 |
If all of
the water on earth was represented by 100 buckets, as in the
adjacent photo, only 3 buckets would contain freshwater.
This is because only 2.5% of the world�s water is freshwater; 97.5%
is ocean. Of the 2.5% that is freshwater, most of it is ice, leaving
0.3% (yes, three tenths of one percent) of all the water on the
earth liquid freshwater.1
|
|
|
How do forests
produce and preserve water? |
Vegetation reduces impact of raindrops on soil and allows water to soak into soil, reducing peak flow levels in streams and replenishing groundwater
|
Vegetation along streams keeps water cool enough for aquatic life
|
Tree Roots
� reduce erosion by holding soil together
� filter pollutants from reaching groundwater
|
 |
|
 |
Trees,
shrubs, ground cover plants and roots slow runoff from rain and
snow, and purify water as it percolates through the soil and into
aquifers. By slowing runoff, forests also greatly reduce flooding
and erosion. This minimizes the sediment and excess nutrients
entering streams and rivers.2 |
|
|
Vegetation also helps regulate water chemistry and
temperatures and enhance habitats for aquatic species which is
especially important in cold water streams. |
|
|
A
tree canopy softens the blow of a downpour, allowing rain to soak
more slowly into the ground. In cities this reduces the volume of
water that a containment facility must store and treat.3
When runoff is minimized, so are flooding, pollution, and the
sedimentation of rivers and lakes. |
|
|
In Milwaukee, the existing tree canopy cover reduces
storm water flow by
up to 22% and provides the city an estimated $15.4
million in benefits.4 |
| back to ecological page |
return to
top |
|
|