Water management in native forests and plantations

In New South Wales, water for human use is often sourced from dams, rivers and streams within catchments comprising a mix of different land uses, but usually including a forest component.

Forests are widely recognised as a source of clean water as they grow in locations that generate runoff, stabilise soil and moderate the peaks and troughs of rainfall.

In comparison to urban and agricultural land uses, properly managed forests yield water relatively low in contaminants meaning that the need for treatment, and its costs, are minimised.

Topics covered in this Primefact include:

• Codes of practice
• Water monitoring
• Forest hydrology research
• Results of native forest hydrology studies
• Results of plantation forest hydrology studies