The Forest was Petrified Trivia Quiz

Answer: Black Forest

Located in southwestern Germany, The Black Forest is one of the most well-known forests in Europe. The name is believed to be derived from the lack of sunlight reaching the ground and the density of dark pine trees in the forest. The forest is only a fraction of its original size, mostly due to logging.

The main industry in the area is tourism, which ironically, may be what saves this forest from complete annihilation. The forest is crisscrossed by cross-country skiing trails, mountain biking paths, and hiking trails.

The Danube is not the only river to originate in this forest, others include the Murg, the Enz, and the Rench.

Answer: True

In the world of forest fires, the most important topographical feature is slope. Unlike most living things, fires usually travel up a slope much faster than down the slope. The steeper the slope is the faster the fire will travel. This interesting phenomenon is because fires travel in the direction of the ambient wind, which flows uphill. Also, heat rises which preheats flammable material higher up on the slope. Once it reaches the top of a hill it slows down dramatically as is spreads downhill, as it is not able to preheat the fuel that lies below it. If you thought that a forest fire on flat terrain would spread much more rapidly, in actuality, forests in a hilly or mountainous region can spread more quickly.

Answer: Norway

Natural bamboo forests once covered many parts of southeastern Asia. These unique genomes are the homes of some of the rarest animals in the world, most notably, the Panda bear. Bamboo forests are unique in that they can be harvested and than regrown in a much faster methods than any other type of forest. Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants in the world and under ideal conditions can grow four feet, a little over a meter, in a 24 hour period. Bamboo is used for food, construction, medicine and for making paper.

This is a renewable resource that has been used for centuries by many Asian cultures. These dense forest can be home to trees that reach 100 ft. (30m) tall. It should be noted that bamboo is not actually a tree like found in most forests, but is instead a type of woody grass.

While bamboo forests can be found in Africa, Asia, Australia, and South America, there are no native bamboo forests found in Europe.

Answer: A large explosion caused by a meteor or comet

The Tunguska Event is the name given to a massive explosion that occurred in Siberia in 1908. Believed to have been caused by either a meteor or a comet, this explosion is estimated to have been over 1,000 times more powerful than the atomic explosion in Hiroshima in 1945. Thousands of acres of taiga forest were simply flattened in one second.

The location is so very difficult to access that it was not until 1927 that the first human exploration of the area was attempted. While this event destroyed the forest habitat of the area, it has started to recover, albeit slowly. Our planet's ability to heal itself is amazing, but as we should all remember, it is not able to cure all things. What exactly hit, or did not hit, and what it was, is a matter of scientific debate. We will probably never know.

Answer: Crepuscular rays

Crepuscular rays are often observed in forest settings, with fantastic effects. They are usually observed during sunrise and sunset. The main types of crepuscular rays are seen through holes in low-lying clouds, those shining from behind dark storm clouds, and those that can be seen in areas of high humidity and lots of sun blockage - such as the common forest.

Answer: The California Gold Rush

At one time the majestic coastal redwood forests covered over two million acres. The discovery of gold led to catastrophic logging practices that have left a little over 100 thousand acres still intact. When miners gave up on looking for gold they turned unrestricted clear-cut logging.

As these trees can live for thousands of years it is doubtful that this fractured forest land will ever completely recover. The Redwood National Park was not created until 1968 by which time over 92% of the trees had already been harvested.

It is a problem that many forests of the world face. It is now a protected area that draws thousands of tourists each year. This unique habitat is home to flora and fauna found nowhere else in the world. Modern logging practices are a major threat to the forests of the world and the loss of forest lands continues unabated, year after year.

Answer: The Suicide Forest

Found near Mount Fuji in Japan is the Aokigahara which translates into the "Sea of Trees". This dark and somewhat sinister forest is also known as the "Suicide Forest" as it is one of the most popular places in the world to commit suicide. Popular locations for suicide now have signs erected urging visitors not to make the location their final resting place.

It is not unusual for tourists or other visitors exploring this supposedly haunted forest to find human remains. The forest is believed to be haunted by those who have committed suicide within the area.

The woods are rumored to be full of spirits who howl and scream throughout the night and many locals will not venture inside. The forest is also noted for having almost no wild life and for the eerie quietness that permeates the area.

There is no reliable count for the number of suicides here, but in 2004 there were over 100 bodies found within this macabre forest of death.

Answer: The Crooked Forest

The Crooked Forest is a unique pine forest located in western Poland. This unusual forest is a small grove of trees containing over 400 pine trees that all grow with a 90 degree bend located at the base of their trunks. This grove of trees sits in the middle of a larger forest area that has normal pine trees that grow straight up.

These crooked trees are believed to have been hand planted in the 1930s by an unknown person and for an unknown reason. It is also not known definitively how these growth patterns were achieved.

This curious forest area is a unique and curious location that is worthy of a visit if you are visiting in the area.

Answer: False

As most, but not all, cloud forests are found in the tropics, this statement is false. Although most cloud forests happen in higher altitudes, that is not always the case. Some Native American tribes believed that these forests literally caught clouds and held them close, which is actually a pretty good description. Through a process known as lateral cloud filtering, the forests filter the clouds as they move inland from the ocean. Droplets of water collect on the trees providing them with over half of the water that they need. Most of these forests are rich with life both on the ground and high in the canopy.

The perpetual cloud cover found in these forests provides protection for the animal life within.

Answer: Quartz

Most of the trees to be found in the Petrified Forest National Park are extinct types of pine trees which have become various colors of quartz silica. There are many colors due to the presence of other minerals. The park is home to many other types of fossils and is a favorite study spot for paleontologists.

The area is home to many different types of animals which have adapted to the dry scorching heat found in this location. Despite its name, there are almost no standing trees in this extinct forest.