Treesearch

We describe three examples of watershed management studies, at different spatial scales, that provide approaches and information useful in enhancing natural resource stewardship in the southern Appalachians. A multiple use “pilot” study, initiated 35 years ago at the Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, demonstrates that southern Appalachian forests can be successfully managed for water, timber, wildlife, and recreation. Added benefits of this small scale (144 ha) watershed study are the education and on-the-ground demonstration values. A demonstration project of ecosystem management, initiated...

The last 100 years marks a period of accelerating land use and consequent effects upon the water resources of the Pacific Northwest. In contrast, federal and state efforts to reduce land use impacts to water resources have largely emerged only during the last 35 years. While university courses in watershed management were generally available in the 1950s, the number of courses increased greatly through the late 1970s. Research productivity (i.e., published results) in watershed management was relatively low until the 1970s. Educational programs and research efforts that provide a better...

The purpose of this conference was to increase people's awareness of the potential contributions of watershed management to conservation, sustainable development, and use of natural resources to land stewardship in the 21st century. Through exploration of global, national, and regional perspectives, a review of issues likely to be confronted in the coming century, a retrospective viewpoint of watershed management entering the 21" century, anticipated watershed management contributions to future land stewardship, and future protocols necessary to attain these contributions, information was...

The College of Agriculture, University of Arizona, has been heavily involved in providing research, education, and outreach concerning the management of watersheds. The Barr Report of 1956, a cooperative effort of the Salt River Project, the State Land Department and the University of Arizona, was a significant beginning that addressed the productivity of watersheds in the state and a plan of action to enhance water flows. Out of this initial effort came the formation of the Arizona Watershed Program, a state program that began to focus on watershed management activities in Arizona....

This paper discusses the role of watershed management in moving towards sustainable natural resource and agricultural development. Examples from 30 field projects and six training projects involving over 25 countries are presented to illustrate watershed management initiatives that have been implemented over the last half of the 20th century. The level of success has varied from project to project. Means of achieving greater success are discussed, including the need for institutionalizing watershed management, that take into account the workings of people, governmental agencies and...

Watersheds will continue to be planning management units of choice during the 21st century. Historic precedent, contemporary beliefs, regulation, and broad institutional support have insured their future. Whether their use will result in more sustainable systems depends on keeping natural resource issues a high national priority, balancing competition for consumptive resource use, advancing technology, developing strong public policies, and continuing appropriate research and supportive governmental policies. Further, it appears that successful watershed management will advance because...

Watershed management perspectives in the Southwest have been, are, and will be reflected by the nature of watershed management practices. Past perspectives evolved from considerations of increasing water yields and water quality concerns. Present perspectives are centered on minimizing adverse impacts to soil and water resources, sustaining high-quality water flows, and rehabilitating watershed in poor condition. Future perspectives will likely focus on an increase in demand for watershed resources, more efficient use of limited watershed resources, and more efficient management of...

Fundamental belief underlying the direction and content of this paper is that the paradigms of land and water management evolving into the 21st century increasingly favor a watershed focused approach. Underlying that approach is an appreciation of the processes of sustainable development and resource use. The increasing recognition that sustainable development and sustainable ecosystem management are processes rather than end states, is coupled with an increasing awareness that these processes are fraught with uncertainty, and that cumulative effects matter. This recognition opens a number...

Rush skeletonweed (Chondrilla juncea L.) is an invasive, herbaceous, long-lived perennial species of Eurasian or Mediterranean origin now occurring in many locations throughout the world. In the United States, it occupies over 2.5 million ha of rangeland in the Pacific Northwest and California. Despite the ecological and economic significance of this species, little is known of the ecology and life history characteristics of North American populations. The purpose of this study was to examine seed germination characteristics of 2 populations of rush skeletonweed in Idaho. Seeds from rush...

Stand conditions associated with outbreak populations of the roundheaded pine beetle, Dendroctonus adjunctus Blandford, in ponderosa pine, Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws., forests were studied in the Pinaleno Mountains, AZ, and the Pine Valley Mountains, UT. Classification tree models to estimate the probability of infestation based on stand attributes were built for both study areas using growth rate and ponderosa pine basal area information. Cross-validation estimates of correct classification were 0.60 for the Pinaleno Mountains and 0.58 and 0.78 for the Pine Valley Mountains. Regression...