Thinning Forests Could Increase Water Yield

A new report by California scientists and the Environmental Defense Fund proposes thinning forests in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range in order to increase water yield and extend snowpack. The University of California explains that the scientists first plan to test their idea by reducing forest density in well-controlled, well-monitored experimental areas and then examine the impacts on water runoff and forest health. Forests are much denser now than in past centuries, and the scientists believe that reducing forest density can be done in ways that actually improve forest health and help counter the effects of climate warming on runoff.