Have you ever taken a stroll through a forest, and passed underneath the giant canopy of leaves? Have you felt the soil and pine needles underneath your feet? Well even if you didn’t know it at the time, there are a multitude of very important processes occurring above and below you in a forest, fitting together like pieces in a puzzle. These processes keep the forest ecosystem running smoothly, but also contribute in the fight against climate change!
Take the quiz below to see how much you know about Canada’s climate-change-fighting forests! To see the answers highlight the line below each question.
#1 Canada’s Forest is pretty big! How big?
a) Bigger than all of India
b) 40 times bigger than Lake Superior
c) Bigger than 30,000 Disney World’s
d) All of the above
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Answer: d. All of the above
#2 How many trees per Canadian do we have?
a) 1,238
b) 9,000
c) 3,200
d) 6,020
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Answer: b. There are more than 9,000 trees for every Canadian
#3 What makes Canada’s forests so important?
a) They provide habitats for plants and animals
b) They store huge amounts of carbon
c) They provide more jobs than any other resource industry
d) They fight flooding
e) All of the above
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Answer: e. Canada’s forests are so essential! In addition to the points listed above, they also preserve soils that help prevent flooding, provide shade that keep our cities cool, and they help filter pollutants from the air that can affect human health.
#4 Forests help to…
a) Increase biodiversity
b) Decrease biodiversity
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Answer: a. Forests provide a habitat for many organisms, and are home to lots of different species. Remember, the more variety of organisms in a habitat or ecosystem, the more biodiverse it is! Biodiversity is very important and helps to keep an ecosystem healthier and more resilient.
#5 Name the process that occurs beneath the ground, underneath a forest:
a) Photosynthesis
b) Decomposition
c) Respiration
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Answer: b. Decomposition is a very important process and helps break down organic matter back into nutrients that can be recycled!
#6 As we know, greenhouse gases contribute to climate change. Which greenhouse gas do trees help remove from the atmosphere?
a) Methane
b) Carbon dioxide
c) Nitrous oxide
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Answer: b. Carbon dioxide is one of the most abundant greenhouse gases. When trees perform photosynthesis they suck it up and store it, which removes it from the atmosphere!
#7 Why are trees good at storing carbon?
a) Trees are about 50% carbon
b) Trees live for a long time
c) Trees rot slowly, particularly in cool climates like Canada
d) All of the above
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Answer: d. All of these answers are correct! Generally, the faster and longer trees grow, the more carbon they absorb and store. A tree’s biomass includes its tissues; trees can store a looooot of carbon within their biomass. Carbon is also stored in the soil beneath a forest too.
#8 What is this process of storing carbon called?
a) Carbon sequestration
b) Cellular respiration
c) Carbon building
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Answer: a. Although it is a bit of a tongue twister, this process is called carbon sequestration! Simply, it means to store carbon.
#9 Carbon sinks are things that store carbon. Carbon sources are things that release carbon. Which do you think forests are?
a) Carbon sink
b) Carbon source
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Answer: a. Forests are carbon sinks. As we learned, trees are able to store carbon! This makes them a sink for carbon – I remember the difference by imagining filling a big sink with water!
#10 Will you help to combat climate change by planting a tree or doing other forest-friendly things, like using recycled paper?
a) Yes
b) No
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Answer: a. Check out the Just 1 Tree Mission to learn more about the importance of forests and how planting just one tree can make a big difference!
Way to go Earth Ranger, you’ve completed your quiz! Thank you for trying it out, we hope that you learned some fascinating forest facts and why trees and forests are so important in the fight against climate change. Quiz your friends and family to help them learn more about forests and climate change too!
Learn more about the importance of forests through missions and activities, like the Just 1 Tree Mission, on the Earth Rangers App.
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