The roots of trees and shrubs along rivers, streams, and ditches filter contaminated shallow groundwater and surface runoff laden with sediment, nutrient, chemical, and biological contaminants before they reach the water course. This helps to keep our water clean and more suitable for recreational use, domestic water use, and fish and wildlife habitat. Agroforestry can be a win-win situation for landowners and everyone who cares about the health of our land and water. It provides opportunities to balance productivity and profitability with environmental stewardship, and pass on healthy and sustainable agricultural systems to future generations. Hydrophytic Vegetation Hydrophytic plants are generally regarded as those that occur in areas where the frequency and duration of soil saturation produces a controlling influence on the vegetation present.
Hydrophytic plants occur in every state and are an important component of wetlands.
They are often vulnerable to human or other disturbance, and can be reduced or eliminated from natural ecosystem if not properly managed. There is a broad range of habitat types that support hydrophytic plants. They range from soils that are saturated for short periods to ones which are continuously wet. However, the overriding factor in such a classification is the presence of saturated soils. Plants that thrive in these areas include a variety of grasses, forbs, shrubs, and trees.