[PDF] Hydrologic Effects of a Changing Forest Landscape

How does the loss of forest cover affect the environment?

• The loss of forest cover contributes to the erosion of the soil, particularly in the drier, northern part of the island. The nation does not have the financial resources to develop an adequate water purification system and the population is at risk from contamination of the water supply by agricultural chemicals and sewage.

Does forest cover affect water availability?

• And in a background paper for the UN event, David Ellison of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala, reported on “increasingly sophisticated literature” assessing “the potential impact of forest cover on water availability across the broad expanse of continental, terrestrial surface.”

How do forests affect the water cycle?

• Forests form an important part of the water cycle, they increase rainfall through evapotranspiration from the plant leaves as water is transferred into the atmosphere and then expands cloud cover which increases rainfall overtime. Forests also increase vegetation density, and the tree canopy can block rainwater from reaching the ground.

How do healthy forests affect our climate?

• For instance, healthy forests release a range of volatile organic compounds that “have an overall cooling effect on our climate,” mostly by blocking incoming solar energy, says Dominick Spracklen of Leeds University in England.