City Forests & Water Forests in urban areas can play an
important role in providing natural habitat in a city
environment. Besides serving as a natural space for humans and
wildlife, urban forests also can help in managing stormwater, as
well as soil and water quality. The tree canopy is the most
important way that forests help with water regulation. The
canopy is made up of all the branches and leaves that make the
tree crowns in a forest. When rain falls, it first hits the tree
canopy where it stays and evaporates or falls to the ground. In
this way the tree canopy acts as an “interception point” for
rainfall. Water that falls from the canopy can drip or flow down
tree trunks. This reduces disruption of the ground’s surface by
rainfall. Since it is being slowly released by the tree canopy,
water is easily absorbed by leaf litter on the forest floor. The
soil stability provided by tree roots and absorption of water by
the leaf litter help reduce erosion in the area. However, foot
traffic, removal of leaf lit