2008 Research Highlights
Assessing Streamside Management Zone Effectiveness in the NC Piedmont
Over the last 20 years, research has shown that Best Management Practices (BMPs) are effective management tools for reducing non-point source pollution generated during timber harvest and production. Streamside Management Zones (SMZs) are widely regarded as the most effective element of BMPs for protecting water quality at the watershed scale.
Research at the Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center spans several areas of the country, including New England, Lake States, Appalachian Plateau, Ridge and Valley, Piedmont, and the Coastal Plain. Although SMZ effectiveness has been evaluated in the piedmont of Georgia and other states, researchers’ literature review suggests that scientific data on the effectiveness and benefit of SMZs are lacking in the piedmont region of North Carolina. The overall objective of this study is to quantify the effects of upland forest harvesting and SMZs on soil erosion and water quality in forested headwater watersheds in the piedmont of NC. This objective will be achieved in two phases: Phase I – Pre-harvest monitoring, 2008 to 2010; and Phase II – Post-harvest monitoring, 2010 to 2013. Pre-harvest data has to be collected to generate a predictive model of stream discharge and other variables. To date, pre-harvest data suggest that paired watersheds in this study are meeting many of the assumptions required to develop a good-fit/predictive model.
Final data analysis will be incorporated with existing literature to develop operational models that land managers and timber companies can use for designing forest SMZs in North Carolina.
Contact: Johnny Boggs, biological scientist, (919) 513-2973, jboggs@fs.fed.us
Partners: North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, North Carolina State University, Weyerhaeuser Company
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Photo by Robert Anderson, USDA Forest Service, www.bugwood.org
