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Dwindling Trees 08-04-03 | 16
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Puget Sound Fights to Save Their Forests

PUGET SOUND, WA

According to a regional ecosystem analysis by American Forests much of Washington's Puget Sound's forests have been lost to urban development in cities such as Olympia, Tacoma, Seattle and Everett. A Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis of a 3.9 million acre area in Puget Sound--satellite images from 1972, 1986 and 1996--shows areas with high vegetation and tree canopy coverage (50 percent or more) declining by 37 percent. During the same 24-year period, areas with very low tree cover (less than 20 percent) more than doubled from 25-57 percent.

The trees, vegetation and natural soils slow stormwater movement, lower total runoff volume, and reduce costly flooding. Air quality control costs have also grown. The forests aid in improving the air by removing nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and ozone. American Forests maintains that he missing tree canopy would have removed 35 million pounds of pollutants annually--an average of $95 million.

Join American Forests through their effort to restore the Puget Sound watershed through the Global ReLeaf 2000 campaign. Call 800-873-5323 for more information on how you can get involved.

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