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Puget Sound Georgia Basin Ecosystem
Indicator Report
Executive Summary

Urbanization and Forest Change
Conditions Worsening ^7
Photo: Nat'l. Science Foundation
The Puget Sound Georgia Basin Ecosystem Indicators give a glimpse into the health of our ecosystem, which
includes the interactions among seven million people, their health, local economies and a complex system of water,
land, plants, animals and microorganisms. This indicator describes changes in land use between 1995 and 2000 in
Puget Sound and 1992 and 1999 in the Georgia Basin. These changes include loss of forest, as well as increase in
urbanization and accompanying impervious surface cover. Results are presented for approximately 2,725 local
watersheds within the international basin. Patterns of land use and land cover, in conjunction with the socioeco-
nomic profile of the seven million people who live in the Puget Sound Georgia Basin, are the driving forces behind
overall ecosystem health.
What Is Happening?
Forest Cover: Within the 5-7 year assessment
period, 452 watersheds had at least 1 percent
of their total area converted from mature forest
cover to some other land cover, often bare
ground, immature vegetation, or industrial/
urban uses. At the same time, another group
of 205 watersheds, mostly occurring above
2,000 feet in elevation and generally within
public ownership, indicated a net increase in
forest cover as young stands or cleared areas
re-grow into more mature forest cover.
Urbanization: During the same period, urban-
ization increased across many low elevation
watersheds and shoreline areas. One hundred
fifty-eight local watersheds gained impervious surfaces
by between 0.7 and 2 percent of their total area.
Another 58 local watersheds showed increases in
urban land cover of between 2 and 19 percent of their
total drainage area. While these percentages may
seem small, they represent fairly dramatic change over
a relatively short period of time.
Urbanization is defined as the transformation of
natural landscapes, such as wetlands and forests, to
built environments. These built environments typi-
cally contain large amounts of impervious surfaces
such as concrete, asphalt, roofs, lawns and other
materials that quickly carry pollutants to the inland
waters of the Puget Sound Georgia Basin. The
watersheds showing more rapid rates of conversion
loss were mostly in low and mid-elevation areas
Change in
Forest Cov«r
¦	-5.0% or mere
-4.9* tl» «2.5
Q-&4 to -0.1%
0.1 to O.B5%
¦	Mort thon Q.8-5%

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V



^ , * jfrn+M

Change in
Urbanization


! j 0 05% or less
\ i

0.051 - 0.30%
¦ 0.301 • 0-70%

P v
V More tnfrn 0 70%
n HoOyfije


containing large proportions of private land. Low elevation
watersheds typically include those that are below approxi-
mately 2,000 ft/609 meters in elevation. These watersheds
contain valuable gentle-gradient aquatic habitats that sustain
important species. These watersheds are also important for
the high quality waterthat they provide and also fortheirflood-
buffering functions.
Why Is It Happening?
Threats to the agricultural land base include: speculative
buying (in hopes of influencing land use and zoning
changes), taking land out of production, fragmentation
of agricultural lands, incompatible adjacent land uses
and lawsuits (odor, noise, drift of pesticides); incompat-
ible regulations, difficulties associated with irrigation,
and appraisal at "highest and best use" which raises
property taxes.
http://www.epa.gov/regionio/psgb/indicators/

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Urbanization and Forest Change Indicator Summary
October 2006
Why Is It Happening? continued
We are losing forest lands for similar reasons: development
pressure and migration to suburban areas that make land use
conversion attractive, depressed market prices for forest products,
fire suppression policies, development of Real Estate Investment
Trusts (including out of state buyers such as insurance companies)
and pressure on state trust land to produce income in the face of
decreased state revenue.
How Does This Affect Me?
•	Higher energy costs because of the "heat island effect":
impervious surfaces can raise local temperatures.
•	Increased flooding and stream pollution: impervious surfaces
can quickly transport pollutants and increases the potential for
downstream flooding.
•	Fragmented wildlife habitat stresses local plant and animal
populations.
•	Reduced quality and quantity of water: impervious surfaces
increase the rate at which pollutants and oil reach streams and
estuaries and can interrupt the natural cycle in which water is
replenished for future use.
•	Lost farms and forests means loss of history, aesthetic beauty and
lost economic opportunities for local food and forestry products.
Impervious Surfaces in Watersheds: Research has shown that
once watersheds have developed roughly 10 percent of their
drainage area into an impervious or paved condition, there is a high
potential for physical, chemical, and biological impairments to both
water quality conditions and other resources such as shoreline
erosion, downstream flooding, and scoured and smothered fish
eggs.
What Are We Doing About It?
Responses to loss of farm and forest land include: Smart Growth
and community planning: make density and urban living more
attractive, comfortable, and accessible while protecting forests,
farms and green spaces. Smart Growth includes mixed land use,
compact designs, housing option types, walkable neighborhoods,
alternative transportation options, and protects farms, forests and
natural beauty; Low Impact Development and natural landscap-
ing (use native plants, good soil, green roofs and pervious surfaces
What Can I Do?
Your Tool Box
•	Support smart and well planned
communities: support beautiful, more
convenient and vibrant neighborhoods.
•	Stretch: Consider using bicycles,
skateboards, carpools, telecom-
muting, buses or FlexCars for a
different way to travel.
•	Buy: Use your pocketbook to keep
your family and community safe
through green purchasing. Visit the
National Institutes of Health House-
hold Products Database at
householdDroducts.nlm.nih.aov/
•	Garden: Use natural landscaping and
low impact development:
www.ci.seattle.wa.us/seattle/util/
rescons/: www.wnDS.ora and
www.metrokc.aov/wlr/PI/Go-Native/).
Nature Scape British Columbia:
hctf.ca/nature.htm. Support low impact
development (www.Dsat.wa.aov/
Proa rams/LID.htm)
•	Act Local: Support and protect local
farms and forests: www.aaf.aov.bc.ca:
http://www.farmland.ora and
www.nnra.ora
to allow waterto slowly seep into the ground
and slow polluted runoff into waterways);
Farmland through agricultural protection
districts and local farm/food initiatives; Forest
protection through market tools and progres-
sive laws.
Learn more http://www.epa.gov/regionlO/psgb/indicators/
Share what's important to you and your community
http://www.epa.gov/regionlO/psgb/contact/
fiCEM 1^1 Govfirnment Gouvemement
'CrLm ¦ ~ ¦ or Canada du Canada
The Puget Sound Georgia Basin Ecosystem Indicators Report is a collaborative effort broughtto you by Federal,
State, Provincial and Local partners from the United States and Canada.

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