landscape photo of a river surrounded by trees

Water is one of the most important products your backyard woods produces.

Even if a stream doesn’t flow through your woods, some of the rain and snow that falls on your land will reach a stream sooner or later. The path water takes through your woods determines how fast it moves, how much of it is available to the trees and other vegetation, and how clean it is when it reaches a stream. 

Rain and melting snow can flow over the soil surface or through the soil. Overland flow travels fast and can carry soil with it. Water moving through the soil moves slower and does not transport soil. The structure of the soil determines the path water takes through your woods.

In This Bulletin

Here’s what’s inside:

  • Woodland soils – the dynamic system beneath your feet
  • Infiltration – how water moves into the soil
  • Producing quality water – practices that impact water quality
  • Riparian area – the importance of these streamside forests
  • Amount of water – the key role trees play in the water cycle
  • Water management practices – what you can do to help produce clean water