But water is perhaps the single most important resource our National Forests and Grasslands provide.
In 1897, when Congress created the U.S. Forest Service to manage the growing network of forest reserves, it specifically noted water’s importance. The agency’s “Organic Act” included the “securing favorable conditions of water flows” as a foundation of its mission.
Today, that mission is more relevant than it’s ever been. More than 3,000 communities, serving millions of Americans, get their drinking water from watersheds contained within National Forests and Grasslands. From major cities like Atlanta, Denver, Seattle, Los Angeles to small towns that border forest boundaries, the role our National Forests play in providing water is paramount to community health and prosperity.