Sediment delivery in managed forests: a review

2006 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
J C Croke ◽  
P B Hairsine
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Stream Water ◽  
Timber Harvesting ◽  
Forest Harvesting ◽  
Managed Forests ◽  
Stream Water Quality ◽  
Sediment Delivery ◽  
Forest Road

The opening or removal of forest canopies during harvesting or land clearing results in a predictable sequence of responses, the descriptions of which appear remarkably similar around the world. Such activities are now widely acknowledged to have adverse impacts upon water quality and in-stream ecology. Sediment delivery, therefore, encapsulates the dominant process by which water resources are impacted and the process that can be best managed to limit off-site impacts. This paper is a review of current processes, and perceptions, of sediment delivery in managed forests. We outline the major components of sediment and runoff delivery as they relate specifically to timber harvesting activities. Whilst much existing research has focused upon soil loss as the major component of timber harvesting impacts, this review highlights both the need for, and benefits from, a conceptual advance in our thinking of sediment delivery. We advocate that by managing runoff delivery pathways and the resultant pattern of hydrological connectivity, we can limit the potential adverse effects of forest harvesting on in-stream water quality. Specific attention is given here to the interaction of the forest road and track network with both sediment and runoff delivery. The result is a comprehensive account of how best to manage timber harvesting for both on-site sustainability and off-site water resource protection.Key words: timber harvesting, sediment delivery, road network, connectivity, best management practices (BMPs).

scholarly journals Stream water quality associated with a livestock/poultry production operation in Southeastern Manitoba, Canada

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (No. 1) ◽  
pp. 27-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Pip ◽  
A. Reinisch
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Water Temperature ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Stream Water ◽  
Total Alkalinity ◽  
Production Operation ◽  
Poultry Production ◽  
Livestock Waste ◽  
Stream Water Quality

Water quality was examined in two parallel streams in southeastern Manitoba that enclosed a small hog and poultry operation with associated waste lagoons and manure spread fields. Nitrate-N (NN), molybdenum reactive phosphorus (MRP), dissolved organic matter index (DOMI), chloride, total alkalinity, total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), pH, temperature, and total (TC) and fecal (FC) coliform bacterial counts were measured at weekly intervals during the ice-free season at two upstream and two downstream sites relative to the operation. Significantly higher values downstream compared to upstream were observed for MRP, TSS, TDS, chloride, and to some extent NN, indicating the escape of these materials into the adjacent streams. TC were correlated with the rainfall, water temperature, TDS, and pH at all sites. However, TC were also correlated with TSS, MRP, and DOMI only at the downstream sites, while NN was correlated more strongly downstream than upstream. FC were correlated with water temperature and NN at all sites, as well as with TSS and MRP downstream only. Downstream FC/TC ratios increased with increasing rainfall, indicating proportionately greater escape of FC compared to TC under higher runoff conditions. The results suggested that environmental loading of livestock waste adversely altered natural stream water quality dynamics, underlining the need for improved management practices, including the timing of manure spreading during drier weather conditions to minimise the large-scale escape events.

scholarly journals Water Quality Control Options in Response to Catchment Urbanization: A Scenario Analysis by SWAT

Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1846
Author(s):  
Hong Nguyen ◽  
Friedrich Recknagel ◽  
Wayne Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Scenario Analysis ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Stream Water ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Catchment Management ◽  
Water Quality Control ◽  
River Bank

Urbanization poses a challenge to sustainable catchment management worldwide. This study compares streamflows and nutrient loads in the urbanized Torrens catchment in South Australia at present and future urbanization levels, and addresses possible mitigation of urbanization effects by means of the control measures: river bank stabilization, buffer strip expansion, and wetland construction. A scenario analysis by means of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) based on the anticipated urban population density growth in the Torrens catchment over the next 30 years predicted a remarkable increase of streamflow and Total Phosphorous loads but decreased Total Nitrogen loads. In contrast, minor changes of model outputs were predicted under the present urbanization scenario, i.e. urban area expansion on the grassland. Scenarios of three feasible control measures demonstrated best results for expanding buffer zone to sustain stream water quality. The construction of wetlands along the Torrens River resulted in the reduction of catchment runoff, but only slight decreases in TN and TP loads. Overall, the results of this study suggested that combining the three best management practices by the adaptive development of buffer zones, wetlands and stabilized river banks might help to control efficiently the increased run-off and TP loads by the projected urbanization of the River Torrens catchment.

scholarly journals Trends in water quality of five dairy farming streams in response to adoption of best practice and benefits of long-term monitoring at the catchment scale

2013 ◽  
Vol 64 (5) ◽  
pp. 401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Wilcock ◽  
Ross M. Monaghan ◽  
John M. Quinn ◽  
M. S. Srinivasan ◽  
David J. Houlbrooke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Stream Water ◽  
Dairy Farming ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Long Term Monitoring ◽  
Term Monitoring

Five streams in catchments with pastoral dairy farming as the dominant land use were monitored for periods of 7–16 years to detect changes in response to adoption of best management practices (BMPs). Stream water quality was degraded at the start with respect to N, P, suspended solids (SS) and E. coli concentrations, and was typical of catchments with intensive pastoral agriculture land use. Trend analysis showed a decrease in SS concentration for all streams, generally increasing water clarity, and lower E. coli concentrations in three of the streams. These are attributed to improved stream fencing (cattle exclusion) and greater use of irrigation for treated effluent disposal with less reliance on pond systems discharging to streams. Linkages between water quality and farm actions based on survey data were used to develop BMPs that were discussed at stakeholder workshops. Generic and specific BMPs were developed for the five catchments. The 3–7 year periodicity of major climate cycles, as well as market forces and a slow rate of farmer adoption of simple BMPs mean that monitoring programs in New Zealand need to be much longer than 10 years to detect changes caused by farmer actions. Long-term monitoring is also needed to detect responses to newly legislated requirements for improved water quality.

scholarly journals The impacts of conifer harvesting on runoff water quality: a regional survey for Wales

1998 ◽  
Vol 2 (2/3) ◽  
pp. 323-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Neal ◽  
B. Reynolds ◽  
J. Wilkinson ◽  
T. Hill ◽  
M. Neal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Stream Water ◽  
Base Cation ◽  
Forest Harvesting ◽  
Parent Material ◽  
Chemical Components ◽  
Stream Water Quality ◽  
Regional Survey ◽  
Runoff Water ◽  
Nitrate Pulse

Abstract. Major, minor and trace element chemistry of runoff at stormflow and baseflow from 67 catchments (2 to 5 ha in area) has been determined to investigate the effects of clear felling and replanting of conifers on stream water quality across Wales. Samples, collected by local forestry workers (Forest Enterprise staff) on a campaign basis on up to eight occasions, were for 16 mature first rotation standing forest: the remainder represented areas completely clear felled from less than one to up to forty years previously. As the waters drain acidic and acid sensitive soils, acidic runoff is often encountered. However, higher pH values with associated positive alkalinities and base cation enrichments are observed due to the influence of weathering reactions within the bedrock. There is little systematic variation in water quality between baseflow and stormflow for each site indicating a complex and erratic contribution of waters from the soil and underlying parent material. 80% or more of the data points show hardly any changes with felling time, but there are a few outlier points with much higher concentrations that provide important information on the processes operative. The clearest outlier felling response is for nitrate at five of the more recently felled sites on brown earth, gley and podzolic soil types. ANC, the prime indicator of stream acidity, shows a diverse response from both high to low outlier values (>+400 to -300 μEq/l). In parallel to nitrate, aluminium, potassium and barium concentrations are higher in waters sampled up to 4 years post felling, but the time series response is even less clear than that for nitrate. Cadmium, zinc and lead and lanthanides/actinides show large variations from site to site due to localized vein ore-mineralization in the underlying bedrock. The survey provides a strong indication that forest harvesting can have marked local effects on some chemical components of runoff for the first four years after felling but that this is confined to a small number of sites where nitrate production and aluminium leaching are high. In general, deforestation leads to a reversal of acidification when the nitrate pulse is low. The variability in water quality from catchment to catchment is too high for generalized conclusions to be made over the extent of the potential changes from site to site. The value of an organised campaign of opportunistic sampling using an infrastructure of enthusiastic staff from regionally dispersed organisations associated with environmental matters (in this case the forestry industry) is highlighted.

scholarly journals The water quality of streams draining a plantation forest on gley soils: the Nant Tanllwyth, Plynlimon mid-Wales

2004 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 485-502 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Neal ◽  
B. Reynolds ◽  
M. Neal ◽  
H. Wickham ◽  
L. Hill ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Stream Water ◽  
Chemical Reactivity ◽  
Ammonium Phosphate ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Main Stream ◽  
Stream Water Quality ◽  
Atmospheric Inputs

Abstract. The water quality of the Nant Tanllwyth stream in the Plynlimon region of mid-Wales is related to the key hydrobiogeological controls and the effects of conifer harvesting based on an analysis of rain, cloud, stream and groundwater measurements. The results show the normal patterns of stream water quality response to hydrology. Thus, there is a high damping of atmospheric inputs due to storage in a highly heterogeneous soil and groundwater system. Correspondingly, there is a highly dynamic response for components such as calcium, bicarbonate and aluminium. This response links to the relative inputs of acidic and aluminium-bearing soil waters under high flow conditions and base enriched bicarbonate bearing waters from the groundwater areas under baseflow conditions. The introduction of a deep borehole near the main stem of the river opened up a groundwater flow route to the stream and other parts of the catchment. There were two aspects to this. Firstly, it caused a change to the stream water quality, particularly under baseflow conditions, by increasing the concentrations of calcium and magnesium and by reducing the acidity. The monitoring shows that this change has persisted for over eight years and that there is no sign of reversion to pre-borehole times. Secondly, it caused a change in the groundwater level and chemistry at a borehole on the other side of the river. This feature shows that the fracture system is of hydrogeochemical and hydrogeological complexity. The effects of conifer harvesting are remarkable. At the local scale, felling leads to the expected short term increase in nitrate, ammonium and phosphate from the disturbance of the soil and the reduction in uptake into the vegetation. Correspondingly, there is a reduction in sodium and chloride linked to reduced scavenging of atmospheric inputs from cloud water by the vegetation and also due to increased dilution potential due to reductions in transpiration by the trees. However, within the main stream, virtually no change is observed in stream water quality with felling, except for a decrease rather than an expected increase in nitrate concentration. It seems that the increase in phosphate, for a system that is essentially phosphate limiting, has stimulated biological activity in the stream leading to increased uptake of nitrate and ammonium. However, there is little change in the sodium and chloride in the stream and there are important issues of the representative nature of studying small scale drainage areas. Boreholes, introduced to assess the impacts of the felling programme, show unexpected variations in groundwater chemistry. These variations are associated with the complexity of both flow routing and the chemical reactivity within the groundwater and lower soil zones, rather than changes that can be linked specifically to felling. The implications of the study are discussed in relation to both process understanding and forestry management practices. Keywords: water quality, acidification, conifer, harvesting, pH, nitrate, ammonium, phosphate, nutrients, alkalinity, Plynlimon, Wales, Tanllwyth, streams, groundwater

Travel times for snowmelt‐dominated headwater catchments: Influences of wetlands and forest harvesting, and linkages to stream water quality

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (10) ◽  
pp. 2154-2175
Author(s):  
Jason A. Leach ◽  
James M. Buttle ◽  
Kara L. Webster ◽  
Paul W. Hazlett ◽  
Dean S. Jeffries
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Stream Water ◽  
Forest Harvesting ◽  
Travel Times ◽  
Stream Water Quality ◽  
Headwater Catchments
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