Deep Creek Lake Discovery Center

Lakeside forests create wildlife habitat by supporting diverse plants in moist, fertile soils that provide food and cover for mink, otter, deer, bear, songbirds, waterfowl, turtles, raccoons, and many other species. Forest canopy over the lake edge adds woody debris, limbs, leaves, trunks, and stumps that become cover and food sources for fish and other aquatic animals and insects. Forest buffers can filter runoff before it reaches streams, with a buffer as narrow as 50 feet removing most pollutants from surface and subsurface flow, while tree roots absorb excess phosphorus and nitrogen, hold soil in place, and help block pesticides, fertilizers, and other pollutants that can suffocate lake life. Trees also provide shade that moderates summer water temperatures so fish, insects, frogs, and salamanders that need cooler water can survive, and fish seek shady shorelines to escape heat and bright sun. Broad tree root systems stabilize lakeshore banks, reduce erosion, and help waterways absorb rainfall carrying soil and pollutants at rates far greater than grass turf and plowed fields.

Maryland · United States