14 research outputs found

    Watershed Forest Management Information System (WFMIS)

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    Maintenance of a sustainable clean water supply is critical for our future. However, watershed degradation is a common phenomenon around the world that leads to poor water quality. In order to protect water resources, the Watershed Forest Management Information System (WFMIS), was developed as an extension of ArcGISÂź and is described in this paper. There are three submodels to address nonpoint source pollution mitigation, road system management, and silvicultural operations, respectively. The Watershed Management Priority Indices (WMPI) is a zoning approach to prioritize critical areas for conservation and restoration management. It meets the critical need to spatially differentiate land cover and site characteristics within a watershed to quantify their relative influence on overall water quality. The Forest Road Evaluation System (FRES) is a module to evaluate road networks in order to develop preventive management strategies. The Harvest Schedule Review System (HSRS) is a module to analyze and evaluate multi-year and multi-unit forest harvesting to assist in the reduction of impact on water yield and associated changes in water quality. The WFMIS utilizes commonly available spatial data and has user friendly interfaces to assist foresters and planners to manage watersheds in an environmentally healthy way. Application examples of each submodel are presented

    Web-Based Spatial Decision Support System and Watershed Management with a Case Study

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    In order to maintain a proper balance between development pressure and water resources protection, and also to improve public participation, efficient tools and techniques for soil and water conservation projects are needed. This paper describes the development and application of a web-based watershed management spatial decision support system, WebWMPI. The WebWMPI uses the Watershed Management Priority Indices (WMPI) approach which is a prioritizing method for watershed management planning and it integrates land use/cover, hydrological data, soils, slope, roads, and other spatial data. The land is divided into three categories: Conservation Priority Index (CPI) land, Restoration Priority Index (RPI) land, and Stormwater Management Priority Index (SMPI) land. Within each category, spatial factors are rated based on their influence on water resources and critical areas can be identified for soil conservation, water quality protection and improvement. The WebWMPI has user-friendly client side graphical interfaces which enable the public to interactively run the server side Geographic Information System to evaluate different scenarios for watershed planning and management. The system was applied for Dry Run Creek watershed (Cedar Falls, Iowa, US) as a demonstration and it can be easily used in other watersheds to prioritize crucial areas and to increase public participation for soil and water conservation projects

    Evaluating forest harvesting to reduce its hydrologic impact with a spatial decision support system

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    Timber harvesting changes the condition of forest ecosystems, which are a major influence on the characteristics of headwater streams. Such characteristics include the quantity and timing of base flow and storm flow, concentrations of sediment and dissolved nutrients, water temperature, and the stability of the stream channels. This paper explores previous studies dealing with the relationship between timber harvesting and its hydrologic effects, especially long term water yield increase. The watershed disturbance threshold theory is raised and investigated in detail. The development and evaluation of a spatial decision support system, the Harvest Schedule Review System (HSRS), is then described. The HSRS will aid in the minimization of hydrological impacts of forest harvesting, along with its related, negative environmental influences. It provides a spatially and temporally explicit tool for users to analyze the hydrologic impact of forest harvest schedules

    Zebra Mussels in the Quabbin Reservoir

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    Zebra mussels (ZM) are an invasive species infesting water supplies across the US. The project goals were to ascertain the viability of ZM in the Quabbin and other water supplies in MA; to analyze the effects of ZM infestation on the environment and infrastructure of the water supplies; to consider economic impact of infestation; and to review laws limiting the spread of invasive species. Study shows that ZM require specific habitat conditions including pH, alkalinity, and calcium. Study revealed that most surface water supplies in MA, including the Quabbin, have low vulnerability towards mussel infestation. Costs for removal of mussels from infested regions will be minimal. Legislation should focus on public education and restrictions to reduce the spread of the mussels

    Effects of management practices on water yield in small headwater catchments at Cordillera de los Andes in southern Chile

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    In several parts of the world, drinking water is obtained from springs in natural and managed mountainous forests. Since forests regulate quality as well as quantity of water, the effects of forest-management activities on water yield are an important subject of study. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of forest management on water yield in managed and unmanaged temperate native rainforests in the Andean range of southern Chile. The study area is located in San Pablo, a forest reserve of 2,184 ha located at the Andean range of southern Chile (39Âș 35’ S, 72Âș 07’ W, 600-925 m a.s.l.). From April 2003 to October 2008, seven experimental small catchments were monitored for rainfall, throughfall, stemflow, soil water infiltration, soil water percolation and runoff. In 2002, one catchment with a secondary deciduous forest was managed, through thinning, causing a reduction in basal area by 35% whereas the other one remained unthinned as control. Both watersheds are adjacent and are located at 600 – 720 m of elevation on deep loam textured volcanic soils (100 - 120 cm). In November 2006, a watershed covered with evergreen old-growth forests was thinned extracting 40% of the total basal area whereas another adjacent catchment remained unthinned as control. Both watersheds are located at 725 – 910 m a.s.l. and have the same aspects. The effects of management of deciduous secondary forests showed that for the period April 2003-March 2007, the mean value of the increase in total annual streamflow was 12.7%, ranging from 10.9% to 14.6%. Thinning of the evergreen old-growth forest increased the streamflow for the period November 2006-October 2008 with 6.1%, ranging from 4.4% to 7.8%, with greater differences during summertime (15.7 to 206%)

    Scenario driven optimal sequencing under deep uncertainty

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    Abstract not availableEva H.Y. Beh, Holger R. Maier, Graeme C. Dand

    Protecting Drinking Water at the Source: Lessons from United States Watershed Investment Programs

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    Watershed investment programs offer promising pathways to securing safe drinking water. But what does it take to establish and grow a successful watershed investment program? Program investors and practitioners are looking for guidance and ideas on how to build a program that works for their own context.This report addresses this need by compiling experiences and lessons from 13 watershed investment programs from across the United States. Based on a 3-year comparative case study analysis, it serves as a roadmap to guide utilities and communities as they work together to protect precious source waters

    Aboveground nutrient cycling in temperate forest ecosystems of southern Chile

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    Forest ecosystems have important ecological, economic, and social values, but are subject to varying ecosystem pressures, including enhanced atmospheric nitrogen deposition. This paper quantifies nutrient fluxes in varying forest types in southern Chile in order to evaluate external and internal nutrient cycling within ecosystems, with a focus on the aboveground compartment. The objectives were to establish baseline data for pristine forest ecosystems and to study differences between forest types. Measurements were performed in four stands in the lower Andean mountain range (San Pablo de Tregua), two stands in the Central Depression (Paillaco) and six catchments in the Coastal mountain range (40°S). External nutrient inputs and losses were assessed by analyzing precipitation, throughfall, stemflow, soil percolation, and streamflow. Internal aboveground nutrient cycling was quantified by means of a canopy budget model, litterfall collection, and a litterbag decomposition experiment. Although temperate forests in southern Chile still represent a unique opportunity to study pristine ecosystems, measurements of water and ion fluxes indicate that forests in the central depression are exposed to enhanced external nitrogen inputs
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