Hydrological and Biological Responses to Forest Practices

The Alsea Watershed Study
1. Auflage 2007
ISBN: 978-0-387-69036-0
Verlag: Springer-Verlag
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 322 Seiten

The Alsea Logging and Aquatic Resources Study, commissioned by the Oregon Legislature in 1959, marked the beginning of four decades of research in the Pacific Northwest devoted to understanding the impacts of forest practices on water quality, water quantity, aquatic habitat, and aquatic organism popu- tions. While earlier watershed research examined changes in runoff and erosion from various land uses, this study was the first watershed experiment to focus so heavily on aquatic habitat and organism response to forest practices. The Alsea Watershed Study, as it came to be known, extended over 15 years with seven years of pretreatment calibration measurements, a year of treatment, and seven years of post-treatment monitoring. The research was a cooperative effort with scientists from Oregon State University, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Cooperating landowners included the Georgia-Pacific Corporation, the U.S. Forest Service, and a local rancher. It was a remarkable 15-year partnership marked by excellent cooperation among the participants and outstanding coordination among the scientists, many of whom participated actively for the entire period.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Foreword;6
2;Preface;8
3;Contents;9
4;Contributors;11
5;The Alsea Watershed Study;13
5.1;Water Survey;14
5.2;Soil and Vegetation Survey;15
5.3;Logging-Aquatic Resources Study;16
5.4;Study Area;17
5.4.1;Deer Creek;19
5.4.2;Flynn Creek;19
5.4.3;Needle Branch;20
5.5;Logging Treatments;20
5.6;Methods;23
5.6.1;Water Resources;23
5.6.2;Biological Resources;24
5.6.3;Training and Educational Opportunities;26
5.7;Paired Watershed Studies in the United States;14
5.8;Summary;27
5.9;Literature Cited;28
6;Effects of Timber Harvesting on Streamflow in the Alsea Watershed Study;31
6.1;Methods;35
6.1.1;Precipitation;35
6.1.2;Streamflow;36
6.2;Results;38
6.2.1;Annual Runoff;38
6.2.2;Peak Flows;41
6.2.3;Three-Day High Flow Runoff;44
6.2.4;Storm Hydrograph Changes;45
6.2.5;Low Flows;45
6.3;Summary;47
6.4;Literature Cited;48
7;Stream Temperature and Dissolved Oxygen;49
7.1;Stream Temperature and Fish Habitat;49
7.2;Response of Stream Temperature to Forest Management in the Alsea Watershed Study;51
7.3;Discussion of Temperature Response;55
7.4;Dissolved Oxygen and Fish Habitat;58
7.5;Dissolved Oxygen Response in the Alsea Watershed;59
7.6;Literature Cited;63
8;Forest Practices and Sediment Production in the Alsea Watershed Study;67
8.1;Factors Affecting Sedimentation in the Oregon Coast Range;67
8.2;Study Design;69
8.3;Annual Sediment Yields;71
8.4;Sediment Concentrations;73
8.5;Discussion;76
8.6;Literature Cited;78
9;Salmonid Populations and Habitat;79
9.1;Methods;80
9.1.1;Habitat Characterization;80
9.1.1.1;Dissolved Oxygen;80
9.1.1.2;Gravel Composition;80
9.1.1.3;Permeability;81
9.1.2;Fish Population Statistics;81
9.1.2.1;Adult Enumeration;81
9.1.2.2;Juvenile Populations;82
9.2;Prelogging Conditions;84
9.2.1;Fish Populations;84
9.2.1.1;Productivity of Headwater Streams;84
9.2.1.2;Ecology of Salmonid Incubation;84
9.2.1.3;Early Juvenile Residence and Emigration;87
9.2.1.4;Determinants of Smolt Abundance;88
9.3;Post-logging Changes;90
9.3.1;Habitat Quality;92
9.3.1.1;Gravel Composition;92
9.3.1.2;Stream Temperature;93
9.3.1.3;Dissolved Oxygen;93
9.3.1.4;Permeability;94
9.3.2;Fish Populations;94
9.3.2.1;Fry Emergence;94
9.3.2.2;Emergent Survival and Gravel Quality;96
9.3.2.3;Fry Emigration;97
9.3.2.4;Juvenile Density;97
9.3.2.5;Smolt Migrations;99
9.4;Evaluation;101
9.5;Literature Cited;103
10;The Oregon Forest Practices Act and Forest Research;106
10.1;Origins of Oregon Forest Practice Regulation;106
10.2;Creation of the Oregon Forest Practices Act;108
10.3;Use of Research Results in Developing Forest Practice Rules;110
10.3.1;Rules for Watershed Protection;111
10.3.1.1;Riparian Buffer Strips;111
10.3.1.2;Dissolved Oxygen;112
10.3.1.3;Large Woody Debris;113
10.3.1.4;Pesticides;113
10.3.1.5;Sediment;114
10.4;Rule Changes in the Late 1970s and 1980s;114
10.5;Issues of the 1990s;116
10.6;2000 and Beyond;120
10.7;Literature Cited;121
11;The New Alsea Watershed Study;125
11.1;Literature Cited;130
12;Flynn Creek: Research Natural Area;132
12.1;Research Natural Areas;132
12.1.1;Location;133
12.1.2;General Description;134
12.2;Terrestrial Vegetation;135
12.3;Fish Populations;137
12.4;Terrestrial Animals;142
12.5;Mineral Deposits;142
12.6;Summary;146
12.7;Literature Cited;146
13;Long-term Streamflow Changes Following Timber Harvesting;148
13.1;Annual Water Yield;150
13.2;Peak Flows;151
13.3;Low Flows;153
13.4;Methodology;154
13.5;Results and Discussion;157
13.5.1;Annual Water Yield;157
13.5.2;Peak Flows;158
13.5.3;Low Flows;159
13.5.4;Low Flow Days;161
13.6;Conclusions;162
13.7;Literature Cited;163
14;Long-term Water Quality Changes Following Timber Harvesting;165
14.1;Methodology;167
14.2;Results and Discussion;170
14.3;Conclusions;174
14.4;Literature Cited;175
15;Risk Assessment for Salmon from Water Quality Changes Following Timber Harvesting;179
15.1;Problem Formulation;179
15.2;Alsea Watershed Study;180
15.3;Analysis;181
15.3.1;Toxicological Evaluation;181
15.3.2;Exposure Assessment;184
15.3.2.1;Expected Nitrate-nitrogen Concentrations;185
15.3.3;Risk Characterization;187
15.4;Summary;188
15.5;Literature Cited;188
16;Sedimentation Studies Following the Alsea Watershed Study;191
16.1;Sedimentation Research Objectives;192
16.2;Suspended Sediment Transport;193
16.3;Bedload Sediment Transport;198
16.3.1;Bedload Transport Sampling Methods;199
16.3.2;Flynn Creek Bedload Transport Rates;201
16.3.3;Sediment Transport - Channel Morphology Interactions;206
16.3.3.1;Streambed Scour and Fill;207
16.3.3.2;Substrate Composition;210
16.4;Channel Response to Increases in Sediment Delivery;212
16.5;Other Research Results;213
16.6;Summary;215
16.7;Literature Cited;216
17;Woody Debris from the Streamside Forest and its Influence on Fish Habitat;219
17.1;Connections Between Woody Debris and Fish Habitat;220
17.2;Streamside Forests and Woody Debris: Past and Present;222
17.2.1;Conversion to Younger Trees;224
17.2.1.1;Conversion to Alder Trees;224
17.2.1.2;Intentional Debris Removal;226
17.2.1.3;Status of Woody Debris in Managed Forest Streams;227
17.2.2;Trees Retained Along Streams Following Logging;228
17.2.2.1;Source Areas of Woody Debris;228
17.2.2.2;Longevity of Buffer Trees;231
17.2.2.3;Effect of Buffer Trees when they Fall;232
17.2.3;Managing Alder-dominated Streamside Areas;235
17.2.4;Direct Placement of Woody Debris;236
17.2.4.1;Rearranging Existing Woody Debris;236
17.2.4.2;Enhancing Existing Habitat Features;237
17.2.4.3;Bringing in Woody Debris from Elsewhere;237
17.3;Conclusion: Dealing with the Past and Planning for the Future;238
17.4;Literature Cited;239
18;Long-term Trends in Habitat and Fish Populations in the Alsea Basin;244
18.1;Methods;245
18.1.1;Stream Habitat Measurements;245
18.1.2;Salmonid Population and Biomass Estimates;246
18.2;Results;248
18.2.1;Stream Habitat;248
18.2.2;Salmonid Population and Biomass;248
18.3;Discussion;258
18.4;Literature Cited;262
19;The Alsea Watershed Study: A Comparison with Other Multi-year Investigations in the Pacific Northwest;265
19.1;Alsea Watershed and Forest Practices;267
19.1.1;Study Locations, Objectives, and Methods;268
19.1.2;Comparison of Study Results;272
19.1.2.1;Studies of Logging Effects;272
19.1.2.2;Studies of Supplementation;279
19.1.2.3;Studies of Habitat Enhancement;280
19.1.2.4;Other Multi-year Studies;285
19.1.2.5;Interannual Variation;287
19.2;Conclusions;291
19.3;Literature Cited;293
20;Watershed Management;296
20.1;The Watershed Management Approach;296
20.1.1;Resource Management Concepts;296
20.1.1.1;Watersheds as a Basis for Resource Management;298
20.1.2;Timber Harvesting;299
20.1.2.1;Harvest Systems;299
20.1.2.2;Harvest Scheduling;300
20.1.2.3;Harvest Layout and Operations;301
20.1.3;Forest Roads;302
20.1.3.1;Road Area and Location;302
20.1.3.2;Road Design;303
20.1.3.3;Road Construction and Maintenance;305
20.1.4;Other Forest Practices;305
20.1.4.1;Slash Treatment and Site Preparation;306
20.1.4.2;Reforestation, Stand Management and Other Considerations;307
20.2;Conclusions;308
20.3;Literature Cited;309
21;Research Opportunities in Hydrology and Biology in Future Watershed Studies;312
21.1;Literature Cited;318
22;Index;320