Trees to Tap: A Review of Forest Practices and Drinking Water in Oregon

On April 14th, 2022 Jon Souder, OSU’s Forest Watershed Extension Specialist will shared of his new book Tree’s to Tap. This book summarizes the current scientific knowledge regarding the effects of forest management on drinking water. There are 337 public water providers in Oregon that rely on surface water for some, or all, of their supply. Many of these providers do not own their source watersheds and as a result have limited control over activities occurring in their source watersheds. This presentation will look at the ways in which logging, forest road building, herbicide use, and other activities related to growing and harvesting timber can impact the quality and quantity of water sourced from forested watersheds. Jon A. Souder is the principal investigator for the Trees To Tap project. He is an assistant professor in Oregon State University’s Forest Engineering, Resources and Management (FERM) department; forest watershed specialist in the Forestry and Natural Resources Extension program; and the concluding director of the Watersheds Research Cooperative (WRC). He is the former executive director of the Coos Watershed Association in Charleston, Oregon, managing their water quality assessment, restoration and monitoring programs. He has a doctorate and master’s degree in Wildland Resources Science from the University of California, Berkeley and a bachelor’s degree in biology (limnology) from Marlboro College, Vermont.