Homework for Session 5

Notebook

You are expected to keep a notebook of your work that you may have to present to your instructor at the completion of the course. The notebook should contain all homework assignments and any other information relevant to the course. Writing in the notebook should be done neatly by hand and drawings should be used whenever possible to illustrate your work. Notebooks will be graded according to completeness, neatness and general overall quality. Your notebook will reflect the amount of time and care you have put into this course.

  1. Read Chapter 7, Assessing the Risk Insect Outbreaks, of your textbook Forest Insects: Principles and Practice of Population Management and make notes and drawings in your notebook.
  2. Do the problems specified below and send your answers to your instructor.
  3. Go through Session 5 on the Internet and make notes in your notebook.

Problem

Do problems III.3 - 9 on page 208 of your textbook. Note that some of the answers in the book are incorrect. I'm not interested in correct answers but rather in your ability to use the equations.

Give your opinion of the risk of the lodgepole pines shown in the following slides being killed by mountain pine beetles and explain why:

    1. Gallatin National Forest (Slide)
    2. Glacier National Park (Slide)
    3. Kootenai National Forest (Slide)
    4. Payette National Forest (Slide)

Questions

Questions similar to those below may appear on the first examination. You can practice your knowledge of this session by answering these questions and checking the answers against the information in the reading or Internet.

  1. What is the purpose of risk assessment?
  2. What is risk?
  3. What is a risk variable?
  4. What is meant by the term "habitat type"?
  5. What basic factors determine the habitat type?
  6. How does one identify the "habitat type"?
  7. Why is site xericity so important in assessing the risk of insect outbreaks?
  8. How do soil nutrients affect insect population dynamics?
  9. What is competitive displacement?
  10. How do foresters interfere with the progress of forest succession?
  11. What is a "timber type map"?
  12. How does stand density and age affect insect population dynamics?
  13. Why are evenaged and pure stands at higher risk of insect infestation?
  14. How does stand structure affect natural enemy populations?
  15. What are disturbance factors?
  16. How do droughts increase the risk of pest outbreaks?
  17. How do storms increase the risk of pest outbreaks?
  18. What biological factors act as disturbances in forest communities?
  19. Why are age and crown size important indicators of tree resistance to insects?
  20. What is the "current growth increment" of a tree?
  21. What is the "periodic growth increment" of a tree?
  22. What is the "relative sapwood increment" of a tree?
  23. How is the age of a tree measured?
  24. What is an "integrative risk variable"?
  25. What is a "risk classification" model?
  26. What is a "penalty-point" risk model?
  27. What is a regression model?
  28. What is a "risk threshold" model?
  29. When are "risk threshold" models used?

E-mail your instructor to let him know that you have finished this session: berryman@mail.wsu.edu

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