Streamside Forests
STREAMSIDE FORESTS: THE NATURAL, COST-EFFECTIVE SOLUTION TO CLEAN WATER

STREAMS PROVIDE DRINKING WATER
Streams provide much more than places for recreation, they provide habitat for plants and animals – and the drinking water for many of us.

TREES MAKE HEALTHIER STREAMS
Pennsylvania – or Penn's Woods, as it was called – was almost completely forested for thousands of years. Today many streams no longer have trees growing along their banks. The absence of these streamside forests, combined with population growth, has resulted in declining stream health.

PLANT TREES FOR CLEANER WATER, NATURALLY
Unhealthy streams mean poor water quality, which increases the amount of money we must spend to treat our water supplies. A simple and cost-effective way to protect and improve the quality of our streams – and our drinking water – is to restore trees along the banks.

Streamside Forests = Healthier Wildlife Habitat

brook trout   wood duck  
Shade from streamside forests keeps water temperatures cool – a necessity for brook trout, the state fish of Pennsylvania.   Streamside forests are important habitat areas for birds like this colorful wood duck.  
       
leaf_pack   tree roots  
s s s s
Tree leaves provide food and habitat for many aquatic animals, such as insects and crustaceans, which in turn provide food for fish.   Tree roots stabilize stream banks and reduce erosion. They also create habitat for animals.  

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Learn how trees affect water quality click here.

Learn how you can become part of the solution click here.

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