
Hydrologic Effects of a Changing Forest Landscape
Of all the outputs of forests, water may be the most important. Streamflow from forests provides two-thirds of the nation''s clean water supply. Removing forest cover accelerates the rate that precipitation becomes streamflow; therefore, in some areas, cutting trees causes a temporary increase in the volume of water flowing downstream. This effect has spurred political pressure to cut trees to in...
Of all the outputs of forests, water may be the most important. Streamflow from forests provides two-thirds of the nation''s clean water supply. Removing forest cover accelerates the rate that precipitation becomes streamflow; therefore, in some areas, cutting trees causes a temporary increase in the volume of water flowing downstream. This effect has spurred political pressure to cut trees to in...