Forest and Forestry
A forest is an area of land in which trees are the main vegetation. However, a functioning forest is much more than just trees. A forest is an ecosystem composed of woody and nonwoody plants, soil, water, animals, fish and people. Humans have long used and managed forests for our basic needs, including fuel, shelter and food.
More recently, we have recognized the importance of forest as a home to wildlife and plants, a site for human recreation and a source of clean water and air. Human use of the forest can have major impacts on forest health. Because humans and many animals and plants depend on forest ecosystems for survival, it is critical that we manage forests to maintain their health and ensure that they will be available for future generations.
Forestry is the science of caring for forests. Foresters study hoe life exists in the forest, the conservation and protection of forest resources and the production of goods and services from the forest.
Natural Mummies
Various environmental factors can contribute to the natural mummification of a body. Sometimes extreme cold will preserve a body, as was the case with a Stone Age man discovered in 1991 high in the Alps along the border between Austria and Italy. Soon after death, about 3300 B.C the Ice man, as he came to be known, was discovered with snow and preserved in ice. Often when a body freezes, the tissues’ moisture leaves in the form of a gas, a process called sublimation.
Because of this process, the Iceman’s mummy weighed only about 28 pounds when it was discovered. Cold temperature was also responsible for many Inca mummies discovered high in the Andes Mountains of South America, where the Inca regularly made human sacrifices to their Gods. In 1999, thousands of Inca mummies were found in a Peruvian cemetery dating back to the late 1400’s. The area’s dry environment even preserved the colorful feathered headdresses adoring some of the bodies.