Planting Trees for Streams

摘要

As forest owners know, trees provide lots of benefits, but trees along streams do even more. Trees shade waters, cooling them and providing habitat for native trout,which rely on cool water to survive. In the fall, trees drop their leaves into the stream, providing an important food source for macroinvertebrates, or aquatic insects. These little critters notonly eat leaves, but can also process phosphorus and other nutrients that run off the land, purifying the water, improving water quality, and providing food for the fish living in the streams. Overall, trees near streams make a healthy ecosystem.