Letter to the editor: Role of trees, forests in Western Pa. flooding

Regarding Bob Bauder’s article “What’s causing Route 28 to flood? PennDOT might have found the reason”: I would urge your readers to consider the role that deforestation and poor forest management plays in flooding and landslide events locally.

Our steep terrain is stabilized by tree roots, and rainwater is captured and slowly released into the ground thanks to tree canopy. Clear cutting forests for development and topping or removing trees for a better view — particularly on steep slopes — increases rain water run-off to low-lying land and increases the chances for landslides. According to U.S. Forest Service researchers, a patch of 100 mature trees catches about 139,000 gallons of rainwater per year.

To put this into context, our analysis shows that Allegheny County lost 10,000 acres of tree canopy between 2010-15. At 100 trees per acre, this is equivalent to nearly 1.4 billion extra gallons of rainfall directly running off onto the land.

There is no doubt that illegal dumping impacts the stability of slopes and the landscape’s ability to absorb rainwater. However, I would ask PennDOT and others to consider the critical role that well-maintained trees and forests play in mitigating the impact of storm and landslide damage.

Danielle Crumrine

South Side

The writer is executive director of Tree Pittsburgh (www.treepittsburgh.org).