This loblolly pine plantation creates much less biodiversity than natural mixed forests because it was planted with one kind of tree, but it provides important benefits to the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. Dense layers of needles and stems protect the soil by slowing rainfall, releasing water slowly, and reducing erosion. Roots and fallen needles form a sponge-like layer that absorbs runoff, conditions the soil, and supports communities of plants and animals. The trees also clean the air by trapping and absorbing particulates and pollutants, and they take up and transform nutrients in runoff before those nutrients can enter and harm the Bay.