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Abstract
Watersheds within the Madrean Archipelago have been severely degraded by a combination of both anthropogenic and natural processes, including unsustainable grazing and timber harvests, long-term droughts, and acute flooding events. We are investigating the effectiveness of various holistic watershed restoration techniques, used by land managers to combat the negative effects of these processes. Our study site, Smith Canyon, located in the Sonoita Creek Watershed and part of the Nogales Ranger District of the Coronado National Forest in Arizona, U.S.A., consists of numerous (~90) structurally-similar sub-basins, each covering approximately 2 to 5 ha. This unique and structurally repetitive landscape presents an opportunity for rigorous large-scale experimentation when considering each sub-basin as a replicate unit. We are using a statistical approach to group subsets of the sub-basins based on structural and biophysical traits. Restoration treatments within the selected sub-basins will focus on the use of check dams and other erosion control methods designed to reduce erosion impacts and reduce nonpoint source pollution downstream. We will monitor the empirical results of water and sediment flows following the treatments to assess the effectiveness and impacts on ecosystem services. We propose these research results be incorporated into a new protocol for large-scale restoration, with the overarching goal to document ecosystem services and a potential payment mechanism for the region.
Parent Publication
Keywords
forest restoration,
history,
climate,
soils,
vegetation,
geomorphology,
watersheds,
water quality,
water quantity,
fluvial ecosystems,
fish and invertebrate fauna,
riparian ecosystems
Citation
Petrakis, Roy E.; Vaughn, Kurt; Norman, Laura M.; Weaver, Caleb; Pulliam, H. Ron; Pritzlaff, Richard. 2022. A statistical approach for watershed pairing to inform semi-arid watershed restoration and develop a regional ecosystem services program. In: Neary, D. G.; Gottfried, G. J., eds. Collaboration Now for the Future: IV Conference on the Biodiversity and Management of the Madrean Archipelago. Proceedings RMRS-P-79. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 466-472.
