This post was written for global blog action day 2010 in the name of water.

In the U.S. two-thirds of our drinking water is supplied by the watersheds created by forests. Nearly 60% of U.S. forests are privately owned by more than 11 million individuals. These private landowners plan to sell or transfer around 25% of their forested land in the near future. Currently we’re losing about 4,000 acres of forests per day to development.  That\’s understandable when you realize that in the Washington, D.C. area for example, developers will pay about $20,000 per acre for forested land.

Want water? Support private landowners who need to make an income from their land in order to keep it forested. One way they do that is to take a portion of their land to grow and harvest trees for wood and paper products. Currently, private landowners are planting about 4 million trees per day – that’s 3-4 times more than they harvest. Over 25 percent of private U.S. forestland is now certified to one of three sustainable forestry management certification systems: the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Forest Stewardship Council, or American Tree Farm System, as compared with 10 percent of forestland worldwide.

Keep our forests growing and sustainably managed by supporting the responsible use of wood and paper products, which are made from an infinitely renewable resource, recyclable and reusable in many cases. Do your part by supporting printed materials, recycling and learning more about the challenges facing the keepers of our precious ecological systems in America. The air you breathe and the water you drink depend on these landowners. (Sources for all facts available upon request.)

Action Alert: American Forest Foundation (AFF) needs your help on new estate tax bill. Tell your Congressperson to Co-Sponsor HR 5475.