The paper discusses problems presented by wooded areas, such as deciduous trees adjacent to wooded‐area reservoirs and decaying vegetation that contribute to taste and odor problems and attract beavers, resulting in increased color, bacterial contamination, and increased taste and odor problems. Improper cutting of trees and vegetative covering in close proximity to a reservoir can cause erosion, and logging operations within the timbered drainage area for a storage reservoir can contribute to a reservoir's contamination by algae. An example is given of Little Rock, Arkansas, where carefully planned clearing and grubbing of the Big Maumelle project site was accomplished to prevent taste and odor problems in large reservoirs in forested areas. The concise specifications related to the clearing and grubbing of Seattle's Tolt River Reservoir basin project are given as an example of how to avoid taste and odor problems.