VOCABULARY - L
Layering - a form of vegetative reproduction in which live tree branches are buried in the debris on the forest floor and they sprout roots and live stems to regenerate a forest.
Leaching - the process by which soluble matter is dissolved in groundwater and carried downward and radially through the soil.
Leaf - (pl. leaves) the thin, usually flat, green parts that grow on a tree or other plant. Leaves use the carbon dioxide of the air in which they live and light from the sun to carry on photosynthesis.
Leaflets - smaller parts of compound leaves that often resemble leaves. They join together along the petiole and the petiole attaches to the twig.
Leaf Margin - the outer edge of a leaf; useful for tree identification purposes.
Life Stages - the stages a tree goes through during its life (germination, growth, maturity, reproduction, decline, and death).
Lignin - a major component of wood making up 25% of the total material in wood; functions to bind wood components together.
Limiting Factor - a factor that limits the growth, abundance, or distribution of a population of organisms in an ecosystem (e.g., water, nutrients, sunlight, prey, etc.).
Litter Layer - surface layer of the forest floor composed of leaves, twigs, needles, etc. with minimal decomposition.
Loam - a soil that is a mixture of sand, silt, and clay.
Lobed - a type of leaf edge that has large rounded parts.
Loess - wind-deposited soil material.
Log - unit used to measure the height of a tree; one log equals 16'.
Logger - a person who cuts trees to sell to saw mills and other wood using businesses.
Logging - the removal of trees from the forest for lumber.
Lumber - boards sawn from logs.
Lumber Era - the time in Wisconsin history from the 1850s to the 1920s when timber was harvested at a rapid pace. Also known as the cutover.
Lumberjack - term used for individuals who worked in the woods during a logging process.