Forests help filter water, supply oxygen, provide habitat for diverse animal and plant species, and store atmospheric carbon. Our forests supply renewable resources for many products humans use every day such as lumber, paper, furniture, and heating and green energy, along with jobs that support families and communities. They also provide us with places for recreation, relaxation, and beauty. Healthy forests play a critical role in maintaining all of these benefits.
Water
In the U.S., millions rely on surface water from rivers, lakes, or reservoirs as their main source of safe drinking water. Much of this surface water comes from sources that originate in forested watersheds. Some are publicly owned and managed as a water resource, while others are privately owned and managed. Maintaining a healthy, intact forest ecosystem is critical to protecting these water sources from issues like sedimentation and runoff.
Carbon
Forest ecosystems are an important part of the carbon cycle. Forests take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. They release oxygen and store carbon in the wood. Wood is layers of carbon. Carbon is also in the soil and biomass. Biomass is a term used to denote live and dead plant material in ecosystems, and includes trees, shrubs, plants, woody debris, litter, and roots.
Employment
Hundreds of thousands of people are employed in a variety of forest related jobs, from forestry, logging, millwork and cabinetmaking to engineering, hydrology, business management and academic research. These forestry and natural resource professionals help care for our forests, conserve fish and wildlife habitat, protect water, sustain forests for future generations and make innovative forest products. The forest sector encompasses a diverse array of career paths that includes firefighters, ecologists, foresters, wildlife and fish biologists, and more.
Recreation
U.S. forests offer recreators millions of acres of forested lands on state and federal forests, creating robust opportunities for camping, hiking, fishing, photography, hunting and more. Our forests are a destination for visitors from throughout the world. They feature some of the largest, tallest and oldest trees on earth – trees that can’t be seen anywhere else in the world.