Sediments, and any nutrient which may be bonded to them, become part of the forest soil rather than clouding our waterways. Chemical and biological processes of the forest remove nutrients, such as phosphorous and nitrogen, and store them in the soil or as plant tissue. Pesticides are also converted to nontoxic compounds by various chemical and microbial activities within the forest. This helps to protect fish, which are most threatened by pesticide pollution. Riparian forest soils act as areas of water storage.
Plants take up water into their tissues and release it into the atmosphere.
A canopy created by riparian forest provides shade and controls water temperature, which is essential for instream organisms, including trout and the invertebrate food source on which they depend. Instream, the leaf litter and woody debris from the canopy and forest create food and habitat vital to the aquatic food web. Riparian forests provide food and habitat for a variety of terrestrial wildlife and serve as safe corridors for movement between habitats. Habitat conversion and fragmentation have reduced wildlife habitat and limited the ability of animals to move between existing habitats. Riparian forests provide for both these needs.