Think about Forests and Drinking Water Together

Healthy forests serve a critical function in improving the quality of our drinking water, and it’s important for rural property owners to keep that in mind as they manage their timberland.
That was an overarching theme of a recent episode of the Arkansas Forestry Association’s “Voices of Forestry” podcast, sponsored by PotlatchDeltic. The episode centered around the work of the Arkansas Forests & Drinking Water Collaborative, a nonprofit that is working to bring people from the two sectors together.
In an interview with AFA communications director Seth Stephenson, the Collaborative’s Joy Wasson passed along a ton of interesting information, such as:
- Roots from trees act as a critical filter for groundwater, reducing sedimentation in the water while preventing erosion in surrounding areas.
- It’s important for timberland owners to pay special attention to streamside management zones (SMZs), where trees are especially important to the water supply.
- Arkansas has been getting a healthy amount of rain in the past several years, which helps support the rivers and lakes that provide some of the water supply to the state.
The Collaborative, which formed in 2015, has evolved to a point where it is ready to do major projects. One of the first is an 18-month effort to get hardwood seedlings from the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division and supply them at no cost to landowners for planting in higher-sloped streamside areas.
PotlatchDeltic supports the Arkansas Forests & Drinking Water Collaborative and its efforts to preserve and enhance the state’s forests. These efforts match PotlatchDeltic’s focus on sustainable practices in its forestry, manufacturing and recreational real estate operations.