3-5: Forests and Deforestation

Importance of this Unit to the Course

Global forests are critical to the carbon balance as discussed in Block 1. They also are critical to soil erosion, land degredation, biofuels, and bio-materials as replacement for fossil sources, biodiversity, and susatinability as discussed in Block 3.

Objectives

To review the distribution of global forests and understand their role in the global carbon budget of the planet.
To understand the forces that drive the process of deforestation and the consequences of past and future deforestation.

Preparation for Discussion (You must complete this section before class.)

Read the summary information. ( Images )

Take the Quiz over the summary information. (see your portfolio)

Review additional reading material (this material is not covered in the quiz, but offers more ideas for online discussion)

Regulation of development and deforestation in Amazonia

Discussion (online / face-to-face) (See your portfolio for due dates and times)

A major component of the course is participation in the online dialog. The following types of comments are required:

Social Comments
Knowledge-building Comments
Ethical Comments

The following may be used as discussion starters for the online dialog:

Unit Problem to Ponder:

Compare and contrast current deforestation in the tropics with 18th Century deforestation in Europe and 19th Century deforestation in North America. What would be the consequences: of 21st Century deforestation of Boreal forests?
Unit exam questions from previous years
Unit discussions from previous years, available from the current online discussion page

Additional Reading