below is a response to an email i sent asking for clarification about the information you’ll find...
TRANSCRIPT
Below is a response to an email I sent asking for clarification about the information you’ll find in these slides
Hi Marilyn,
Hope you're having a great week! Thanks again for supporting Wild Forests and Fauna in presenting the Big Tree Project as a project option to your students!
To answer your questions:
Yes, our audience for the info graphics is general. The graphics will be posted on our website as well as on social media. The majority of our FB followers are in the age range of 24-35 (42%) followed by 18-24 (30%).
[I asked if they would prefer someone with a strong science background or someone who doesn’t and therefore recognizes what is confusing to those who don’t]As for the type of student for the project, we don't have a strong preference either way. We actually see an advantage in not having a science-inclined student as they represent the majority of our audience. We also assume they will continue to ask questions around the basics of Big Tree science until it makes sense to them.
As for availability, I will be the main contact for the project and can guarantee a 24 hour turnaround for most inquiries. If I can't answer the science questions myself within 24 hours, I will manage their expectations and get them an answer within a couple of days.
Thanks again Marilyn and please let me know if you have any further clarifying questions!Doug
The Big Tree Project uses technology, media, and market instruments to protect Big Trees and their habitats
https://www.facebook.com/WildFF
The Big Tree Project Infographic Introduction
Infographic ObjectivesWild Forests and Fauna’s goal with the Big Tree Project is to communicate to the world, particularly people aged 18-40, (i.e., our
online followers on Facebook), about the following:
– Why Big Trees are Important? (Audience to easily and quickly understand)
– Current Status and Rate of Deforestation (To see that big trees are increasingly rare and threatened)
– Big Trees and Climate Change/Carbon Sequestration (Understand the Connection between large trees and the important role forests play in global carbon cycle)
– Big Threats to Big Trees (Learn why big trees are at particularly high risk due to their attractiveness to loggers. Big trees are also especially vulnerable to ecosystem change, including drought, increased incidence of wildfires, edge effects, and disease)
[Marilyn: I asked them to identify themes related to appearance, time, space, relationships and numbers. The following slides include those. Feel free to use these, but also think of your own…they haven’t taken this class or read my explanation of “visual potential” so these are not necessarily the best examples]
Appearance Information• The look we are going for is fun, cool, edgy,
adventurous, and professional...
Consider trying to show the impressive size and unique beauty of big trees
Potential Time Information Infographics
Structural evolution (succession) of an old growth forests and large trees
Loss of old growth forests in the United States and abroad
Potential Relationship Infographics
• Carbon Sequestration - Large trees, defined as measuring at least 70 cm in diameter at breast height, store up to half the above-ground biomass in tropical forests, reiterating their importance in buffering against climate change (J.W. Ferry Slik et al. 2013. Large trees drive forest aboveground biomass variation in moist lowland forests across the tropics. Global Ecology and Biogeography). Rate of tree carbon accumulation increases continuously with tree size.The carbon sequestration rate increases as trees age.
● Ecology of the trees - Large old trees provide nesting or sheltering cavities for up to 30% of all vertebrate species in some ecosystems. 75% of animals that nest in trees on four continents (South America, Asia, Australia, and Europe) depend on holes in old trees formed through long-term decay.
Potential Location InfographicsLocation facts of potential Interest:
• In 2006 Greenpeace identified that the world's remaining Intact forest landscapes are distributed among the continents as follows:[41] (Source: Wikipedia- Old Growth Forests)
• 35% in Latin America. The Amazon rainforest is mainly located in Brazil, which clears a larger area of forest annually than any other country in the world.[42]
• 28% in North America. North America harvests 10,000 square kilometres of ancient forests every year. Many of the fragmented forests of southern Canada and the United Stateslack adequate animal travel corridors and functioning ecosystems for large mammals.[42] Most of the remaining old-growth forests in the contiguous United States and Alaska are on public land.[35]
• 19% in Northern Asia. Northern Asia is home to the largest boreal forest in the world.[43]
• 8% in Africa. Africa has lost most of its intact forest landscapes in the last 30 years. The timber industry is responsible for destroying huge areas of intact forest landscapes and continues to be the single largest threat to these areas.
• 7% in South Asia Pacific. The Paradise Forests of Asia Pacific are being destroyed faster than any other forest on Earth. Much of the large intact forest landscapes have already been cut down, 72% in Indonesia and 60% in Papua New Guinea.[42]
• Less than 3% in Europe. In Europe, more than 150 square kilometres of intact forest landscapes are cleared every year and the last areas of the region’s intact forest landscapes in European Russia are shrinking rapidly.[42] In the United Kingdom, they are known as ancient woodlands.
Potential Number Infographics
FACT WHERE COMPARE
Tallest Tree: 379 feet Redwood National and State Parks
As tall as a 37-story building
Widest Tree: 26 feet Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
The length of 2 Volkswagen Beetles
Remaining old-growth forest: 5% of original, 120,000 acres
From southern Oregon to Central California
The size of San Jose
Total protected redwood forest: 23% of their range, 382,000 acres
From southern Oregon to Central California
The size of Houston
Privately owned redwood forest: 77% of their range,1,256,000 acres
From southern Oregon to Central California
The size of 4 Rio De Janeiros
Coast Redwoods Facts (savetheredwoods.org)
[Marilyn: In the following slides, they’ve compiled science facts that they want to communicate to the world…they’re grouped by theme. They also made the point that they are open to themes you might find more exciting.]
Potential Theme #1: Ecology of Giant Sequoia and Coast Redwood trees
• California's giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) is the world's most massive tree and one of the oldest. Giant sequoias have trunks up to 30 feet around near the ground and grow up to 310 feet tall. One giant sequoia, the General Sherman Tree, is measured at 52,500 cubic feet, roughly equivalent to 21,800 150-pound humans. (Save the Redwoods, 2014)
• Coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) can reach higher than a 30-floor skyscraper (more than 320 feet), so high that the tops are out of sight. Their trunks can grow 26 feet wide, about eight paces by an average adult person. These trees can live for more than 2,000 years. Some coast redwoods living today were alive during the time of the Roman Empire. (Save the Redwoods, 2014)
• Scientists believe that many of the largest living giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum) are between 2,000 and 3,000 years old; the oldest recorded specimen exceeded 3,500 years. Counting growth rings in the trunk can indicate the age of a tree. (Save the Redwoods, 2014)
• Mature cones in the canopy dry and shrink in low humidity, opening up their scales to expose the seeds, which are easily dislodged by the wind. A typical sequoia cone is about 2.5 inches long and contains about 200 tiny seeds, each the size and shape of a flake of oatmeal. A single large sequoia may produce 400,000 seeds in a year, but only a very small percentage germinate. (Save the Redwoods, 2014)
• About 20 million years ago, the giant sequoia's direct ancestors lived in what is now southern Idaho and western Nevada. As the Earth's plates moved and the Sierra Nevada slowly rose, the climate east of the mountains gradually became much drier and hotter in summer and colder in winter. Sequoias, which prefer more moderate conditions, migrated westward to where California is now. (Save the Redwoods, 2014)
Potential Theme #2: What Makes Big Trees
Ecologically Important? • Large old trees provide nesting or sheltering cavities for up to 30% of all
vertebrate species in some ecosystems (J.Remm, A. Lohmus, 2011. For Ecol Management 262; 579).
• Large old trees in Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans) forests of mainland Australia provide irreplaceable shelter and nesting sites for more than 40 species of cavity-using vertebrates (W.F. Laurance. 2012. New Scientist. 214; 39).
• 75% of animals that nest in trees on four continents (South America, Asia, Australia, and Europe) depend on holes in old trees formed through long-term decay. (K.L Cockle, K. Martin, T. Wesołowski. 2011. Woodpeckers, decay, and the future of cavity-nesting vertebrate communities worldwide. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.)
• Big trees represent less than 5% of stems, but store up to 50% of tropical forest biomass ((J.W. Ferry Slik et al. 2013. Large trees drive forest aboveground biomass variation in moist lowland forests across the tropics. Global Ecology and Biogeography)
Potential Theme #3: Carbon Sequestration and Big Trees
• Large trees, defined as measuring at least 70 cm in diameter at breast height, store up to half the above-ground biomass in tropical forests, reiterating their importance in buffering against climate change (J.W. Ferry Slik et al. 2013. Large trees drive forest aboveground biomass variation in moist lowland forests across the tropics. Global Ecology and Biogeography)
• African rainforests, with an average of 418 tons of above-ground biomass per hectare, stored the most carbon. Big trees accounted for an average of 44 percent of African forests' biomass. Other research has suggested that the preponderance of large trees in African forests is due to the abundance of large herbivores, which suppress smaller trees. Asia was second with an average of 393 tons, of which large trees accounted for 154 tons or 39 percent of total above ground carbon. Latin America averaged 288 tons per hectare, about a quarter of which occurred in large trees. (J.W. Ferry Slik et al. 2013. Large trees drive forest aboveground biomass variation in moist lowland forests across the tropics. Global Ecology and Biogeography)
• Redwood forests store more carbon per hectare than any other forest on Earth. Redwoods store carbon in their trunks. Underground, forest soils and root structures store an even greater amount of carbon. (Save the Redwoods, 2014)
• Ancient coast redwood forests contain the highest standing biomass (total of all aboveground organic matter) of any forest on Earth, and therefore store incredible amounts of carbon in tree trunks and forest soil. (Save the Redwoods, 2014)
• Collectively, North American forests sequester 12-18% of the carbon dioxide released during fossil fuel burning in the US every year. All redwood forest plants contribute to this. (Save the Redwoods, 2014)
• Rate of tree carbon accumulation increases continuously with tree size.The carbon sequestration rate increases as trees age. Trees do not slow in their growth rate as they get older and larger — instead, their growth keeps accelerating, according toa study published today in the journal Nature
Potential Theme #4: What is the Status of Big Trees Globally?
• Over 95% of California’s majestic coastal redwoods have been lost to logging and forest clearing. (J.A. Lutz, J.W. van Wagtendonk, J.F. Franklin, 2009. For. Ecol. Manage. 257. 2296.)
• Swedish forests have experienced more than a 90 percent decline in large tree density (M. T. Jönsson et al. 2009. J. Veg. Sci. 20, 91)
• In southeastern Australia, millions of hectares of grazing lands are projected to support less than 1.3% of the historical densities of large old trees within 50 to 100 years (J. Fischer et al., 2010. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 107, 19597)
• In 2006 Greenpeace identified that the world's remaining Intact forest landscapes are distributed among the continents as follows:[41] (Source: Wikipedia- Old Growth Forests)
• 35% in Latin America. The Amazon rainforest is mainly located in Brazil, which clears a larger area of forest annually than any other country in the world.[42]
• 28% in North America. North America harvests 10,000 square kilometres of ancient forests every year. Many of the fragmented forests of southern Canada and the United Stateslack adequate animal travel corridors and functioning ecosystems for large mammals.[42] Most of the remaining old-growth forests in the contiguous United States and Alaska are on public land.[35]
• 19% in Northern Asia. Northern Asia is home to the largest boreal forest in the world.[43]• 8% in Africa. Africa has lost most of its intact forest landscapes in the last 30 years. The timber industry is
responsible for destroying huge areas of intact forest landscapes and continues to be the single largest threat to these areas.
• 7% in South Asia Pacific. The Paradise Forests of Asia Pacific are being destroyed faster than any other forest on Earth. Much of the large intact forest landscapes have already been cut down, 72% in Indonesia and 60% in Papua New Guinea.[42]
• Less than 3% in Europe. In Europe, more than 150 square kilometres of intact forest landscapes are cleared every year and the last areas of the region’s intact forest landscapes in European Russia are shrinking rapidly.[42] In the United Kingdom, they are known as ancient woodlands.
Potential Theme # 5: “Edge Effects” and How They Impact
Big Trees• Large (>60 cm diameter) trees are especially vulnerable to fragmentation, dying three times faster within
300 m of edges than in forest interiors. (LAURANCE, W. F., DELAMONICA, P., LAURANCE, S. G., VASCONCELOS, H. L. & LOVEJOY, T. E. 2000. Rainforest fragmentation kills big trees. Nature 404:836).
• Fragmented Brazilian rainforests typically see a 50 percent die-off of big trees within 30 years of isolation.
(LAURANCE, W. F., DELAMONICA, P., LAURANCE, S. G., VASCONCELOS, H. L. & LOVEJOY, T. E. 2000. Rainforest fragmentation kills big trees. Nature 404:836).
• In studies of Amazon forest fragments, micro-climate effects were evident up to 100m (330ft.) into the forest interior (Corlett, Richard, T; Richard B. Primack (2011). Tropical Rain Forests an Ecological and Biogeographical Comparison (Second ed.). John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The atrium, Southern Fate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ: Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 266–267)
• The abrupt, artificial boundaries of forest fragments are especially vulnerable to windstorms, which can exert strong lateral-shear forces on exposed trees and create downwind turbulence for at least 2–10 times the height of the forest edge. (Laurance WF, Nascimento HEM, Laurance SG, Andrade A, Ewers RM, et al. (2007) Habitat Fragmentation, Variable Edge Effects, and the Landscape-Divergence Hypothesis. PLoS ONE 2(10): e1017)
• In the Brazilian Amazon, up to 50,000 km of new forest edge is being created annually as a result of rapid clearing and fragmentation of forests for cattle ranching, soy production, slash-and-burn farming, industrial logging, and wildfires. (Laurance WF, Nascimento HEM, Laurance SG, Andrade A, Ewers RM, et al. (2007) Habitat Fragmentation, Variable Edge Effects, and the Landscape-Divergence Hypothesis. PLoS ONE 2(10): e1017. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0001017)
Potential Theme #6: Threats to Big Trees
• Selective & Commerical Logging
• Pathogens/Insects• Wildfires• Droughts• Livestock Overgrazing• Agricultural Land Clearing• Salvage Logging• Edges and Fragmentation• Overharvesting of Bark
