Forests are Great

Call me a tree hugger if you like but I love trees, the more the better. Lots of trees that make up a forest provide places for wildlife to live and tree huggers to play. I always knew forests were great and now I have another reason to love them.
DNR Question of the week

Q: How do forests contribute to clean water?

A: Forests are natural water filters. Rain clings to the leaves and bark of trees, slowing the movement of rain to the ground. The slower moving rain picks up less sediment when it hits the soil. Additionally, forest soils contain large pore spaces that trap sediments and pollutants. As a result, rainwater that leaves a forest to recharge groundwater or flow into lakes and rivers is clean.

Keeping managed forests on the landscape is one of the best ways to protect drinking water and can reduce the cost of water treatment by up to 65 percent when compared to paved or barren land. For more information, visit: http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/publications/forestry/cleanwater.pdf.

Jennifer Corcoran, DNR forestry research analysis specialist

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