Dataset: Annual Precipitation

Water is essential to a healthy forested ecosystem, but excess water can lead to flooding and disease outbreaks, while a deficiency can lead to drought. For example, extreme rain events can cause flooding in low-lying areas, but even upland forests may experience “overland flow”. This occurs when rainfall is so heavy that it cannot be absorbed into the soil. Aquifers are not replenished and soil erosion may happen, exposing tree roots and washing away nutrients. Fluctuations in rainfall above or below the long-term mean will lead to stressful conditions for some forest species while creating ideal conditions for other species. Trees are adapted to the long-term conditions they have experienced, therefore deviations in precipitation from the long-term mean (both above and below) could be problematic to forests. Ideally, a healthy forest ecosystem has water availability that remains consistent.

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