How trees can quench your thirst
Did you know 55% of America’s drinking water originates from forests — mainly the rivers and streams that run through them? It’s easy to overlook the source of your clean water — it’s something most of us take for granted.
The 65 million trees American Forests has planted since 1990 alone have captured and filtered an astonishing 11 billion gallons of water each year, enough to fill 16,500 Olympic swimming pools.
If you drink fresh, forest-filtered water after a long hike, a jog along tree-lined streets, or simply reaching for your kitchen tap, there’s a chance American Forests had something to do with it.
Consider our work to protect threatened whitebark pine on mountainsides across the west. These gnarled elders of the mountains regulate the springtime release of snowpack into rivers.
However, more than 50% of whitebark pine have died, mostly due to an invasive fungus called blister rust. American Forests has been working innovatively to help identify, raise and plant seedlings that are genetically rust resistant. We have also focused on collective efforts like co-writing the national restoration plan and campaigning to raise awareness so that this magnificent species can continue providing clean water for generations to come.
It’s just one example of how — for 150 years — American Forests has worked to ensure that all people have access to clean water.
Your clean water at crisis levels
Due to climate change, pollution, over-extraction, loss of wetlands and dams, America’s rivers are at a breaking point. A study from Earth’s Future revealed that nearly half of U.S. watersheds will not be able to meet their monthly water demand by 2071, due in no small measure to declining forests. In the western U.S. especially, rivers have become battlegrounds, as climate change and increasing demands from agriculture and growing populations drain reservoirs. Every summer news stories feature bone-dry riverbeds, city water supplies at crisis stage, and Americans suffering the subsequent health and economic impacts.
So how can forests help us address our water woes? When our forests are healthy, so is the water they filter. From watershed restoration high in the Cascade mountains to the trees along city streets, American Forests’ innovative and collaborative approach to restoration in Washington State is just one example of how we are using trees to provide people with clean water.
Washington’s water wins
In urban settings, trees are essential for managing stormwater runoff, filtering pollutants and preventing erosion. A medium-sized tree can intercept as much as 2,380 gallons of rainfall per year, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Few states recognize the importance of water to urban life more than Washington. Cities like Tacoma and Seattle rely on clean, healthy rivers that flow down from the Cascades and empty into the Pacific.
Washington residents suffered through a brutal Pacific Northwest heat dome in 2021 that raised average temperatures by 30 degrees Fahrenheit and resulted in more than 400 deaths. That’s one of the reasons why American Forests joined forces with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources to form the Washington State Tree Equity Collaborative, the nation’s first statewide commitment to achieving Tree Equity.
The goal is to get every urban area in the State to a Tree Equity Score of 75% or higher. That means planting a lot of trees. Which means a lot of water.
Photo Credit: Kanaiaupune Photography
“We need fresh clean water in order to keep young trees alive, and young trees are thirstier than older trees,” says Lowell Wyse, executive director of the Tacoma Tree Foundation. “They require active watering for three to five years in our climate, so it’s really important that we have a good water supply in order to get new trees to establish.”
It’s full circle and all dependent upon one another. The trees need water. The city needs the trees. And we need the water and the trees to ensure clean drinking water. Through collective action, American Forests is making this possible for people across the country.
A 10% increase in forest cover within a watershed can reduce downstream water costs by 20%. By that math, the 65 million trees American Forests has planted in the last 35 years have already saved the country millions in water management costs alone.
And that’s just the beginning. Protecting and expanding forests and their watersheds reduces healthcare costs, powers recreation and tourism, creates jobs and strengthens communities.
They also give us something harder to measure: the peace of sitting under a tree by a river and reading a book — a timeless gift for generations to come.
The takeaway? Just like water, trees are life. And for 150 years, American Forests and our partners have stood for ensuring that all people have access to the benefits of trees, now and for our future.
