Grade Six Science
Hello Boys and Girls, Forests
I hope that you had a very good first week at school. Did you make serious plans for the new year? If not, you may start now. I wish you a successful year as you work hard to do well in your National Assessment later in the year.
Were you able to have any assessment last term? How well did you do? Do ensure that you correct any errors that you made before moving on. You need to work on any weak areas that you had.
This week we will look at Forests.
What is a forest? It is a large tract or area of land covered with trees and dense (very thick) undergrowth. Can you locate on a map of Guyana the places where forests can be found?
Our highland region is covered by forests. In fact, the forested highland region is the largest of Guyana’s natural regions. It spans almost the entire country from north to South. Forest covered mountains and highland are the main features of this region. Can you name the main mountains or mountain ranges in Guyana? Yes, these include the Pakaraima Mountains, the Kanuku Mountains and the Kamoa Mountains.
Forests have developed naturally over the ages or they may have been cultivated. Can you name areas of the world where forests can be found? Look at the table below.
Forests are important to man. They are one of the world’s most abundant resources. They covered more than one–quarter of the earth’s entire land area long ago. Is that so today?
Many forests all over the world are not being properly managed. What is the management of the forest called? Yes, it’s called silviculture. The goal of good management of the forest is to have good products without damaging the land or other trees. It is also important to plant young trees so that the forest lives on for many, many years. It is important also to preserve the animal life that exists there.
In Guyana, we can find about 14,000,000 hectares of tropical forest. The trees are of a wide variety. Do you know that there are more than 200 species of trees in Guyana? Name at least three of them?
Did you know how special greenheart is? In how many countries can it be found? What is it used for? Find out the uses of the others, too.
The trees in a forest struggle for light. They grow very close to each other. They compete for light. They grow very tall. They also struggle for general survival. The undergrowth is usually bushy and very difficult to penetrate. Our temperature and rainfall favour the growth of our forest trees.
Forests are not all the same. They may be of different types: evergreen, semigreen and mangrove forests. What type of forests does our country have?
Our forests have many benefits for us. They must be cared and not exploited. Several companies, such as Barama and Willems Timber, have done logging in Guyana. Can you name any others?
Goodbye Boys and Girls, and do have a great week as you continue making plans for working as hard as you can to produce the best work that you can. Continue to wash your hands frequently, to wear your mask, particularly when in public, and to observe the social distancing rules.