvicultural system in which the entire stand of trees is cleared from an area at one time, regardless of their potential utility on or off the site.
- Coarse Woody Debris (CWD)
- Typically logs, stumps or large branches that have fallen or been cut and left in the woods, regardless of whether they are sound or rotting, or trees and branches that have died but remain standing or leaning. Read more about CWD at Station 6.
- Forest Floor
- A general term encompassing the layer of undecomposed organic matter (leaves, twigs, and plant remains in various stages of decomposition) lying on top of the mineral soil.
- Girdling
- One method of killing a tree, girdling destroys the outermost conducting bark tissues (Phloem) all the way around a trunk, thus preventing the movement of fluid-bearing nutrients and photosynthetic products up or down the tree, causing the affected part to die.
- Keystone Species
- Species that dominate in the functioning and possibly (but not necessarily) in the structure of any one ecosystem. They fill a crucial role in supporting the integrity of the entire ecosystem and, therefore, affect the survival and abundance of many other species in the same ecosystem.
- Landing
- The place to which fallen logs are brought and stored (decked) until they are transported to a processing facility.
- Pioneer species
- A species capable of invading disturbed areas, often in large numbers and over considerable areas, and capable of persisting until it is displaced by other species.
- Root Wad
- The mass of roots, soil and rocks that remains intact when a tree, shrub, or stump is uprooted. Read more about root wads at Station 9.
- Windrow
- The piling by machine of logging debris into lines with the goal of clearing the forest floor for easy re-planting. Windrows may be burned or just left to decay. Read more about windrows in the introduction and at Station 4.
* (definitions taken from Julian and Katherine Dunster, 1995 "Dictionary of Natural Resource Management, UBC Press, Vancouver.)
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