Assessment of riparian and groundwater-dependent ecosystems to inform forest plan revision
Beaver River in the Fishlake National Forest.
The development and revision of U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service Land Management Plans are guided by the 2012 Planning Rule, which outlines procedures and identifies required components for new or updated plans. The Planning Rule instructs resource managers to use of the best available scientific information to evaluate existing conditions including the integrity of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. For many National Forests, this information is unavailable or has not been summarized for riparian ecosystems or groundwater-dependent ecosystems such as springs and fens.
To help National Forests meet the requirements of the 2012 Planning Rule, Rocky Mountain Research Station scientists assessed ecological integrity of riparian and groundwater-dependent ecosystems, using existing data to evaluate drivers, stressors, structure, function, composition, and connectivity. We have found there is wide variation in the condition of riparian and groundwater-dependent ecosystems across National Forests in Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, California, and Oregon. These variable conditions are likely the result of physical settings, differing management histories, and interactions between natural and anthropogenic disturbances. Most areas have been modified since Euro-American settlement, with roads, livestock grazing, and altered fire regimes common stressors. Other common, but more minor stressors include dams, diversions, mining, recreation, and invasive species. Existing information on the distribution, composition, and condition of groundwater-dependent ecosystems like springs and fens is uneven and often lacking. Other common data gaps identified across several forests include lack of information related to intermittent streams and beaver activity. The methods developed to evaluate riparian and groundwater-dependent ecosystems support the plan revision process, from assessment through plan approval, informing future forest and project
planning for the restoration and maintenance of these important ecosystems.
The Forest Service’s 2012 Planning Rule for land management plan revision requires assessment of current conditions and trends, rapid evaluation using existing information, and consideration of natural range of variation and ecological integrity. However, knowledge of riparian and groundwater-dependent ecosystems is spread across multiple resource disciplines and across specialists with limited time to contribute to forest plan assessments.
To support the process of forest plan revisions, the Rocky Mountain Research Station completed assessments of riparian and groundwater-dependent ecosystems to meet Planning Rule requirements for National Forests in the western United States.
After reviewing literature and meeting with Regional Office and National Forest staff, RMRS researchers developed a multi-step process to conduct these assessments.
- Step 1 – Inventory & mapping of riparian and groundwater-dependent ecosystems
- Step 2 – Identify drivers & stressors of ecosystem condition
- Step 3 – Evaluate key ecosystem characteristics using multiple indicators
- Step 4 – Estimate current condition of riparian and groundwater-dependent ecosystems, using quantitative or qualitative methods, depending on the types of data available
- Step 5 – Summarize and publish results in general technical reports
Key findings
- Climate, geology, topography, and beaver activity are frequent drivers of distribution and integrity.
- Primary stressors are livestock, roads, altered fire regimes, and surface water diversions.
- Secondary stressors include mining, invasive species, recreation, vegetation mortality, timber harvest, and drought.
- Predicted changes in rainfall and temperature could impact the concept of natural range of variation.
- Additional data are needed to better evaluate groundwater-dependent ecosystems, intermittent and ephemeral streams, coniferous-tree dominated riparian vegetation types, and beaver activity.
Key ecosystem characteristics include
- Surface water and groundwater fluctuations
- Water quality
- Channel and floodplain dynamics
- Spring runout channel condition
- Composition and structure of riparian and groundwater-dependent ecosystems
Indicators of ecological integrity include
- Encroachment of upland vegetation
- Road density
- Changes in temperature and precipitation
- Condition of riparian and wetland vegetation
- Presence of impaired waters and water quality problems
- Channel shape and function
- Presence of large woody debris
- Habitat fragmentation
- Percentages of channels in impacted or poor condition
- Percentage of riparian areas in poor condition
Sources of indicator data include
- National Riparian Map
- Watershed Condition Framework
- Terrestrial Condition Assessment
- Vegetation Classification, Mapping, and Quantitative Inventory
- NorWest Stream Temperature and US Western Flow Metrics
- Landscape Ecology, Modeling, Mapping and Analysis Group vegetation maps
- USGS National Hydrography Dataset
- USGS SPARROW Water Quality Mapper
- Colorado Natural History Program
- Springs Stewardship Institute
- Utah State Riparian Condition Assessment Toolbox
- Utah State Beaver Restoration and Assessment Tool
- LANDFIRE
- General technical reports for each National Forest assessed
- Spatial datasets showing distribution of riparian and groundwater-dependent ecosystems, as well as drivers and stressors summarized for watersheds within geographic units
- Photo library of riparian and groundwater-dependent ecosystems for the Intermountain Region
- Bibliography
Related Science You Can Use
- Andrea Watts, Katelyn P. Driscoll, D. Max Smith, James Wilder, Clint Sestrich, Scott Peets, Sabine Mellmann-Brown. 2024. Streams, springs, and fens! Assessing riparian and groundwater-dependent ecosystems for forest plan revision and beyond
- Brian Cooke, Kristen A. Pelz, Christopher Witt, Katelyn P. Driscoll, Charlie H. Luce, David Anderson, Jamie Barbour, Renate Bush, Mary Friberg, Carolyn Perovich. 2020. Making sense of big data: Putting Forest Inventory and Analysis to work in forest planning
- Katelyn P. Driscoll, Max Smith. 2020. Vulnerable, valuable, variable: Science-based assessments of riparian and groundwater-dependent ecosystems
Publications
- D. Max Smith, Katelyn P. Driscoll, Deborah M. Finch. 2018. Riparian and wetland ecosystems of the Ashley National Forest: An assessment of current conditions in relation to natural range of variation
- D.M. Smith, S.D. Warren, Katelyn P. Driscoll. 2024. Riparian and groundwater-dependent ecosystems of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest: An assessment of current conditions
- D. Max Smith, Laurel F. Martinez, Cynthia King, Taylor L. Pearson, Katelyn P. Driscoll. 2023. Riparian, aquatic, and groundwater-dependent ecosystems in southern Oregon and northern California: An assessment of ecological integrity to inform forest plan revision. Vol. 5: Shasta-Trinity National Forest
- D. Max Smith, Laurel F. Martinez, Cynthia King, Taylor L. Pearson, Katelyn P. Driscoll. 2023. Riparian, aquatic, and groundwater-dependent ecosystems in southern Oregon and northern California: An assessment of ecological integrity to inform forest plan revision. Vol. 6: Mendocino National Forest
- D. Max Smith, Laurel F. Martinez, Cynthia King, Taylor L. Pearson, Katelyn P. Driscoll. 2024. Riparian, aquatic, and groundwater-dependent ecosystems in southern Oregon and northern California: An assessment of ecological integrity to inform forest plan revision. Vol. 4: Six Rivers National Forest
- D. Max Smith, Laurel F. Martinez, Cynthia King, Taylor L. Pearson, Katelyn P. Driscoll. 2023. Riparian, aquatic, and groundwater-dependent ecosystems in southern Oregon and northern California: An assessment of ecological integrity to inform forest plan revision. Vol. 2: Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest
- D. Max Smith, Laurel F. Martinez, Cynthia King, Taylor L. Pearson, Katelyn P. Driscoll. 2022. Riparian, aquatic, and groundwater-dependent ecosystems in southern Oregon and northern California: An assessment of ecological integrity to inform forest plan revision. Vol. 1: Introduction and summary of findings
- D. Max Smith, Laurel F. Martinez, Cynthia King, Taylor L. Pearson, Katelyn P. Driscoll. 2023. Riparian, aquatic, and groundwater-dependent ecosystems in southern Oregon and northern California: An assessment of ecological integrity to inform forest plan revision. Vol. 3: Klamath National Forest
- Katelyn P. Driscoll, D. Max Smith. 2021. Development of riparian and groundwater-dependent ecosystem assessments for National Forests in the Western U.S.
- D. Max Smith, Katelyn P. Driscoll, Steve D. Warren, Deborah M. Finch. 2020. Riparian and groundwater-dependent ecosystems of the Dixie and Fishlake National Forests: An assessment of resources and current conditions
- D. Max Smith, Katelyn P. Driscoll, Steve D. Warren, Deborah M. Finch. 2020. Riparian and groundwater-dependent ecosystems of the Bridger-Teton National Forest: An assessment of resources and current conditions
- Katelyn P. Driscoll, D. Max Smith, Steve D. Warren, Deborah M. Finch. 2019. Riparian ecosystems of the Salmon-Challis National Forest: An assessment of current conditions in relation to the natural range of variability
- Katelyn P. Driscoll, D. Max Smith, Deborah M. Finch. 2019. Riparian ecosystems of the Manti-La Sal National Forest: An assessment of current conditions in relation to natural range of variability
- Katelyn P. Driscoll, Laurel F. Martinez, Thomas F. Turner. 2025. Stream restoration effectively alters functional diversity and composition of riparian plant communities in the southern Rocky Mountains, U.S.A.