
The Heaviest Part of a Forest Is NOT What You Think
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In the 1850s, German scientists were trying to figure out how to weigh a forest – but they weren’t particularly interested in the trees. Because as it turns out, forests are much more than trees, and trees aren't the heaviest – or even the second heaviest – part of a forest.
LEARN MORE
**************
To learn more about this topic, start your googling with these keywords:
- Canopy: The uppermost layer of a forest, formed by the crowns and foliage of the tallest trees.
- Detritus: Dead and decaying organic matter, such as fallen leaves, twigs, bark, and animal remains, that accumulates on the forest floor.
- Nutrient Cycling: The continuous movement of nutrients (such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon) through a forest ecosystem, from soil to plants, through animals and decomposers, and back to the soil again.
- Topsoil: The uppermost layer of soil, typically rich in organic matter, nutrients, and microbial life. Topsoil is where most root growth, seed germination, and biological activity occur, making it essential to forest health and productivity.
SUPPORT MINUTEEARTH
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If you like what we do, you can help us!:
- Become our patron: https://patreon.com/MinuteEarth
- Our merch: store.dftba.com/me
- Our book: https://minuteearth.com/books
- Sign up to our newsletter: http://news.minuteearth.com
- Share this video with your friends and family
- Leave us a comment (we read them!)
CREDITS
*********
Cameron Duke | Script Writer, Narrator and Director
Arcadi Garcia i Rius | Storyboard Artist
Sarah Berman | Illustration, Video Editing and Animation
Nathaniel Schroeder | Music
MinuteEarth is produced by Neptune Studios LLC
https://neptunestudios.info
OUR STAFF
************
Lizah van der Aart • Sarah Berman • Cameron Duke
Arcadi Garcia i Rius • David Goldenberg • Melissa Hayes
Henry Reich • Ever Salazar • Leonardo Souza • Kate Yoshida
OUR LINKS
************
Youtube | https://youtube.com/MinuteEarth
TikTok | https://tiktok.com/@minuteearth
Twitter | https://twitter.com/MinuteEarth
Instagram | https://instagram.com/minute_earth
Facebook | https://facebook.com/Minuteearth
Website | https://minuteearth.com
Apple Podcasts| https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/minuteearth/id649211176
REFERENCES
**************
Brockie, R. E., & Moeed, A. (1986). Animal biomass in a New Zealand forest compared with other parts of the world. Oecologia, 70(1), 24–34.
De Vos, B., Van Meirvenne, M., Quataert, P., Deckers, J., & Muys, B. (2005). Predictive quality of pedotransfer functions for estimating bulk density of forest soils. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 69(2), 500–510.
Fan, Y., Miguez-Macho, G., Jobbágy, E. G., Jackson, R. B., & Otero-Casal, C. (2017). Hydrologic regulation of plant rooting depth. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(40), 10572–10577. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1712381114
Federer, C. A., Turcotte, D. E., & Smith, C. T. (1993). The organic fraction–bulk density relationship and the expression of nutrient content in forest soils. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 23(6), 1026–1032.
Gosz, J. R., Likens, G. E., & Bormann, F. H. (1976). Organic matter and nutrient dynamics of the forest and forest floor in the Hubbard Brook Forest. Oecologia, 22(4), 305–320.
Mendoza-Ponce, A., & Galicia, L. (2010). Aboveground and belowground biomass and carbon pools in highland temperate forest landscape in Central Mexico. Forestry, 83(5), 497–506. https://doi.org/10.1093/forestry/cpq032
Roach, W. J., Simard, S. W., & Snyder, E. N. (2024). Downed woody debris varies with climate and harvesting treatment in Douglas-fir forests of British Columbia, Canada. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, 7, 1397142. https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2024.1397142
Stocker, B. D., Tumber-Dávila, S. J., Konings, A. G., Anderson, M. C., Hain, C., & Jackson, R. B. (2023). Global patterns of water storage in the rooting zones of vegetation. Nature Geoscience, 16, 250–256. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-023-01125-2
In the 1850s, German scientists were trying to figure out how to weigh a forest – but they weren’t particularly interested in the trees. Because as it turns out, forests are much more than trees, and trees aren't the heaviest – or even the second heaviest – part of a forest.
LEARN MORE
**************
To learn more about this topic, start your googling with these keywords:
- Canopy: The uppermost layer of a forest, formed by the crowns and foliage of the tallest trees.
- Detritus: Dead and decaying organic matter, such as fallen leaves, twigs, bark, and animal remains, that accumulates on the forest floor.
- Nutrient Cycling: The continuous movement of nutrients (such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon) through a forest ecosystem, from soil to plants, through animals and decomposers, and back to the soil again.
- Topsoil: The uppermost layer of soil, typically rich in organic matter, nutrients, and microbial life. Topsoil is where most root growth, seed germination, and biological activity occur, making it essential to forest health and productivity.
SUPPORT MINUTEEARTH
**************************
If you like what we do, you can help us!:
- Become our patron: https://patreon.com/MinuteEarth
- Our merch: store.dftba.com/me
- Our book: https://minuteearth.com/books
- Sign up to our newsletter: http://news.minuteearth.com
- Share this video with your friends and family
- Leave us a comment (we read them!)
CREDITS
*********
Cameron Duke | Script Writer, Narrator and Director
Arcadi Garcia i Rius | Storyboard Artist
Sarah Berman | Illustration, Video Editing and Animation
Nathaniel Schroeder | Music
MinuteEarth is produced by Neptune Studios LLC
https://neptunestudios.info
OUR STAFF
************
Lizah van der Aart • Sarah Berman • Cameron Duke
Arcadi Garcia i Rius • David Goldenberg • Melissa Hayes
Henry Reich • Ever Salazar • Leonardo Souza • Kate Yoshida
OUR LINKS
************
Youtube | https://youtube.com/MinuteEarth
TikTok | https://tiktok.com/@minuteearth
Twitter | https://twitter.com/MinuteEarth
Instagram | https://instagram.com/minute_earth
Facebook | https://facebook.com/Minuteearth
Website | https://minuteearth.com
Apple Podcasts| https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/minuteearth/id649211176
REFERENCES
**************
Brockie, R. E., & Moeed, A. (1986). Animal biomass in a New Zealand forest compared with other parts of the world. Oecologia, 70(1), 24–34.
De Vos, B., Van Meirvenne, M., Quataert, P., Deckers, J., & Muys, B. (2005). Predictive quality of pedotransfer functions for estimating bulk density of forest soils. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 69(2), 500–510.
Fan, Y., Miguez-Macho, G., Jobbágy, E. G., Jackson, R. B., & Otero-Casal, C. (2017). Hydrologic regulation of plant rooting depth. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(40), 10572–10577. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1712381114
Federer, C. A., Turcotte, D. E., & Smith, C. T. (1993). The organic fraction–bulk density relationship and the expression of nutrient content in forest soils. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 23(6), 1026–1032.
Gosz, J. R., Likens, G. E., & Bormann, F. H. (1976). Organic matter and nutrient dynamics of the forest and forest floor in the Hubbard Brook Forest. Oecologia, 22(4), 305–320.
Mendoza-Ponce, A., & Galicia, L. (2010). Aboveground and belowground biomass and carbon pools in highland temperate forest landscape in Central Mexico. Forestry, 83(5), 497–506. https://doi.org/10.1093/forestry/cpq032
Roach, W. J., Simard, S. W., & Snyder, E. N. (2024). Downed woody debris varies with climate and harvesting treatment in Douglas-fir forests of British Columbia, Canada. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, 7, 1397142. https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2024.1397142
Stocker, B. D., Tumber-Dávila, S. J., Konings, A. G., Anderson, M. C., Hain, C., & Jackson, R. B. (2023). Global patterns of water storage in the rooting zones of vegetation. Nature Geoscience, 16, 250–256. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-023-01125-2
MinuteEarth
Science and stories about our awesome planet!
Our staff: Lizah van der Aart, Sarah Berman, Cameron Duke, Arcadi Garcia, David Goldenberg, Melissa Hayes, Alex Reich, Henry Reich, Peter Reich, Ever Salazar, Leonardo Souza, Kate Yoshida and Jasper Palfree.
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