flooding
Heavily vegetated lands are less likely to experience flooding. Plants slow down water as it runs over the land, giving it time to enter the ground. If the ground is too wet to absorb more water, plants still slow the waters passage. Slower water keeps all the water from entering the stream at once. Wetlands play a key role in minimizing the impacts of floods. Wetlands act as a buffer between land and high water levels. Flooding is often more severe in areas that have been recently logged.