Assignment Buddies
 Welcome to the Assignment Buddies section of the Forests NSW website.
The pages in this section provide images and captions free for you to download and use on key forest and forestry topics.
If you have trouble with any of the words used in this section
click here to open our glossary of common forestry terms.
Follow the links below for more in-depth information.
Biodiversity
Forests are important to maintaining biodiversity, the variety of living things and the dynamic ecosystems of which they are a part. All the flora and fauna of an ecosystem depend on and interact with each other. Conserving forest biodiversity is an integral part of forest management.
 Click here for biodiversity images
Forest Fires
Periodic exposure to fire is essential to the regeneration of many species of plants. Yet very fierce fires can severely injure the forests and animals which depend on them. The challenge for forest managers is to control the frequency and intensity of fire so that wildlife, adjoining property and forests themselves are protected. During the 2002/2003 fire season Forests NSW attended more than 350 fires, this was a season of severe dryness with devastating wildfires occurring on days of low relative humidity, high temperatures and strong wind.
Click here for forest fires images
Greenhouse
The greenhouse effect is a naturally occurring process, which maintains the right temperature to allow life on Earth to flourish. Human activity has increased the level of greenhouse gases in the air. Increasing atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, are associated with rising temperatures on Earth. Young forests absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide, locking it away as carbon until the tree is burnt or decomposes. Timber used in long-lived products, like houses and furniture, continues to store carbon for many decades.
Click here for greenhouse images
Salinity
Since European settlement, land clearing for agriculture and urban development in NSW has reduced forested areas by less than half. Many forms of land degradation, like soil erosion and dryland salinity, are linked to the removal of native trees and vegetation from the land. Forests NSW works with landholders and industry to plant new forests to repair land degradation and provide future benefits such as wildlife corridors, timber resources and catchment protection.
Click here for salinity images
Timber
Timber is a natural resource. It's one of the few natural resources that is renewable, biodegradable, recyclable and solar-powered. The timber grown in State forests is used to produce many of the things we use every day, including house frames, furniture, electricity poles, wharf piles and paper.
Click here for timber images
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