The continued success of the department's Water Quality Management Program depends on the entire forestry community working together to reduce the level of water pollution from forestry activities. This will require a genuine desire to preplan forestry operations, anticipate potential erosion and water pollution problems and design specific solutions using BMP's. Practical guidelines for the use of BMP's on forested land can be found in The Guide to Forestry Best Management Practices in Tennessee. These are also summarized on page 15 of The Forest Practice Guidelines for Tennessee . Tennessee's forests are one of our most valuable natural resources, with over half of the state's land area in forest.
Timber is also the second leading agricultural crop in Tennessee.
These abundant forests supply us with wood products, wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation opportunities and natural beauty. Clean water is an often overlooked but essential natural resource that comes primarily from forested watersheds. It provides drinking water, a home for fish and other aquatic life, recreation such as swimming, boating and fishing and industrial use. Because much of our well-being depends on this clean water, the wise management of public and private forestland has become an important concern. Public awareness of the causes of water pollution is growing.