Submitted: The Two Sides Team April 13, 2015

This post is the second in the “Vanishing Pieces of the Puzzle” series from the American Forest Foundation, showcasing new research on the benefits provided by family-owned forests—one-third of American woodlands—and the threats they face if we do not take action.  This article focuses on the connection between family-owned forests and water, and threats to America's water supply if these forests are not maintained.

This article appeared on the American Forest Foundation website on April 6, 2015.

You know how important water is to our everyday lives, but did you know that more than half of the water supply in the 48 contiguous states originates on forests? Forests are nature’s water filter, capturing contaminants before they reach rivers and streams, holding the soil in place, minimizing erosion and sediment runoff. Simply put, healthy forests give us much of the abundant, clean water we depend on.

Forests provide this service for free, whether the trees are on public or private land. And while National Forests get a lot of the attention, with almost 14 million acres of family forests bordering streams and a third of U.S. forests being family-owned, these lands are a critical piece of this green infrastructure puzzle. For AFF and Denver Water, the bottom line is that to maintain a high-quality water supply, we must also maintain and invest in America’s family-owned forests.

To read the full article, please click here.

For more on the campaign, visit the “Vanishing Pieces of the Puzzle” page.

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