FOR 272
Forested Watershed Management:
Water and aquatic resources as the wave of the future for forest management
Selected Key Elements of Forest Watershed Management:
1. Riparian Buffer Delineation and Management
2. Cumulative Effects Analysis
3. Watershed Analysis
Riparian Buffers
Two Key Questions:
1. How wide and where?
2. What management inside the buffers is appropriate?
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Distance from Channel (Site Potential Tree Height)
0 0.2 0.5 1.0
Root Strength
Litter FallShading
Coarse Woody Debris to Streams
Watershed Analysis
• Watershed analysis is a procedure used to characterize the human, aquatic, riparian, and terrestrial features, conditions, processes, and interactions within a watershed.
• It provides a systematic way to understand and organize ecosystem information.
• Watershed analysis enhances our ability to estimate direct, indirect, and cumulative effects of management activities and guide the general type, location, and sequence of appropriate management activities within a watershed
Federal Watershed Analysis Procedure
Step 1. Characterize the watershed
Step 2. Identify issues and key questions
Step 3. Describe current conditions
Step 4. Describe reference conditions
Step 5. Synthesize and interpret results
Step 6. Develop recommendations
Modules
• Erosion processes
• Hydrology
• Vegetation
• Stream channel
• Water quality
• Species and habitats (aquatic and terrestrial)
• Human uses
Watershed Analysis Products
1. A description of the watershed, including its natural and cultural features
2. A description of the beneficial uses and values
3. When supporting data allow, statements about compliance with water quality standards
4. A description of the distribution, type, and relative importance of environmental processes
5. A description of the watershed’s present condition relative to its associated values and uses
6. A map of possible riparian reserves or buffers