Healthy Forests Provide for Water Quality and Quantity
Forests play an important role in providing clean water. More than 50% of Virginia’s freshwater resources originate from forests that cover about two-thirds of the state. In addition to providing clean water, forests also absorb rainfall, refill groundwater aquifers, slow and filter stormwater runoff, reduce floods, and maintain watershed stability and resilience.
No other land use provides clean water like forests. These water supply benefits come from all forests, whether young or old, pine or hardwood. Sediment, nutrients, and other pollutants, including bacteria and other pathogens are almost always higher from other land uses, especially urban areas. Once forests are established, they continue to provide clean and reliable sources of water for decades. Fortunately, they can also be managed for a variety of products and priorities (e.g., timber, wildlife, and recreation) without negatively impacting water resources. Foresters use a variety of techniques, called best management practices (BMPs), that allow roads, hiking trails, prescribed fire, timber harvesting, and other management activities to be conducted without impacting water resources.
Forest landowners and forest operators can benefit from the use of best management practices and pre-harvest planning to protect the water resources.
Your local VDOF forester can help guide you through the timber sale process and assist you with incorporating proper BMPs to protect water quality during the implementation of a forestry practice on your property, as well as provide guidance about planting riparian forest buffers.
Additional Resources
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Your local VDOF forester can help guide you through the timber sale process and assist you with incorporating proper BMPs to protect water quality during the implementation of a forestry practice on your property, as well as provide guidance about planting riparian forest buffers. Contact your local VDOF forester.
For more information or questions, e-mail us or use our contact form.