What role do forests play in the water cycle?
Forest questions
Forest resources in Europe
Forests and climate change
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Forests and EU decision-making
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Key questions on forests in the EU
Authors: Bart Muys (KU Leuven), David Ellison (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences SLU), Sven Wunder (EFI)
Clean fresh water has become a key asset of the 21st century, as continued rise in demand and global change induced drought are leading to chronic shortages in many countries. Forests play an essential role in the stable provision of clean, fresh water and related ecosystem services, such as drinking water, protection from floods, erosion and landslides, and climate regulation.
Trees are multi-tasking water engineers, acting as:
— Read on efi.int/forestquestions/q7_en
What role do forests play in the water cycle?
Authors: Bart Muys (KU Leuven), David Ellison (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences SLU), Sven Wunder(EFI)
Clean fresh water has become a key asset of the 21st century, as continued rise in demand and global change induced drought are leading to chronic shortages in many countries. Forests play an essential role in the stable provision of clean, fresh water and related ecosystem services, such as drinking water, protection from floods, erosion and landslides, and climate regulation.
Figure. Forests balance blue and green water flows in the landscape.
Green water: water that is intercepted or taken up by plants and returned to the atmosphere by
evapotranspiration.
Blue water: water that is running off or percolates and ends up in aquifers, rivers and lakes.
Green Light Deserts LTD 