Hydrological and Biological Responses to Forest Practices: The Alsea Watershed Study

James D. Hall (auth.), John D. Stednick (eds.)978-0-387-69036-0, 978-0-387-94385-5, 0387943854

The Alsea Watershed Study, established in 1959 and reactivated in 1989 as the New Alsea Watershed Study, evaluated the effects of timber harvesting on water resources and salmonid habitat and populations in the temperate coniferous forests of the Oregon Coast Range. This was the first paired watershed experiment to focus on aquatic habitat and organism response to forest practices. Demonstrating the importance of maintaining streamside vegetation in protecting water quality and fish habitat during timber harvest operations, the study led directly to regulations in the Oregon Forest Practices Act of 1971 that required leaving streamside vegetation in harvest units. Decades of research have provided important information and lessons for watershed research and management.

Through analyses of works generated by the study, Hydrological and Biological Responses to Forest Practices: The Alsea Watershed Study addresses the quantification of forest resource sustainability and bolsters the case for long-term monitoring at a time when managers and policy makers are searching for ways to restore the runs of salmon and steelhead to rivers and streams of the Pacific Northwest. Edited by John D. Stednick, a forest hydrologist responsible for the study’s reactivation, this book will be of interest to students in natural resources, land managers, policy makers, and researchers, particularly in water and fishery resources.

About the Editor: John D. Stednick is a professor of Watershed Science at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO.

Table of contents :
Front Matter….Pages I-XIV
The Alsea Watershed Study….Pages 1-18
Effects of Timber Harvesting on Streamflow in the Alsea Watershed Study….Pages 19-36
Stream Temperature and Dissolved Oxygen….Pages 37-54
Forest Practices and Sediment Production in the Alsea Watershed Study….Pages 55-66
Salmonid Populations and Habitat….Pages 67-93
The Oregon Forest Practices Act and Forest Research….Pages 95-113
The New Alsea Watershed Study….Pages 115-121
Flynn Creek: Research Natural Area….Pages 123-138
Long-term Streamflow Changes Following Timber Harvesting….Pages 139-155
Long-term Water Quality Changes Following Timber Harvesting….Pages 157-170
Risk Assessment for Salmon from Water Quality Changes Following Timber Harvesting….Pages 171-182
Sedimentation Studies Following the Alsea Watershed Study….Pages 183-210
Woody Debris from the Streamside Forest and its Influence on Fish Habitat….Pages 211-235
Long-term Trends in Habitat and Fish Populations in the Alsea Basin….Pages 237-257
The Alsea Watershed Study: A Comparison with Other Multi-year Investigations in the Pacific Northwest….Pages 259-289
Watershed Management….Pages 291-306
Research Opportunities in Hydrology and Biology in Future Watershed Studies….Pages 307-314
Back Matter….Pages 315-316