Page 18 - Georgia Forestry - Issue 4 - Fall 2021

T he water that comes from our tap is easily taken for granted. For most Amer- icans, water is cheap, it’s readily available by the
turn of a handle, and it is expected.
We rarely think about where our water comes from, or the massive amount of work that it took to produce, until there is some type of water quality or quan- tity crisis. So, communicating about the inextricable connection between the health of our forests and the quality of our drinking water is already an uphill
battle, but a critical one.
For generations, private forest owners
have been providing a consistent, steady supply of high-quality source water for drinking-water treatment facilities free of charge, and they are doing a great job. Forests provide an abundant, affordable supply of water by improving aquifer recharge; moderating water flow and reducing soil erosion; and reducing drinking water treatment and transpor- tation costs.
However, as forest landowners con- tinue to face increasing pressure from urban and suburban development and an ever-increasing tax burden, those bene- fits to water become threatened. That is why the Georgia Forestry Foundation
(GFF) is working with a broad coalition of state and national partners to identify ways to attract investment from water utilities and authorities, major water users, and the private sector, to drive value from sustainably managed forests.
65%
OF GEORGIA WATERSHEDS,
or 67,900 miles of perennial and intermittent streams, flow through forests.
GEORGIA'S POPULATION IS PROJECTED TO INCREASE
12%
this decade, 30% by 2050 and 44% by 2065.
5.9
MILLION GEORGIANS,
or 57% of the state’s population, depend on water from forested watersheds.
70%
$264 -
$13,442 /
ACRE
IS THE ESTIMATED ANNUAL VALUE OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES from Georgia’s privately- owned forests.
URBAN DEVELOPMENT IN GEORGIA INCREASED BY
2.35
MILLION ACRES
between 1982 and 2012 (30 years), with the highest land-use conversion being from forested land.
OF FAMILY FOREST OWNERS IN GEORGIA indicated “protecting water resources” as an important reason for owning forestland.
DID YOU KNOW?
16 | GEORGIA FORESTRY