Colorado Statewide Forest Resource Assessment

NATIONAL THEME: Enhance Public Benefits from Treesand Forests 35In Colorado and around the globe, trees and forests provide a numberof public benefi ts that contribute signifi cantly to our quality of life. Thesebenefi ts often are referred to as ecosystem services and can be defi ned as“the life-support and life-enhancing services of natural ecosystems” (Watson2008). Primary among these services are clean and abundant drinking water,habitat to support native biodiversity, wood products and renewable energy,carbon sequestration, and diverse recreational and scenic opportunities.In urban and community settings, trees and forests also serve as a kindof green infrastructure that improves air and water quality, reduces energyneeds, buffers noise pollution, provides food and cover for wildlife, and offersopportunities for relaxation and respite.The ecosystem services provided by forests often are viewed as free benefi tsto society. Consequently, their critical contributions often can be overlookedin public, corporate and individual decision-making. 36 When forests areundervalued, they also can be susceptible to development pressures,conversion or simple benign neglect. Recognizing forests as naturalassets with economic and social value can help promote more responsibledecision-making and improve the chances that land managers will receivethe resources they need to sustain these critical assets over the long-term.This recognition provides the opportunity for the public to help fi nancemanagement of these resources on both public and private land.Protect and Enhance Water Quality and QuantityOverview: The headwaters of four major U.S. rivers – the Arkansas, Colorado,Platte and Rio Grande – are located in Colorado’s forests (CSFS 2007 and2008). These rivers drain one-third of the lands within the lower 48 states andprovide essential water supplies to 18 states including Kentucky, Tennessee,Utah and California. Water from Colorado’s forests supports a variety of usesincluding public drinking water, agriculture, industrial uses (including mining),recreation and habitat for aquatic life (USFS 2008). Forests exert a stronginfl uence on the quantity and quality of water within watersheds by protectingsoil and preventing erosion, enhancing soil moisture storage and groundwaterrecharge, reducing fl ooding, fi ltering contaminants and maintaining the plantcommunities that also contribute to this process.Land managers and water providers alike are concerned about the threat ofhigh-severity wildfi re in forested watersheds. High-severity fi res impact forestsoils by removing the protective layer of leaves, twigs, branches and needles,exposing mineral soil and sometimes facilitating the formation of a waxy,water-repellent layer that dramatically amplifi es the rate of runoff. If signifi cantprecipitation occurs following a high-severity fi re, resulting impacts on watersystems can include rapid surface runoff and peak fl ows; fl ash fl oods thatmobilize large amounts of suspended sediments, ash and debris; increased35The categories below have been slightly modified as follows from the strategic objectives that are specified for thistheme in the National Guidance (see Appendix A): A new category has been added for “Protect and enhance forestbasedrecreation opportunities;” “Connect people to trees and forests, and engage them in environmental stewardshipactivities” has been modified to read “Connect people to trees and forests through engagement in community-basedenvironmental stewardship;” and “Improve air quality and conserve energy” has been incorporated into this modifiedtheme. In addition, the discussion on climate change has been incorporated into the theme on Protect Forests fromHarm, rather than as a stand-alone item under Enhance Public Benefits from Trees and Forests.36For more information, please see the Ecosystem Services website of the U.S. Forest Service at http://www.fs.fed.us/ecosystemservices/.39