OId Growth and Watersheds: Runts to the Rescue

While the importance of old-growth forests to the health of a watersheds has been widely acknowledged, new research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, points to the role small trees and understory vegetation play as well, reports Joanna M. Foster of The New York Times. “What’s shocking is that the understory can completely compensate, at least in Colorado, for the loss of the big trees,” states research leader Dr.William Lewis, raising hope for Western ecosystems damaged by pine beetles.