Water Quality Month spurs us to take a look at the health of our most precious resource. We often focus on the importance of wetlands in filtering drinking water. But here’s a surprising partner in protecting a clean water supply: Forests.
The U.S. Forest Service lauds the power of forests to clean waters. A recent multi-year assessment by the Open Space Institute (OSI) looked at 21,000 acres of eastern forests for their water quality benefits.
The research confirmed that forests keep water clean. One aspect of this is related to forest cover, which is defined as the amount of trees covering a particular area of land. Depending on the level of forest cover, disruptive pollutants like nitrogen were found in greater or lesser amounts.
Nitrogen levels were found to spike when forest cover levels fell below 66%. But at 70% or greater forest cover, waterways stay healthier and cleaner. That means a thriving ecosystem and quality habitat for wildlife.
Forests that are located alongside streams were shown to filter pollutants effectively from the surrounding area. In one case, 11,000 such protected acres were shown to filter and reduce nearly 1,700 pounds of total nitrogen per year.
Similarly, if degraded land is reforested, it substantially reduces pollutant loads of sediment, nitrogen and phosphorous.
From a financial standpoint, conserving forests results in major cost savings. Protecting 21,000 acres of forest saved approximately $57 million in potential stormwater capital costs. The same acreage saved an additional $6 million in annual maintenance costs for projected development—more than three times the cost of the land protection itself.
The health, ecological, and economic benefits of forest conservation couldn’t be clearer. We are proud to protect many publicly accessible forested lands featuring waterways, from Oliver’s Woods to the Laura Hare Preserve at Blossom Hollow to many others. Many of our Conservation Easements also have streams that benefit from the protection of adjacent forests.
We are grateful for the support of our members for making this critical work possible!
Want to get involved during Water Quality Month? Volunteer for our Aug. 7, 2024 creek cleanup at Oliver’s Woods. Or educate yourself about challenges to the White River’s resilience during an easy float with Friends of White River on Aug. 9, 2024.
Photo by Kate Huston
Shawndra Miller
Communications Manager