Voluntary Best Management Practices (BMPs) have been demonstrated to effectively limit impact of human disturbances to water quality and aquatic resources. However, there is a continuing need to enhance the body of information about BMP effectiveness for continual improvement.
Industry managers also need information on such topics as Total Maximum Daily Load allocations, wetland loss, management of riparian forests (e.g., streamside management zones [SMZ]), the fate of nutrients and chemicals, and relationships between forest harvesting and aquatic biological diversity.
Watersheds & Wetlands
Regulatory issues related to water quality and wetlands have the potential to constrain forest management and wood supplies. Examples include Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rules under the Clean Water Act, NPDES forest road permits, pesticide permits, and unachievable water quality criteria. Staff periodically monitor regulatory and scientific developments related…
Learn MoreWater quality considerations, including sediment delivery, are critical to understand in the context of forest management throughout the U.S. Sediment is the number one pollutant of rivers and streams in the U.S. and states recommend or require, the use of best management practices (BMPs) to reduce soil erosion and the potential delivery of sediment to waterbodies.
Learn MoreRiparian forests are strips of forestland adjacent to streams where management practices are modified or restricted to reduce transport of pollutants to waterbodies. Retention of riparian forests is critical since these forests filter surface water runoff, link subsurface water flow with the stream channel, and store sediment and nutrients.
Learn MoreA report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) determined that wetlands in coastal watersheds in the Great Lakes and Atlantic and Gulf coasts experienced an average net decrease of 59,000 acres/yr during 1998 to 2004. Reports such as these…
Learn MoreThe Mica Creek Experimental Watershed is a paired and nested watershed study in Shoshone County in northern Idaho. This long-term watershed study (1990 – current), which is evaluating effects of best management practices (BMPs) of roads, clear cut, and partial cut harvesting, has been largely supported and funded by PotlatchDeltic,…
Learn MoreUnderstanding effects of forest management on hydrology has been a focus of research for decades, but most of this research focus has relied on understanding the immediate effects of harvest on water quantity and has only examined these effects at the smallest watershed scales. However, understanding dynamic hydrological responses to…
Learn MoreKnowledge about the effects of forest harvest on overall composition is limited to the smallest watershed scale, primarily due to the limits of manipulating entire watersheds. Scaling up from headwater responses is not appropriate given well-documented differences in factors that affect ecosystem function that occur at different scales. Land ownership…
Learn MoreThis one-pager provides high-level research summaries for key issues such as biodiversity, forest and water, carbon, and trends in forest gain/loss.
Learn MoreThis white paper reviews best practices in conducting field studies to develop bioaccumulation factors (BAFs). This information will be of value to those who are reviewing field BAF studies and evaluating study quality to ensure that high-quality data are relied on for the development of BAFs.
Learn MoreThis fact sheet examines the complex relationship between forest management, climate, and water.
Learn MoreUnderstanding the influence of forest management on seasonal low flow is increasingly important with a changing climate.
Learn MoreNatural soil erosion contributes sediment to streams, but a variety of human activities (i.e., urbanization, agriculture, forestry, mining) can also…
Learn MoreThis interview provides information important to understanding periphyton and macroinvertebrate responses to ranges of suspended and bedded fine sediment. Dr. Robert Danehy of NCASI is interviewed.
Learn MorePresentations in this webinar addressed recent water-related activities of the Forestry program.
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