Green and Leafy and Important

Greenleaf

Plants are very important to watersheds. Why? They make water behave differently than it does when the land is bare.

  • Plants keep water from washing the soil away. Their roots hold dirt together, and their leaves and branches stop heavy rain from hitting the soil directly.
  • Land with a lot of plants growing on it will hold water longer and release it slowly. That helps prevent destructive floods.
  • Plants also TRANSPIRE water into the air by taking it up through their roots and releasing it as WATER VAPOR.

Now that you know how land and plants affect your watershed, you might look out the window and wonder:

Is Your Watershed Healthy? »