The impact of large-scale forest harvesting on hydrology in the Willow watershed of Central British Columbia

2008 ◽  
Vol 359 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 141-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Lin ◽  
Xiaohua Wei
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Forest Harvesting ◽  
The Impact

Using polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to determine post-wildfire contamination and sediment sources in a large watershed in central British Columbia, Canada

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen Kieta ◽  
Philip Owens ◽  
Ellen Petticrew
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Magnetic Susceptibility ◽  
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons ◽  
Aromatic Hydrocarbons ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Sediment Samples ◽  
Burned Areas ◽  
Total Pahs ◽  
Polycyclic Aromatic ◽  
The Impact

<p>The Nechako River Basin (NRB) in central British Columbia is a large (52,000 km<sup>2</sup>), regulated basin that supports populations of sockeye and chinook salmon and the endangered Nechako white sturgeon. These important species are experiencing population declines and one potential cause of this decline is excess sediment, which can clog their spawning habitat and reduce juvenile success. This excess sediment is likely the product of a combination of factors, the most visible being the significant land cover changes that have occurred in the basin, which includes pressure from forestry and agriculture, the Mountain Pine Beetle epidemic, and large-scale wildfires in 2018. Focusing specifically on the impact of the 2018 wildfires on sediment transport from upland burned areas to adjacent waterways, this research aimed to determine the spatial and temporal contamination of tributaries and the mainstem of the Nechako River with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are produced during the combustion of organic matter and have been identified as toxic to aquatic organisms and to humans. Additionally, this study intended to determine if burned areas were a more significant contributor of sediment than unburned areas and better understand the utility of PAHs as a potential tracer. Source soil samples were collected in 2018 and 2020 from burned and unburned sites, and suspended sediment samples were collected throughout the ice-free period from 2018-2020 in three tributaries and three mainstem sites. All samples were analysed for PAHs, magnetic susceptibility, colour, and particle size. Results from the fall 2018 source samples show a significant difference in PAH concentrations between unburned and burned soils, and while concentrations of PAHs in source soils in 2020 were lower than in 2018, they were still elevated compared to unburned soils. Sediment samples showed that concentrations of total PAHs are higher in the mainstem sites than in the tributaries, with the greatest concentrations consistently found at the most downstream site on the mainstem of the Nechako River. Concentrations across sites were highest in samples taken during the spring snowmelt period in 2019, have decreased throughout the rest of the sampling period (2019-2020), and are well below sediment quality guidelines for total PAHs. In addition to determining the spatial and temporal extent of PAH contamination, this study also aims to use PAHs along with colour and measurements of magnetic susceptibility to trace sediments associated with the 2018 wildfires. The high cost of PAH analysis limits the number of samples that can be analysed and thus, these additional tracers will allow for the use of models such as MixSIAR that improve with a more robust number of samples. As large-scale megafires continue to burn across the globe, understanding their potential to contribute PAHs to local waterbodies and potentially be used as a tracer is as prescient as ever.</p>

scholarly journals Reducing the Impact of Forest Harvesting on the Vancouver Island Tourism Industry

2016 ◽  
Vol 92 (01) ◽  
pp. 101-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle W. Hilsendager ◽  
Howard W. Harshaw ◽  
Robert A. Kozak
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Vancouver Island ◽  
Forest Harvesting ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Tourism Resource ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Visual Impacts ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Industry Professionals

British Columbia forests have traditionally been managed for timber production. However, the increasing importance of nature-based tourism within the province means that forests also have significant value as a tourism resource. This can lead to conflicts between the forestry and tourism industries. This article examines tourism and forestry interests on Vancouver Island and discusses ways that forests could be managed to reduce negative impacts to the tourism industry. Eighteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with forestry and tourism industry professionals on Vancouver Island and elsewhere in British Columbia. Findings suggest that visual impacts associated with forestry can negatively impact tourism. It also appears that forestry receives a much higher priority than tourism when it comes to forest management, despite the vital importance of the tourism industry to the Vancouver Island economy. Displeasure over the lack of communication requirements between the forest industry and other stakeholders was also documented. The implementation of formal agreements between the two industries may potentially reduce conflicts between these two industries on Vancouver Island. Identification and special management of highly valuable tourism areas may also provide benefits to the Vancouver Island tourism industry.

scholarly journals The 6 August 2010 Mount Meager rock slide-debris flow, Coast Mountains, British Columbia: characteristics, dynamics, and implications for hazard and risk assessment

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1277-1294 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. H. Guthrie ◽  
P. Friele ◽  
K. Allstadt ◽  
N. Roberts ◽  
S. G. Evans ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Debris Flow ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Rock Avalanche ◽  
Volcanic Complex ◽  
Rock Slide ◽  
Night Time ◽  
Coast Mountains ◽  
Creek Watershed ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. A large rock avalanche occurred at 03:27:30 PDT, 6 August 2010, in the Mount Meager Volcanic Complex southwest British Columbia. The landslide initiated as a rock slide in Pleistocene rhyodacitic volcanic rock with the collapse of the secondary peak of Mount Meager. The detached rock mass impacted the volcano's weathered and saturated flanks, creating a visible seismic signature on nearby seismographs. Undrained loading of the sloping flank caused the immediate and extremely rapid evacuation of the entire flank with a strong horizontal force, as the rock slide transformed into a debris flow. The disintegrating mass travelled down Capricorn Creek at an average velocity of 64 m s−1, exhibiting dramatic super-elevation in bends to the intersection of Meager Creek, 7.8 km from the source. At Meager Creek the debris impacted the south side of Meager valley, causing a runup of 270 m above the valley floor and the deflection of the landslide debris both upstream (for 3.7 km) and downstream into the Lillooet River valley (for 4.9 km), where it blocked the Lillooet River river for a couple of hours, approximately 10 km from the landslide source. Deposition at the Capricorn–Meager confluence also dammed Meager Creek for about 19 h creating a lake 1.5 km long. The overtopping of the dam and the predicted outburst flood was the basis for a night time evacuation of 1500 residents in the town of Pemberton, 65 km downstream. High-resolution GeoEye satellite imagery obtained on 16 October 2010 was used to create a post-event digital elevation model. Comparing pre- and post-event topography we estimate the volume of the initial displaced mass from the flank of Mount Meager to be 48.5 × 106 m3, the height of the path (H) to be 2183 m and the total length of the path (L) to be 12.7 km. This yields H/L = 0.172 and a fahrböschung (travel angle) of 9.75°. The movement was recorded on seismographs in British Columbia and Washington State with the initial impact, the debris flow travelling through bends in Capricorn Creek, and the impact with Meager Creek are all evident on a number of seismograms. The landslide had a seismic trace equivalent to a M = 2.6 earthquake. Velocities and dynamics of the movement were simulated using DAN-W. The 2010 event is the third major landslide in the Capricorn Creek watershed since 1998 and the fifth large-scale mass flow in the Meager Creek watershed since 1930. No lives were lost in the event, but despite its relatively remote location direct costs of the 2010 landslide are estimated to be in the order of $10 M CAD.

scholarly journals Mountain pine beetles and emerging issues in the management of woodland caribou in Westcentral British Columbia

Rangifer ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Cichowski ◽  
Patrick Williston
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
Forest Harvesting ◽  
Woodland Caribou ◽  
Mountain Pine Beetles ◽  
Mountain Pine ◽  
Pine Beetle ◽  
Pine Beetles

The Tweedsmuir—Entiako caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) herd summers in mountainous terrain in the North Tweedsmuir Park area and winters mainly in low elevation forests in the Entiako area of Westcentral British Columbia. During winter, caribou select mature lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) forests on poor sites and forage primarily by cratering through snow to obtain terrestrial lichens. These forests are subject to frequent large-scale natural disturbance by fire and forest insects. Fire suppression has been effective in reducing large-scale fires in the Entiako area for the last 40—50 years, resulting in a landscape consisting primarily of older lodgepole pine forests, which are susceptible to mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) attack. In 1994, mountain pine beetles were detected in northern Tweedsmuir Park and adjacent managed forests. To date, mountain pine beetles have attacked several hundred thousand hectares of caribou summer and winter range in the vicinity of Tweedsmuir Park, and Entiako Park and Protected Area. Because an attack of this scale is unprecedented on woodland caribou ranges, there is no information available on the effects of mountain pine beetles on caribou movements, habitat use or terrestrial forage lichen abundance. Implications of the mountain pine beetle epidemic to the Tweedsmuir—Entiako woodland caribou population include effects on terrestrial lichen abundance, effects on caribou movement (reduced snow interception, blowdown), and increased forest harvesting outside protected areas for mountain pine beetle salvage. In 2001 we initiated a study to investigate the effects of mountain pine beetles and forest harvesting on terrestrial caribou forage lichens. Preliminary results suggest that the abundance of Cladina spp. has decreased with a corresponding increase in kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) and other herbaceous plants. Additional studies are required to determine caribou movement and habitat use responses to the mountain pine beetle epidemic.

A regional paleolimnological assessment of the impact of clear-cutting on lakes from the central interior of British Columbia

2001 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 492-505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Laird ◽  
Brian Cumming
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Forest Harvesting ◽  
Diatom Species ◽  
Clear Cutting ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Reference Lakes

The impact of forest harvesting on lakes within the central interior of British Columbia was examined in a paleolimnological study of six lakes that had 28–82% of their watersheds clear-cut (impact lakes) and four lakes that had experienced no logging in their watersheds (reference lakes). Changes in diatom species composition and percent organic matter in 210Pb-dated sediment cores were compared over the last 80 years in each of the impact lakes before and after the onset of forest harvesting and, in the reference lakes, before and after 1960 (the average onset of logging in five of the six impact lakes) and before and after 1975 (the onset of logging in one impact lake). Significant changes in species composition of diatoms following forest-harvesting activities were detected in four of the impact lakes and three of the reference lakes; however, the changes in diatom species composition were small, with changes in the relative abundance of the most common species being at most 11%. Significant increases in the percent organic matter after 1960 were found in one impact lake and three reference lakes; again these changes were small, with increases of 2–5%.

scholarly journals A Cooperative Industry - Government Woodland Caribou Research Program in Northeastern Alberta

Rangifer ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 181
Author(s):  
Blair Rippin ◽  
Colin Edey ◽  
Daryl Hebert ◽  
Jeff Kneteman
Keyword(s):  
Research Program ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Forest Harvesting ◽  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
Woodland Caribou ◽  
Cooperative Research ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Northeastern Alberta ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Exploration And Development

Rapid development of large scale logging and increasingly intensive petroleum exploration and development in northeastern Alberta prompted the establishment of a cooperative research program to investigate various aspects of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) biology. The ultimate goal of the program is to develop an effective plan that will ensure the long term survival of caribou while allowing for renewable and non-renewable resource development. There are three parts to the program. Part I began early in 1991 and makes use of conventional radio telemetry as a means of recording various parameters of general caribou biology. The study area encompasses approximately 4000 km2 of low relief, boreal mixedwood forest. Preliminary results from 2500 radio locations (involving 50 individuals) indicate that woodland caribou inhabiting the study area are non-migratory and are strongly associated with some of the more scarce peatland forest types present in the area. Investigations to document the basic biology and ecology will continue for another two years. Part II began in early 1993 as a part of a two-year investigation into the disturbance effects of petroleum exploration and development on caribou movements and behaviour. One objective of this study is to develop a predictive model useful in determining the cumulative effects of varying intensities of disturbance on caribou. Part III began in early 1994 with a proposed three-year investigation to determine the mechanism of spatial and temporal separation of caribou and moose in the study area. These relationships may indicate the means by which caribou minimize the impact of wolf predation on their populations in northeastern Alberta. Results will be applied to industrial land use and specifically to large scale forest harvesting planned for the area. The research program is supported through cooperative funding contributed by 24 petroleum companies, 1 forest company, 2 peat companies and the Alberta Departments of Environmental Protection and Energy. The research aspect of the program has been developed and implemented by staff of the University of Alberta, Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries, the Alberta Fish and Wildlife and Forest Services and the Alberta Environmental Centre. The program also incorporates a public information and liaison function. Newsletters, information videos, brochures and public consultation are the means used to accomplish this task.

Pyrocumulonimbus Events over British Columbia, 2017: The Long-term Transport and Radiative Impacts of Smoke Aerosols in the Stratosphere

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sampa Das ◽  
Peter Colarco ◽  
Luke Oman ◽  
Ghassan Taha ◽  
Omar Torres
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Lower Stratosphere ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Combustion Products ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Earth Observing System ◽  
Radiative Impacts ◽  
The Impact

<p>Interactions of meteorology with wildfires in British Columbia, Canada during August 2017 led to several extreme pyrocumulonimbus (PyroCb) events that resulted in the injection of smoke aerosols and other combustion products into the lower stratosphere. These plumes of stratospheric smoke were observed by many satellite instruments to have elevated values of aerosol extinction and backscatter compared to the background state and were readily tracked as they spread across the Northern Hemisphere and resided in the lower stratosphere for about ten months following the fires. To investigate the radiative impacts of these events on the Earth system, we performed a number of simulations with the Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) global Earth system model, which includes detailed aerosol and chemistry packages coupled to the underlying model physical and dynamical cores. Retrievals of smoke aerosol properties from space-based OMPS/NPP, SAGE-III/ISS, and CALIOP/CALIPSO instruments were used to calibrate the injection location, timing, amount, and optical properties of the smoke aerosols. The resulting simulations of three-dimensional smoke transport were evaluated over a year following the injections using observations from OMPS-Limb Profiler (LP), which provides aerosol retrievals at a high temporal and vertical resolution for altitudes greater than 10 km. We found that diabatic heating due to aerosol absorption, combined with the large-scale atmospheric motions, play important roles in lifting the smoke plumes from near the tropopause altitudes to about 22 km into the atmosphere. The model was able to simulate the rate of plume ascent from lower to the middle stratosphere, hemispherical spread and residence time of the smoke aerosols in the stratosphere in close agreement with OMPS-LP. Finally, we also investigated the impact of these PyroCb emitted smoke aerosols on the stratospheric radiative forcing and the subsequent impact on temperature tendencies.</p>

Impact of COVID-19 on Nuclear Medicine in Germany, Austria and Switzerland: An International Survey in April 2020

2020 ◽  
Vol 59 (04) ◽  
pp. 294-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lutz S. Freudenberg ◽  
Ulf Dittmer ◽  
Ken Herrmann
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Medicine ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Diagnostic Procedures ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Current Crisis ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Public Versus Private ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Introduction Preparations of health systems to accommodate large number of severely ill COVID-19 patients in March/April 2020 has a significant impact on nuclear medicine departments. Materials and Methods A web-based questionnaire was designed to differentiate the impact of the pandemic on inpatient and outpatient nuclear medicine operations and on public versus private health systems, respectively. Questions were addressing the following issues: impact on nuclear medicine diagnostics and therapy, use of recommendations, personal protective equipment, and organizational adaptations. The survey was available for 6 days and closed on April 20, 2020. Results 113 complete responses were recorded. Nearly all participants (97 %) report a decline of nuclear medicine diagnostic procedures. The mean reduction in the last three weeks for PET/CT, scintigraphies of bone, myocardium, lung thyroid, sentinel lymph-node are –14.4 %, –47.2 %, –47.5 %, –40.7 %, –58.4 %, and –25.2 % respectively. Furthermore, 76 % of the participants report a reduction in therapies especially for benign thyroid disease (-41.8 %) and radiosynoviorthesis (–53.8 %) while tumor therapies remained mainly stable. 48 % of the participants report a shortage of personal protective equipment. Conclusions Nuclear medicine services are notably reduced 3 weeks after the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic reached Germany, Austria and Switzerland on a large scale. We must be aware that the current crisis will also have a significant economic impact on the healthcare system. As the survey cannot adapt to daily dynamic changes in priorities, it serves as a first snapshot requiring follow-up studies and comparisons with other countries and regions.

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