By SHAWNDRA MILLER / Communications director, Central Indiana Land Trust
Water Quality Month spurs us to take a look at the health of our most precious resource. We often focus on the importance of wetlands in filtering drinking water. But here’s a surprising partner in protecting a clean water supply: Forests.
A recent multi-year assessment by the Open Space Institute (OSI) looked at 21,000 acres of eastern forests for their water quality benefits. The research confirmed that forests keep water clean. One aspect of this is related to forest cover, which is defined as the amount of trees covering a particular area of land.
Depending on the level of forest cover, disruptive pollutants like nitrogen were found in greater or lesser amounts.
Nitrogen levels were found to spike when forest cover levels fell below 66%. But at 70% or greater forest cover, waterways stay healthier and cleaner. That means a thriving ecosystem and quality habitat for wildlife.
Forests that are located alongside streams were shown to filter pollutants effectively from the surrounding area. In one case, 11,000 such protected acres were shown to filter and reduce nearly 1,700 pounds of total nitrogen per year.
Similarly, if degraded land is reforested, it substantially reduces pollutant loads of sediment, nitrogen, and phosphorous.
From a financial standpoint, conserving forests results in major cost savings. Protecting 21,000 acres of forest saved approximately $57 million in potential stormwater capital costs. The same acreage saved an additional $6 million in annual maintenance costs for projected development – more than three times the cost of the land protection itself.
The health, ecological and economic benefits of forest conservation couldn’t be clearer. Central Indiana Land Trust protects many publicly accessible forested lands featuring waterways, from Oliver’s Woods to the Laura Hare Preserve at Blossom Hollow, and many others. Find these and other hiking destinations at conservingindiana.org.
Headquartered in the Old Northside, Central Indiana Land Trust partners with conservation organizations statewide to preserve the best of Indiana’s natural areas, protecting plants and animals, so Hoosiers can experience the wonder of the state’s natural heritage.
