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Watershed Forestry

Watershed Forestry. 2013-2014 SMILE Theme. Overview. Students will make connections between themselves, their school, and town They will make detailed observations on the impacts that their small area has on their wider community, watershed, and state. Investigations & Stewardship Project.

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Watershed Forestry

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  1. Watershed Forestry 2013-2014 SMILE Theme

  2. Overview • Students will make connections between themselves, their school, and town • They will make detailed observations on the impacts that their small area has on their wider community, watershed, and state

  3. Investigations & Stewardship Project • Investigations will mainly take place on the school grounds, but students should always think about how that impacts the larger watershed • These investigations will culminate in a stewardship project • GOAL: to increase biodiversity and/or decrease stormwater runoff at your school or community site. STEWARDHIP PROJECT (April – May) SCHOOL INVESTIGATIONS (Sep – Dec)

  4. Background • Urbanization = more impervious surfaces (non-porous)

  5. More about urbanization • More than 2,000 acres of forest land are cleared for development each day in the US, and projections suggest that as many as 138 million acres of private for land will be threatened from 2005-2030 SPRAWL!

  6. Result of Urbanization • Urbanization disrupts the water cycle by stopping water from infiltrating back into the ground and aquifer Disrupted due to impermeable surfaces Normal Process

  7. Filter vs. no filter

  8. Runoff • Runoff goes somewhere. If it’s blocked by impervious surfaces, it will flow into the storm water system or water body picking up pollutants as it goes

  9. Dirty runoff ends up in rivers, ponds, lakes, bays, and oceans • This means dirty drinking water, no recreation & harm to wildlife

  10. It’s all connected…and ends up in the bay or ocean! The “faucet” is ultimately connected to a forest.

  11. Trees and watershed – the connection • Tree roots filter nitrogen and phosphorus from groundwater before the water flows into rivers and streams. The roots also help prevent erosion of sediment into the waterways.

  12. More about the connection • In order for streams to have a health rating of Excellent, it isrequired at least 65% of the stream network in the watershed to be forested. At least 45% streamside forest cover is required for streams to have a health rating of Good. POOR EXCELLENT

  13. More about the connection • Canopy cover slows the rate of rain hitting the ground which allows time for the water to seep (infiltrate) into the ground and recharge the ground water system, and slows the rate of erosion; otherwise, flooding may occur, which means more pollutants in our waterways.

  14. The Heat island effect • This is when an urban area is significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas due to human activities. The main cause is modification of the land surface by urban development which uses materials which retain heat.

  15. Other effects… • Rainfall becomes heated if there are no trees to provide shade and keep the area cool. The heated runoff raises the temperature of lakes, ponds, rivers, or streams and can negatively impact plant and animal life and cause algal blooms.

  16. Summary I • Urban watershed forestry helps to lessen the impacts of stormwater runoff through maintaining and increasing tree plantings in our cities, towns, and school grounds as well as minimizing or removing impervious surfaces and replacing them with pervious surfaces.

  17. Summary II • Reducing the flow rate of runoff and allowing it to filter into the Earth rather than flowing over it recharges the groundwater and help keep the water cycle in balance and watersheds healthier.

  18. conclusion • Forests, particularly healthy ones, contribute greatly to the health of a watershed by reducing runoff, improving air quality, reducing erosion, removing pollutants, providing habitat, and moderating temperature. Forests also protect drinking water supplies.

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