Lesson B9: Forestry - An Important Alberta Industry

Key Ideas   Unit Checklist

  Video Lesson

Forests cover much of Alberta. The video below explains why forestry is such an important industry in Alberta.

  Lesson B9: Forestry - An Important Alberta Industry

Figure B.2.9.1 – Semi-trailer trucks transport logs from remote forests.
Figure B.2.9.2 – Logs are transported long distances by train.


Log Drivers

Today, people might think a log driver is a person who drives a big logging truck. However, before semi-trailer trucks were available, logs were transported by floating them down rivers to sawmills.

Log drivers were people who helped move the logs down the river. They balanced on big floating logs, using long poles to keep logs from sticking along the banks or piling together. Log driving was a dangerous job in Canada as recent as the 1970s.
Reading and Materials for This Lesson

Science in Action 7
Reading: Pages  133–137

Materials:
scrap paper or newspaper, big bowl, hot water, tap water, whisk or electric blender, measuring cup, shallow glass or metal pan, piece of window screen that fits inside the pan or frying pan splatter screen, 2 tea towels, wooden popsicle sticks, cooking pot, water, clean empty tin can.

Figure B.2.9.3 – In the past, log drivers transported logs by floating them down rivers.
Figure B.2.9.4 – Log rolling is even a sport that outdoor enthusiasts can compete in.

 Watch More

Log Driver’s Waltz

Watch this well-known Canadian cartoon about log drivers. Ask an adult if he or she remembers seeing this cartoon on television!

Plant Paper

People have been using paper on which to write and draw for thousands of years.

Ancient Egyptians wrote on sheets of papyrus that they made from the stems of the papyrus plant. Papyrus stems were cut into strips and laid on top of each other. The layers of stems were soaked in water and dried. The soaked papyrus stems released a sticky substance that glued the layers together.

Paper from trees, which is the type of paper we use today, was invented in China 2000 years ago. The Chinese mashed tree bark and rags (old clothes) into pulp. They spread the pulp in a flat layer, drained the water, and let the paper dry.
Figure B.2.9.5 – Ancient Egyptians made paper from the papyrus plant.

Figure B.2.9.6 – Thin strips of papyrus stems are used to make papyrus sheets.
Figure B.2.9.7 – Pieces of papyrus paper 3500 year old are preserved in museums.

 Watch More

Toilet Paper

Although increasingly we use computer screens instead of paper for communicating information, one type of necessary paper is tissue used in toilet paper, paper napkins, and paper towels.  Watch this video to learn how these products are made.

  Try It!

Make Recycled Paper

Recycling paper reduces the amount of trees being cut. Try this simple experiment to make your own recycled paper.

Materials:

  • scrap paper or newspaper
  • large bowl
  • hot water
  • tap water
  • whisk or electric blender
  • measuring cup
  • shallow glass or metal pan
  • piece of window screen or a frying pan splatter screen that fits inside the shallow pan
  • 2 tea towels
This activity involves hot water. It must be completed with the supervision of an adult. DO NOT attempt this activity by yourself.
Hot water can burn you or others if you are not careful.
Heat water in an electric kettle, if possible. Perhaps half-filling the kettle will produce enough hot water for this activity.
Pour the water into the bowl very carefully.
Instructions:

    1. Tear the scrap paper into tiny pieces. Fill a big bowl halfway with scrap paper.

    2. Pour hot water into the bowl so it covers the paper. Soak the scrap paper in the hot water for 20 minutes.

    3. Whisk the paper/water mixture until it looks creamy. If you have an electric blender, you can put the paper/water mixture into the blender to mash it.

    4. Put the screen into the shallow pan. Fill the pan halfway with cold water.

    5. Measure 1 cup of the paper pulp. Pour this on top of the screen in the pan. Mix the pulp into the water.

    6. Lift the screen. Pulp should cover the top of the screen evenly. If not, add another cup of pulp to the shallow pan and try again.

    7. Hold the screen over the pan and let the water drain from the screen.

    8. Put a tea towel on top of the pulp on the screen. Flip the screen and tea towel over.

    9. Lift the screen carefully, leaving the pulp on the tea towel. Cover the pulp with another tea towel and press down on the layers so the tea towel absorbs water from the pulp.

    10. Lift the top tea towel carefully and let the paper dry.


Question:

Think about the following question very carefully. Then, type or write your answer. After you have your answer, click the question for feedback.

In both cases, material containing fibres directly from trees or from recycled paper is ground into a mushy pulp. Then, the pulp is pressed into thin sheets of paper.

Mountain Pine Beetles

The mountain pine beetle is an insect that lives naturally in the forests of western North America. In the last 20 years, the population of mountain pine beetles has increased significantly. This is causing problems for forests in Alberta and BC.

Mountain pine beetles lay their eggs under the bark of pine trees. The eggs develop into larvae, which look like worms. The larvae eat the wood of the tree. Mountain pine beetles also spread a type of fungus to pine trees. This fungus grows in the wood and prevents the flow of sap in the tree. When sap stops flowing, the tree dies because nutrients cannot be moved to all parts of the tree. The fungus also stains the wood a blue colour.


Figure B.2.9.8 – Dying pine trees turn red after they have been infested with mountain pine beetles.
Figure B.2.9.9 – Mountain pine beetles lay eggs in the bark of pine trees and spread a fungus to the trees.

 Watch More

Stopping Mountain Pine Beetles

Watch this video to learn more about how forestry workers in Alberta are trying to stop the spread of mountain pine beetles.



Watch this video to learn how burning infected trees stops the spread of mountain pine beetles.

Forest Fires

Fire is necessary for forests to be healthy. On average in our forests, fires start naturally in an area every 50 to 100 years, usually from lightning strikes. Unfortunately, some forest fires result from campfires or other human activities.

Over time, old dead branches, needles, and trees litter the forest floor; this material is called duff. Forest fires burn the duff as well as destroy most living trees. The result is that new plants and trees have access to more sunlight. New forest plants produce new habitat and food sources for insects and animals.

Firefighters extinguish big wildfires that threaten to burn farms, towns, and cities. Putting out fires protects people’s homes. However, by preventing natural forest fires, lots of duff (which is dead wood, needles, and dry plants) has accumulated on the forest floor. This results in larger fires that are harder to control. Forestry workers sometimes set controlled forest fires to clear dry wood materials. This helps to prevent unplanned forest fires from becoming too huge and beyond control.
Figure B.2.9.10 – Lightning hitting the ground during thunderstorms is a natural way that forest fires start.

Figure B.2.9.11 – Forest fires spread quickly in windy, dry conditions.
Figure B.2.9.12 – Controlled forest fires are set on purpose to regenerate forests.

 Watch More

Forest Fires

This video shows a close-up of a forest fire.



Prescribed or planned fires are sometimes started in national parks. Watch this video to see a prescribed burn in Jasper National Park in Alberta.

Should we let forest fires burn or put them out right away? Watch this video to learn out more about forest fire management.


Sustainable Forestry

We use products from trees to meet many important needs in our daily lives. We use trees for lumber to build houses. Trees are used to make paper for communication. Some people burn wood to heat their homes. Some chemicals are produced from specific types of trees.


Trees are cut in various ways. Clear cutting involves cutting all trees in an area at one time. Many people disagree with clear cutting because the land is left barren and ugly. However, in some ways, clear cutting imitates natural forest fires. If new trees are planted, clearing space for new tree growth is good for forest health.
Figure B.2.9.13 – Humans rely on trees for lumber, paper, and firewood, and important by-products.

Selective cutting is cutting only some trees in a forest. Most of the forest is left standing. Selective cutting is more time-consuming and expensive than clearcutting is, but it leaves existing forests in place. Seldom are trees replanted after selective cutting. Rather, remaining trees and their seedlings fill the spaces where others have been removed.


We need to cut trees to meet our needs, but ensuring that we do not destroy our forest resources completely is very important. We want future generations of people to have access to healthy forests, too. Sustainable forestry is managing forests to balance the cutting of trees and helping new trees to grow.
Figure B.2.9.14 – Trees planted after clear cutting result in new forests for future generations of people.

Figure B.2.9.15 – Tree planting is a difficult but important task.
Figure B.2.9.16 – Selective cutting helps preserve forests.

 Watch More

Sustainable Forestry

Watch this video to learn more about sustainable forestry.



Clear cutting forests has some advantages. Watch this video to learn more about clear cutting.

  Connections


Connections: Careers
>> Foresters

Forest management is an important job because it ensures that lots of trees will be available in the future. Foresters collect information about forests and use the information to make effective decisions about using forests.

 Watch More

Foresters

Watch this video to learn more about the job of a forester.

Bending Wood

A useful property of wood is that it can be bent into curved shapes.

First Nations used hot steam to soften and bend wood to make curved wooden objects such as drums and toboggans. Toboggans were used by First Nations to carry materials across the snow -- such as meat obtained by hunting. The rounded front of a toboggan allows the cargo to ride over the snow, and it makes pulling rather easy and sliding downhill thrilling.

Many musical instruments are made from curved pieces of wood. Violins and guitars have curved shapes, which make playing the instruments easier. The sides of violins and guitars are made from thin strips of wood that are soaked, heated, and bent around moulds.
Figure B.2.9.17 – Toboggans have a curved wooden front.

Figure B.2.9.18 – Violins are curved in the middle, making playing more comfortable.
Figure B.2.9.19 – Wood is bent to form the curved shape of an acoustic guitar body.

  Try It!


Bending Wood

In this experiment, you will bend wood into curved shapes.

Materials:

  • wooden popsicle sticks
  • cooking pot
  • water
  • clean and empty metal can (If you plan to bend only a couple sticks, use a short tuna can.  If you want to bend several sticks, use a taller tomato can, for example -- or two or more tuna cans.)

This activity involves hot water. It must be completed with the supervision of an adult.
DO NOT attempt this activity by yourself.
Boiling water can burn you or others if you are not careful.
Never leave a hot stove with hot water unattended.
Turn off the stove immediately after you have finished using it.
Instructions:

    1. Fill the cooking pot no more than half full of water. Place the popsicle sticks in the pot.

    2. Turn on the burner to heat the water in the pot until it boils.

    3. Turn down the heat, and let the pot simmer for 30 minutes. (Putting a lid on the pot might be useful, but control the heat carefully to avoid boiling over.

    4. Turn off the heat, and let the water in the pot cool to room temperature. (You can do your Math or something else because this could take nearly an hour!)

    5. Take a popsicle stick from the water and bend it slowly and gently so it fits inside the round can. (You can do this even if the water is still warm -- but do not burn your fingers!) You can bend all the sticks you boiled, of course.

    6. Let the popsicle sticks dry overnight.

    7. Remove the popsicle sticks from the can. They should remain curved.

Perhaps you can be inventive and construct an art object, like a wooden bracelet, from your bent sticks!



  Make sure you have understood everything in this lesson. Use the Self-Check below, and the Self-Check & Lesson Review Tips to guide your learning.

Unit B Lesson 9 Self-Check

Instructions


Complete the following 6 steps. Don't skip steps – if you do them in order, you will confirm your understanding of this lesson and create a study bank for the future.

  1. DOWNLOAD the self-check quiz by clicking here.

  2. ANSWER all the questions on the downloaded quiz in the spaces provided. Think carefully before typing your answers. Review this lesson if you need to. Save your quiz when you are done.

  3. COMPARE your answers with the suggested "Self-Check Quiz Answers" below. WAIT! You didn't skip step 2, did you? It's very important to carefully write out your own answers before checking the suggested answers.

  4. REVISE your quiz answers if you need to. If you answered all the questions correctly, you can skip this step. Revise means to change, fix, and add extra notes if you need to. This quiz is NOT FOR MARKS, so it is perfectly OK to correct any mistakes you made. This will make your self-check quiz an excellent study tool you can use later.

  5. SAVE your quiz to a folder on your computer, or to your Private Files. That way you will know where it is for later studying.

  6. CHECK with your teacher if you need to. If after completing all these steps you are still not sure about the questions or your answers, you should ask for more feedback from your teacher. To do this, post in the Course Questions Forum, or send your teacher an email. In either case, attach your completed quiz and ask; "Can you look at this quiz and give me some feedback please?" They will be happy to help you!

Self-Check Time!
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Self-Check Quiz Answers

Click each of the suggested answers below, and carefully compare your answers to the suggested answers.

If you have not done the quiz yet – STOP – and go back to step 1 above. Do not look at the answers without first trying the questions.

National parks protect forests from being cut. National parks preserve the natural environment for people to enjoy and learn about.
An advantage of having controlled prescribed fires in forests is that they remove dead plant material (duff) before massive uncontrolled fires start. A risk of a prescribed burn is that, if the weather conditions are not exactly right or if wind occurs suddenly, a controlled fire can get out of control quickly. In addition, prescribed burns destroy habitats for animals and insects in the area.
Mountain pine beetles kill trees. The best lumber for building comes from freshly cut trees. If a tree is dead for a while, it starts to decompose. This results in cracks in the wood, which results in poor quality lumber.
You can do several things to help protect forests.
  • When you are visiting forests, you can stay on the trails and not leave garbage behind.
  • Campfires should be only in designated campgrounds -- and the ashes should be cold to the touch and wet when you leave them.
  • At home, you can recycle paper, which means fewer new trees must be cut.
After a forest fire, plants and trees regenerate themselves. Pinecones open in extreme heat and spread new pine tree seeds. This causes new tree seedlings to start to grow quickly. However, when trees are cut, there is no extreme heat to open pinecones. Then, to make the forest regrow, new trees must be planted.