Arabic
Chinese (Simplified)
Dutch
English
French
German
Italian
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish
Stress Test: The Condition and Possible Future of Forests and Rangelands in the United States (Spanish)
The scientists in this study were asked to identify which areas of forest and rangeland in the United States might become more stressed in the future.
Stress Test: The Condition and Possible Future of Forests and Rangelands in the United States (Spanish)
-
The question you will answer in this FACTivity is: What is the environmental condition of the land around your school? You will decide on a group of indicators to use...FACTivity – Stress Test (Spanish)
The question you will answer in this FACTivity is: What is the environmental condition of the land around your school? You will decide on a group of indicators to use...
Glossary
View All Glossaryanalysis
(ǝ na lǝ sǝs): An examination of a whole to discover its elements and their relations.
breeding
(bred iŋ): Producing offspring by hatching or the carrying of young in the uterus.
climate
(klī mǝt): The average weather conditions of a particular place or region over a period of years.
conservation
(kän(t) sər vā shən): A careful preservation and protection of something, especially planned management of a natural resource to prevent exploitation, destruction, or neglect.
cubic foot
(kyü bik fu̇t): A unit of volume equal to a cube one foot long on each side.
elevation
(e lǝ vā shǝn): The height above sea level.
endangered species
(in dān jǝrd spē sēz): A plant or animals with so few individual survivors that the species could become extinct in the area where it naturally lives.
habitat
(ha bә tat): The place or environment where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives and grows.
indicate
(in dǝ kāt): To be a sign, symptom, or index of; to point out or point to.
native
(nā tiv): Living or growing naturally in a particular region.
population
(pä pyǝ lā shǝn): The total of individuals occupying an area.
publicly
(pǝ bli klē): By the people generally or by a government.
rangeland
(rānj land): Land used or suitable for livestock range (an open region over which animals may roam and feed).
ratio
(rā shē ō): The relationship in quantity, amount, or size between two or more things.
relationship
(ri lā shǝn ship): The state of being connected through a relation that is known or can be discovered.
represent
(re pri zent): To serve as a specimen, example, or instance of.
sediment
(se dǝ mǝnt): Material deposited by water, wind, or glaciers.
species
(spē sēz or spē shēz): A category of living things that ranks below a genus, is made up of related individuals able to produce fertile offspring, and is identified by a two-part scientific name.
stressed
(strest): Subjected to or affected by strain or pressure.
threatened
(thre tǝnd): Having an uncertain chance of continued survival; likely to become an endangered species.
variable
(ver ē ə bəl): (1) A factor, trait, or condition that can be changed or controlled; (2) a quantity that may assume any one of a set of values.
wildlife
(wī(e)l(d) līf): Living things and especially mammals, birds, and fishes that are neither human nor domesticated.
-
Curtis Flather
Ecology
I like being a scientist because it is essentially problem solving, and, in my case, the problems deal with the conservation of wildlife. Working on wildlife conservation problems can be...View Profile -
John Hof
Economist/Resource Economist
I like being a scientist because I enjoy using both math and science to solve problems.View Profile
Note To Educators
The Forest Service's Mission
The Forest Service’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. For more than 100 years, our motto has been “caring for the land and serving people.” The Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), recognizes its responsibility to be engaged in efforts to connect youth to nature and to promote the development of science-based conservation education programs and materials nationwide.
What Is the Natural Inquirer?
Natural Inquirer is a science education resource journal to be used by students in grade 6 and up. Natural Inquirer contains articles describing environmental and natural resource research conducted by Forest Service scientists and their cooperators. These scientific journal articles have been reformatted to meet the needs of middle school students. The articles are easy to understand, are aesthetically pleasing to the eye, contain glossaries, and include hands-on activities. The goal of Natural Inquirer is to stimulate critical reading and thinking about scientific inquiry and investigation while teaching about ecology, the natural environment, and natural resources.
-
Meet the Scientists
Introduces students to the scientists who did the research. This section may be used in a discussion about careers in science.
-
What Kinds of Scientist Did This Research?
Introduces students to the scientific disciplines of the scientists who conducted the research.
-
Thinking About Science
Introduces something new about the scientific process, such as a scientific habit of mind or procedures used in scientific studies.
-
Thinking About the Environment
Introduces the environmental topic being addressed in the research.
-
Introduction
Introduces the problem or question that the research addresses.
-
Method
Describes the method the scientists used to collect and analyze their data.
-
Findings & Discussion
Describes the results of the analysis. Addresses the findings and places them into the context of the original problem or question.
-
Reflection Section
Presents questions aimed at stimulating critical thinking about what has been read or predicting what might be presented in the next section. These questions are placed at the end of each of the main article sections.
-
Number Crunches
Presents an easy math problem related to the research.
-
Glossary
Defines potentially new scientific or other terms to students. The first occurrence of a glossary word is bold in the text.
-
Citation
Gives the original article citation with an internet link to the original article.
-
FACTivity
Presents a hands-on activity that emphasizes something presented in the article.
Science Education Standards
You will find a listing of education standards which are addressed by each article at the back of each publication and on our website.
We Welcome Feedback
-
Contact
Jessica Nickelsen
Director, Natural Inquirer program -
Email
Education Files
Related Resources from the Natural Inquirer
-
The scientists in this study were asked to identify which areas of forest and rangeland in the United States might become more stressed in the future.
Stress Test: The Condition and Possible Future of Forests and Rangelands in the United States
The scientists in this study were asked to identify which areas of forest and rangeland in the United States might become more stressed in the future. -
Test your knowledge of forests, rangelands, habitats, and conservation with a word search.Word Search – Stress Test
Test your knowledge of forests, rangelands, habitats, and conservation with a word search.
