FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Highlighting the critical relationship between healthy forests and clean, reliable water supplies, the theme of the March/April issue of the CSU Water Center’s bi-monthly publication Colorado Water was “Forestry and Water.”
This issue focused strongly on the interconnections between Colorado’s forests and the quality and availability of its water. The publication highlights the negative effects on water that can result from high-severity fires, citing observations from the Hayman and High Park fires of the recent past, as well as the possibility for reduced snowpack due to widespread beetle-kill in Colorado’s high-altitude forests.
The issue includes several articles written by the State Forester and other staff at the Colorado State Forest Service, all citing the importance of forest management to water quality, which also was a major theme of this year’s Forest Health Report.
The pieces showcase how forest management can reduce the risk of high-severity fire and mitigate flood and erosion events that follow. Other articles within the issue discuss the importance of best management practices (BMPs) – measures put into place to protect water quality in forested systems – and the importance of partnerships to address watershed health.
The issue of Colorado Water can be found on the Colorado Water Institute’s webpage. For more information on forest management to protect water supplies, visit the CSFS Watershed Management page.