A growing solution to stormwater runoff:
via US Forest Service
If you’ve stood under a tree to stay dry during a storm, you know that leaves and branches can slow or even stop raindrops.
Ted Endreny of the State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry says in a drizzle…
Endreny: “The canopy can capture nearly all of them.”
Many of those captured raindrops evaporate off the tree leaves. But even the rain that does make its way through the canopy is unlikely to pool or run directly off into storm drains.
Endreny: “If we have a tree, we typically have a permeable soil area.”
That allows water to soak into the ground, passing through roots and organic matter that purify it. So less – and cleaner – stormwater ends up in local rivers.
Hear More:
Listen to Ted Endreny talk about the many benefits of trees.
Get Schooled:
- Check out this article from Great Lakes Now about how trees can help clean up the Great Lakes.
- Learn more about how trees reduce runoff, from this collection of resources from the EPA.
The Fine Print:
- This segment was produced with Cornell’s Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future.
