Impacts of forest management on runoff and erosion

Abstract

In a parallel study, ten small watersheds (about 5 ha) were installed in the Priest River Experimental Forest (PREF) in northern Idaho, and another ten were installed in the Boise Basin Experimental Forest (BBEF) in central Idaho. The long-term objective of the study is to compare the effects of different forest management activities on runoff and sediment delivery. This paper reports the observed runoff hydrographs and amounts and the sediment yields during the first 3 to 4 years of the study. During the first 3 years, none of the watersheds received any management treatments or natural disturbances. In the autumn of year 3, a simulated wildfire was carried out at four watersheds in PREF. There was still no runoff from these four watersheds the spring following the fire. These observations will be useful for evaluating the natural variability in hydrologic responses on forest landscapes.

Citation

Elliot, William J.; Glaza, Brandon D. 2009. Impacts of forest management on runoff and erosion. In: Webb, Richard M. T.; Semmens, Darius J., eds. Planning for an Uncertain Future-Monitoring, Integration, and Adaptation; Proceedings of the Third Interagency Conference on Research in the Watersheds; 8-11 September, 2008, Estes Park, CO. U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2009-5049: 117-127.