Forests are About Water Security

Water from forests, natural, sweet, cool and clean. Water for salmon and agriculture and the joy of drinking.  What part does the forest really play?

The security thought came indirectly from Julian at a Bay City Arts Center breakfast as a outcome of the question, why move from the Mediterranean climate of Santa Barbara to the North Oregon Coast rainforest?  It turns out it was all about the water.   Julian said the aquifer which Santa Barbara depends on is 425’ down and dropping as much more is extracted than replenished. Talk about an extractive industry. One of Julian’s interests/ profession is internet security.

Water security.  Is this a new way of thinking about the water resource?  What does it take to have water security?  Bull Run, where Portland gets its water, was the first forest reserve, did they get something right in the late 1800’s?  Who was thinking about water then?  I don’t really know, but the best water I have ever drank was from a stream in Seattle’s Tolt Reservoir when I was working there in the summer of 1977.  It came out of “old growth” and was actually sweet, and so good that I would fill a quart glass jar or so and take it home to drink.  There were plenty of gates to get into the watershed but I don’t think that had much to do with the stream that flowed clear and cold on the hottest summer day.  I think it had to do with the trees, forests are all about water security.