In the latest issue of High Country News there’s a feature about a new Forest Service policy on groundwater management that emphasizes the close management of groundwater-dependent ecosystems for their benefits to society. The new policy is said to be a transformation of more than 100 years of Forest Service practice, and it’s an acknowledgement water may be, “the single most important commodity produced from national forest lands.”
The emphasis on ecosystem services appears to be gaining ground as a policy driver. The realization of this new policy will set in motion a holistic management path with the goal of sustainability. This close management of water as a resource will also lead to better monitoring tools such as sensor webs that will help safeguard water as a precious resource.
