CGRG Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology
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Author : Grant, G.
Date : 1990.
Title : Hydrologic, geomorphic and aquatic habitat implications of old and new forestry
Publication : Forests - Wild and Managed: Differences and Consequences., Jan. 19-20, 1990, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C.
Issue :
Page(s) :
Abstract
The effects of timber harvest activities on hydrology, geomorphology, and fisheries have been a subject of research for many decades. It still is difficult, however, to make categorical statements as to what those effects are. There is now a growing recognition that it is not just the presence or absence of logging within a watershed that is significant, but the overall pattern of land use through space and time that determines what effects logging will have. This introduces an entirely new level of complexity into the problem. Intellegent stewardship of forest resources requires that we attempt to address the implications of alternative harvest strategies on stream and riparian resources. Unfortunately, we have little basis from either field observations or modelling to allow us to predict how alternative cutting scenarios will affect the input or movement of water, sediment and wood with consequences for riparian and aquatic ecosystems. In this paper a general framework is presented for analyzing hydrologic, mass erosion, and aquatic habitat effects of alternative harvest strategies and present some preliminary results of modelling the effect of such strategies. Three scales of interest are examined: individual clearcuts, approximately 100 acres in size, aggregates of units of 2,000 to 3,000 acres and multiple aggregates which are medium sized watersheds of 10,000 to 20,000 acres. The effects of both minimum fragmentation and staggered-setting harvest scenarios are explored. The paucity of field, modelling or historical data underscores the need for a major research initiative in this area.
Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology