Influence of streamside buffers on stream temperature response following clear-cut harvesting in western Oregon

2013 ◽  
Vol 43 (11) ◽  
pp. 993-1005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Cole ◽  
Michael Newton
Keyword(s):  
Management Practice ◽  
Temperature Response ◽  
Stream Temperature ◽  
Forest Harvesting ◽  
Riparian Buffers ◽  
Daily Maximum ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Best Management ◽  
Temperature Trends ◽  
Temperature Responses

Determining the effectiveness of different riparian buffers for mitigating forest-harvesting impacts on stream temperatures continues to be of interest throughout the world. Four small, low or medium elevation streams in managed western Oregon forests were studied to determine how the arrangement and amount of streamside retention strips (buffers) in clear-cut units influenced stream temperatures. Buffers included (i) no tree, (ii) predominantly sun-sided 12 m wide partial, and (iii) two-sided (Best Management Practice, (BMP)) 15–30 m wide buffers. Harvested units alternated with uncut units along 1800–2600 m study reaches. Impacts of harvesting on stream temperatures were determined by time series comparisons of postharvest and preharvest regressions. Trends for daily maximum and mean stream temperature significantly increased after harvest in no tree buffer units. Partial buffers led to slight (<2 °C) or no increased warming. BMP units led to significantly increased warming, slight, or no increased warming. Temperature responses in uncut units appeared to be linked to responses in upstream harvested units. In many instances, when harvested units exhibited significantly higher postharvest trends, lower trends were observed in the uncut units downstream. Stream temperature trends of 7 day moving maxima indicated warming through the no tree buffer units and some of the BMP units. Peaks in maxima were not maintained in downstream units. Stream temperature responses were related to buffer implementation and stream features, relating to cooling and warming.

scholarly journals Stream Temperature Response to 50% Strip-Thinning in a Temperate Forested Headwater Catchment

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1022
Author(s):  
Dinh Quynh Oanh ◽  
Takashi Gomi ◽  
R. Dan Moore ◽  
Chen-Wei Chiu ◽  
Marino Hiraoka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Radiation ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Monsoon Season ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Temperature Response ◽  
Thermal Response ◽  
Stream Temperature ◽  
Forest Harvesting ◽  
Daily Maximum ◽  
Headwater Catchment

Stream temperature is a critical parameter for understanding hydrological and biological processes in stream ecosystems. Although a large body of research has addressed the effects of forest harvesting on stream temperature, less is known about the responses of stream temperature to the practice of strip-thinning, which produces more coherent patches of shade and sunlight areas. In this study, we examined stream temperature response to 50% strip-thinning in a 17 ha headwater catchment. The thinning lines extended through the riparian zone. Paired-catchment analysis was applied to estimate changes in daily maximum, mean, and minimum stream temperatures for the first year following treatment. Significant effects on daily maximum stream temperature were found for April to August, ranging from 0.6 °C to 3.9 °C, similar to the magnitude of effect found in previous studies involving 50% random thinning. We conducted further analysis to identify the thermal response variability in relation to hydrometeorological drivers. Multiple regression analysis revealed that treatment effects for maximum daily stream temperature were positively related to solar radiation and negatively related to discharge. Frequent precipitation during the summer monsoon season produced moderate increases in discharge (from 1 to 5 mm day−1), mitigating stream temperature increases associated with solar radiation. Catchment hydrologic response to rain events can play an important role in controlling stream thermal response to forest management practices.

The effects of forest harvesting and best management practices on streamflow and suspended sediment concentrations during snowmelt in headwater streams in sub-boreal forests of British Columbia, Canada

2003 ◽  
Vol 33 (8) ◽  
pp. 1397-1407 ◽  
Author(s):  
J S Macdonald ◽  
P G Beaudry ◽  
E A MacIsaac ◽  
H E Herunter
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Suspended Sediment ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Complete Removal ◽  
Sediment Concentration ◽  
Forest Harvesting ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Best Management

This paper examines suspended sediment concentration and stream discharge during freshet in three small sub-boreal forest streams (<1.5 m in width) in the central interior of British Columbia for 1 year prior to (1996) and for 5 years following forest harvesting (1997–2001). Harvesting prescriptions in a 20-m strip beside one stream required complete removal of merchantable timber (>15 cm diameter at breast height (DBH) for pine and >20 cm for spruce), while all stems <30 cm DBH were retained beside a second stream. A third stream remained unharvested as a control. The two riparian treatments were prescribed to test the efficacy of current British Columbia legislation that allows for varying amounts of riparian retention as best management practices for the management of windthrow. Both treated watersheds were clear-cut harvested (approximately 55% removal) in January 1997, and in the following year, temporary access roads were deactivated, including two stream crossings in the low-retention watershed. An increase in peak snowmelt and total freshet discharge was first noted in the second spring following harvest in both treatments and remained above predicted in all subsequent years. Suspended sediment also increased during freshet following harvest but returned to levels at or below preharvest predictions within 3 years or less in the high-retention watershed.

Stream temperature responses to partial-harvest logging in riparian buffers of boreal mixedwood forest watersheds

2009 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 497-506 ◽  
Author(s):  
David P. Kreutzweiser ◽  
Scott S. Capell ◽  
Stephen B. Holmes
Keyword(s):  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Riparian Buffers ◽  
Daily Maximum ◽  
Partial Harvest ◽  
Forest Watersheds ◽  
Boreal Mixedwood Forest ◽  
Maximum Temperatures ◽  
Forest Streams ◽  
Temperature Responses

As part of a larger study to examine the operational feasibility, ecological benefits, and environmental impacts of partial-harvest logging in riparian buffers along boreal mixedwood forest streams, we determined the effects on summer stream temperatures. Three logged study reaches were compared with three reference reaches over two prelogging and two postlogging summers. Partial-harvest logging resulted in an average removal of 10%, 20%, and 28% of the basal area from riparian buffers at the three logged sites. At the two more intensively logged sites, there were small (<10%) reductions in canopy cover (P = 0.024) and no significant changes in light at stream surfaces (P > 0.18). There were no measurable impacts on stream temperatures at two of the three logged sites. At the most intensively logged site, daily maximum temperatures were significantly higher (∼4 °C) for about 6 weeks in the first summer after logging than in prelogging years or at the reference sites (P < 0.001). Temperature increases were attributed to a logging-induced temporary disruption of cool water inputs from ground disturbance in a lateral-input seep area. Our results indicate that partial-harvest logging in riparian buffers of boreal mixedwood forest streams can sustain effective canopy cover and mitigate logging-induced water temperature increases.

Protecting Water Resources with Streamside Management Zones at Robinson Forest

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher D. Barton ◽  
Emma L. Witt ◽  
Jeffrey W. Stringer
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Ecosystem Function ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Forest Harvesting ◽  
Management Zones ◽  
Best Management ◽  
Streamside Management Zones ◽  
Undisturbed Forest ◽  
The Impact

Streamside management zones (SMZ) are a common best management practice used to minimize impacts to water quality from forest harvesting. Information on the effectiveness of SMZ use in Kentucky is limited. Moreover, details on SMZ configuration (size, layout, canopy retention) is lacking. The objective of this research was to evaluate the impact of varying SMZ configurations on stream ecosystem function. Results indicated that the use of elevated stream crossings and maximizing the amount of undisturbed forest floor near streams via a combination of increased SMZ width and canopy retention was effective at minimizing water quality impacts from forest harvesting.

Stream temperature responses to clearcut logging in British Columbia: the moderating influences of groundwater and headwater lakes

2002 ◽  
Vol 59 (12) ◽  
pp. 1886-1900 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Mellina ◽  
R Dan Moore ◽  
Scott G Hinch ◽  
J Stevenson Macdonald ◽  
Greg Pearson
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Timber Harvesting ◽  
Stream Temperature ◽  
Geographic Region ◽  
Daily Maximum ◽  
Headwater Lakes ◽  
Clearcut Logging ◽  
To Come ◽  
Temperature Responses

Although the future timber supply in the northern hemisphere is expected to come from boreal and subboreal forests, little research has been conducted in these regions that examines the temperature responses of small, lake-headed streams to streamside timber harvesting. We examined the temperature patterns of two subboreal outlet streams in north-central British Columbia for 1 year before and 3 years after clearcut logging and found only modest changes (averaging 0.05–1.1°C) with respect to summer daily maximum and minimum temperatures, diurnal fluctuations, and stream cooling. A multistream comparative survey conducted in the same geographic region revealed that streams headed by small lakes or swamps tended to cool as they flowed downstream, and headwater streams warmed, regardless of whether or not timber harvesting took place. Stream cooling was attributed to a combination of warm outlet temperatures (promoted by the presence of the lakes) and cold groundwater inflows. A regression model revealed that summertime downstream warming or cooling in headwater and outlet streams could be predicted by upstream maximum summer temperatures and canopy cover. Lentic water bodies and groundwater inflows are important determinants of stream temperature patterns in subboreal forests and may subsequently moderate their responses to streamside harvesting.

scholarly journals Regional, multi-decadal analysis reveals that stream temperature increases faster than air temperature

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanieh Seyedhashemi ◽  
Jean-Philippe Vidal ◽  
Jacob S. Diamond ◽  
Dominique Thiéry ◽  
Céline Monteil ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Temperature ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
Temperature Response ◽  
Stream Temperature ◽  
Distributed Hydrological Model ◽  
Temperature Trends ◽  
Joint Influence ◽  
Physically Based ◽  
Landscape Variability ◽  
Almost All

Abstract. Stream temperature appears to be increasing globally, but its rate remains poorly constrained due to a paucity of long-term data and difficulty in parsing effects of hydroclimate and landscape variability. Here, we address these issues using the physically-based thermal model T-NET (Temperature-NETwork) coupled with the EROS semi-distributed hydrological model to reconstruct past daily stream temperature and streamflow at the scale of the entire Loire River basin in France (105 km2 with 52278 reaches). Stream temperature increased for almost all reaches in all seasons (mean = +0.38 °C/decade) over the 1963–2019 period. Increases were greatest in spring and summer with a median increase of +0.38 °C (range = +0.11– +0.76 °C) and +0.44 °C (+0.08– +1.02 °C) per decade, respectively. Rates of stream temperature increases were greater than for air temperature across seasons for 50–86 % of reaches. Spring and summer increases were typically the greatest in the southern headwaters (up to +1 °C/decade) and in the largest rivers (Strahler order > 5). Importantly, air temperature and streamflow exerted joint influence on stream temperature trends, where the greatest stream temperature increases were accompanied by similar trends in air temperature (up to +0.71 °C/decade) and the greatest decreases in streamflow (up to −16 %/decade). Indeed, for the majority of reaches, positive stream temperature anomalies exhibited synchrony with positive anomalies in air temperature and negative anomalies in streamflow, highlighting the dual control exerted by these hydroclimatic drivers. Moreover, spring and summer stream temperature, air temperature, and streamflow time series exhibited common change-points occurring in the late 1980s, suggesting a temporal coherence between changes in the hydroclimatic drivers and a rapid stream temperature response. Critically, riparian vegetation shading mitigated stream temperature increases by up to 16 % in smaller streams (i.e., < 30 km from the source). Our results provide strong support for basin-wide increases in stream temperature due to joint effects of rising air temperature and reduced streamflow. We suggest that some of these climate change-induced effects can be mitigated through the restoration and maintenance of riparian forests, and call for continued high-resolution monitoring of stream temperature at large scales.

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