Saving streams at their source: managing for amphibian diversity in headwater forests.

Abstract

Although stream protection has become a central tenet of forest management in the Pacific Northwest, it is often only the larger, fish-bearing streams that are afforded the strongest safeguards. Yet, even without fish, headwater streams and riparian areas are hotspots of biodiversity, and they are the source of much of the water, gravel, and nutrients that subsidize downstream environments. Amphibians, in particular, thrive in the relatively cool and moist microclimate created by headwater streams. In fact, more than a quarter of amphibian species in the region have life histories reliant on headwaters.

Citation

Thompson, Jonathan. 2008. Saving streams at their source: managing for amphibian diversity in headwater forests. Science Findings 99. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 5 p