Water, Air and Soil
Water & Soils
A primary mission of the Forest Service is to provide high-quality water in sufficient quantities to meet all needs of natural resource and human requirements. Because several of the river systems within Georgia have headwater sources within the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest proclamation boundaries, it is imperative that the Forests emphasize proper management to ensure that good, clean water is provided to meet these needs. The maintenance and enhancement of aquatic habitats are also necessary to maintain healthy populations of fish, mussels, and amphibians. Read more about the Forest Plan goals and objects for watershed management.
Water
Water is one of the most important water resources flowing from national forests and grasslands, providing drinking water to more than 180 million people. Water is an essential physical resource, the lifeblood for human consumption, habitat for water dependent species of plants, animals and other aquatic life. Throughout human history, water has played a central, defining role. It has sculpted the biological and physical landscape through erosion and disturbance. The amount, place, and timing of water are reflected in the vegetative mosaic across the landscape.
Georgia is experiencing increased demands for water supply, along with a desire for it to be clean and free of pollutants. Forests are key to clean water. About 66 percent of the Nation’s scarce freshwater resources originate on forests, which cover about one-third of the Nation’s land area. The forested land absorbs rain, refills underground aquifers, cools and cleanses water, slows storm runoff, reduces flooding, sustains watershed stability and resilience, and provides critical habitat for fish and wildlife. Learn more.>>>
- Watershed Condition Framework helps guide the Forest Service on watershed restoration
- Watershed management tools help us and you make better decisions
- Water, Climate Change and Forests shows how adaption can help moderate the negative effects and exploit the benefits of climate change
- Land and water Conservation Fund provides money to federal, state and local governments to purchase land, water and wetlands.
- The Water Cycle (link is external), an easy-to-understand vide by the Natural Resources Conservation Service
- Water facts
- Watershed restoration
- Climate change
- National Stream & Aquatic Ecology Center
- Watershed management and the Land and Resource Management Plan
#DYK where your water comes from? #YourBestWaters comes from national #forests! Learn how much of your drinking water...
Posted by U.S. Forest Service - Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests on Tuesday, March 23, 2021