Forests, Water and Watersheds: Recognizing the Importance of Maintaining Forested Ecosystems

摘要

Forests are the single largest and most important provider of water in the United States. Approximately 66 percent of the nation's freshwater resources originate on forest land. The Forest Service estimates that 180 million people receive their drinking water from forested watersheds. This highlights the close and important link between the quality of the nation's water and the health of our forests. Healthy forested watersheds absorb rainfall and snow melt, slow storm runoff, recharge aquifers, sustain stream flows, sequestercarbon, filter pollutants from runoff before they enterthe waterways; and provide critical habitat for fish and wildlife.