Working Forests for a Healthy Virginia

Healthy wildlife refers to populations of wild animals that are thriving in their environment and are resilient to change. This includes the ability to cope with environmental stresses, recover from disturbances, and maintain a healthy genetic diversity.  Healthy wildlife goes beyond the absence of disease, to include a dynamic state of well-being that encompasses biological, environmental, and social factors. 

Virginia is home to a remarkable diversity of wildlife, including over 400 species of birds, 140 species of mammals, 200 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 250 species of fish.

Some species, such as pileated woodpeckers, gray catbirds, eastern box turtles, and rusty-patched bumblebees all require mature forests. Other species, such as wood turtles, woodcock, indigo bunting and bobwhite quail, require young forests. To maximize the number of species across the landscape, both mature and young forests are needed.

In general, forests in Virginia are getting older. For decades, the area of mature forests has been increasing and the area of young forests has been decreasing. This means the availability of young forest habitat is also declining.

Active management activities such as timber harvesting transition a mature forest into a young forest. Young forests grow back quickly after timber harvests and provide much needed food and cover for many species of wildlife. 

• Forests of Virginia, 2024
• Forests that Work for People and Wildlife
• Managing Your Woods for Wildlife
• Sustainable Forest Management and Wildlife
• Virginia's Wildlife
• Wildlife Management
• Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources 2023 Annual Report

Healthy water is a combination of clean and abundant water.

Clean water is essential for humans and wildlife. Clean water is cool, contains low amounts of sediments, has a pH close to neutral, contains sufficient dissolved oxygen to support fish and aquatic plants, and has good nutrient availability.

Plentiful water is abundant enough to meet the needs of ecosystems, humans, and wildlife. Each American uses an average of 82 gallons of water a day. With over 8.8 million people living in Virginia, that amounts to 2.64 BILLION gallons a year.

The amount of water wildlife needs varies greatly, depending on the species. For example, a black bear in Virginia needs at least 2 gallons of water a day. With a conservative estimate of about 18,000 black bears in Virginia, that’s 13 million gallons a year.

Public drinking water sources include rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs, springs and groundwater. Utilities need to make sure the water is safe before it makes its way to your faucet. This means investing in infrastructure to filter and treat water. Or it can mean investing in nature’s best, cheapest water purification system – forests.

Approximately half of Virginia’s municipal drinking water is captured and cleaned by working forests in the commonwealth. 

Well-managed forests are essential to Virginia’s drinking water. Runoff from impervious surfaces, such as pavement and rooftops, travels quickly and carries pollutants. Forests filter out many of those pollutants by slowing down the runoff, allowing the pollutants to settle out of the water as it moves over the forest floor. They also reduce the volume of runoff by allowing more time for the water to enter the soil where it is used by plants and recharges aquifer.

Forest vegetation helps prevent sediment from entering bodies of water by holding the soil in place with their roots.

Virginia is serious about protecting water supplies. There are two state-wide laws that protect water quality during timber harvests. Additionally, there are local and Chesapeake Bay-related laws. Every timber harvest in Virginia is inspected by the Virginia Department of Forestry for water quality violations.

Virginia also has Best Management Practices  which are implemented during forest management activities and help protect water quality. 

• EPA Statistics and Facts
• Forestry Best Management Practices (BMPs) for Water Quality
• New Research Reveals How Critical Forests are to Drinking Water Supply
• Trees are Nature’s Water Filters
• Water Quality Laws
• Watershed Forestry

There are eight aspects of human well-being. These include physical, social, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, environmental, occupational, and financial well-being.

According to an article published in the Harvard Medical School magazine; "There is no one pharmaceutical or precision medicine tool that could ever have the broad benefits of a forest.”

Virginia’s forested landscape, from coast to mountains, provides opportunities, such as hiking, biking, camping, fishing, hunting, and bird watching, that help people stay active. Old logging roads in working forests provide access and places to walk. Outdoor activities, when done with others, strengthen social bonds and community. Working forests with a diversity of forest types and habitats are emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually stimulating.

Working forests create a healthy environment by removing pollutants from our air and water. They are sustainable and provide satisfying and purposeful work to those whose occupations involve working in them as well as a livelihood. 

• Eight Dimensions of Well-being
• Five Ways Forests Benefit Human Health
• Healthy Forests are Vital to Human Health and Development

Healthy economies have low unemployment, stable prices, steady growth, a fair distribution of income and opportunities, and a diverse industrial base. 

Forestry is the third largest industry in Virginia, contributing $23.6 billion a year, supporting over 108,000 jobs, and paying landowners $319 million. This critical industry depends on working forests. Manufacturing forest products, making products from trees, is the main contributor to this economic impact.

Working forests provide wood and fiber for items we use every day, such as housing, lumber, flooring, paper, boxes, charcoal, bourbon barrels, firewood, musical instruments, and packaging. Long-lived wood products store carbon for years to come, well beyond the life of a tree.

• Products Made from Wood
• The Economic Impact of the Agriculture and Forest Industries in Virginia
• Virginia Economic Development Partnership