Post on 16-Jan-2015
description
Watershed Condition Frameworks
A framework to assess watersheds and identify and prioritize watershed scale restorations on the
Tongass National Forest
What are Prince of Wales watershed needs??
Gather existing information on Watershed Condition (scientific and local)
What are our gaps? Social Factors & Local Concerns?
Develop watershed assessments to identify projects that will reach our desired future condition
Complete project monitoring & adaptive management
Watershed Condition
Watershed condition is the state of the physical and biological characteristics and processes within a watershed that affect hydrologic and soil functions effecting aquatic ecosystems. Watershed condition reflects a range of variability from natural pristine (functioning properly) to degraded (severely altered state or impaired).
Watersheds that are functioning properly have:
Terrestrial, riparian, aquatic ecosystems that capture, store, and release water, sediment, wood, and nutrients within their natural range of variability for these processes
Create and sustain functional terrestrial, riparian, aquatic and wetland habitats that are capable of supporting diverse populations of native aquatic and riparian-dependent species
Watersheds that are functioning properly:
Provide for high biotic integrity, which includes habitats that support adaptive animal and plant communities that reflect natural processes.
Are resilient and recover rapidly from natural and human disturbances.
Exhibit a high degree of connectivity longitudinally along the stream, laterally across the floodplain and valley bottom, and vertically between surface and subsurface flows.
Provide important ecosystem services, such as high-water quality, the recharge of streams and aquifers, the maintenance of riparian communities, and the moderation of climate variability change.
Maintain long-term soil productivity
Types of Assessments Resources the FS has generated on POW:
National Watershed Condition ClassificationLandscape AssessmentsWatershed Analyses (Stream Surveys, Tier II,
III, IV) and Proper Functioning Condition Assessments
Watershed Restoration PlansProject Recommendations, Prescriptions,
designs and Cost EstimatesNEPA & ImplementationMonitoring
Watershed Condition Classification
Class 1 watersheds exhibit high geomorphic, hydrologic, and biotic integrity relative to their natural potential condition.
Class 2 watersheds exhibit moderate geomorphic, hydrologic, and biotic integrity relative to their natural potential condition.
Class 3 watersheds exhibit low geomorphic, hydrologic and biotic integrity relative to their natural potential condition.
Watershed Condition Classification
Class 1 = Functioning ProperlyClass 2 = Functioning at RiskClass 3 = Impaired Function
Priority Watershed Program
The Tongass has a number of Watersheds, that are “at risk” for maintaining ecological function and aquatic resource values and productivity
Watershed health issues mostly revolve around riparian forest condition, road related risks and impacts, and instream habitat condition and risk of decline in productivity.
Priority Watershed Program
National direction continues to stress maintain watersheds that have important ecological values. Tongass has an abundance of watersheds in this category. We can produce a good return on restoration and improvement investments.
We are building on strong support from numerous partner organizations -- TNC, TU, SCS— who are helping to leverage substantial grant funding for watershed, riparian and aquatic habitat improvement projects.
Priority Watershed Program
Priority Watershed Program
Priority Watershed Program
Existing Information
Documents/ Research
ModelsAssessments/
Aquatic Inventory
Identify gaps and local concerns????
Develop watershed assessments to identify projects that will reach our desired future condition
Aquatic Assessment/ Inventory Uses
(1) maintaining long-term watershed health,
(2) determining baseline aquatic resourceconditions,(3) evaluating aquatic resource condition
trends,(4) interpreting resource responses to
natural andhuman disturbance, and(5) assigning achievable desired future
conditions
More Aquatic InventoryUses
• 1. Asses riparian habitat conditions• 2. Assess populations• 3. Support design of in-stream structures• 4. Monitor effects• 5. Watershed restoration planning
Types of Assessments
Fish and Aquatic Stream InventoryHierarchy
• Tier I - classification level• Tier II - quantitative measures of core habitatattributes summed by reach• Tier III - replication of physical measurements,additional habitat attributes summed by habitatunit, habitat units to meso level• Tier IV - systematic replication of physical habitatmeasures, addition attributes summed by habitatunits, habitat units to micro level
Aquatic Inventory Applications
Tier I – Minimum field verification standards for timber sale project planning
Tier I/II – Upstream Assessment of Fish Habitat
Tier II/III – Watershed condition and needsassessmentTier IV - Channel condition assessment
Habitat Management Objectives
Width to Depth RatioTotal Large Wood per KilometerTotal Key Large Wood per KilomterPools per KilometerPool SpaceResidual Pool Depth/ Channel BedwidthSubstrate Size Pool Length per MeterPool Size
Complete project monitoring & adaptive management
Resources
• Staney Creek Vegetative Management Strategy Staney IRMP Proposal for Action Staney Creek Restoration Environmental Assessment Staney Creek Restoration EA Decision Document Staney Creek Watershed Restoration Plan Alaback
- Opportunities for Restoring Second Growth Ecosystems Brinkman
- Trends of Deer and Hunters on Prince of Wales Island Unit 2 Wildlife Harvest Data Young Growth Management Strategy for Unit 2 Framework for Setting Restoration Priorities on POW Alaback
- Evaluation of canopy gaps for wildlife in SE Alaska
Ellanna and Sherrod - Timber Management and Fish and Wildlife use in Klawock (1987)
Brock and Coiley-Kenner - Traditional Knowledge about the Fisheries of Southeast Alaska (2009)
Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program Proposal (5/14/10)
Impacts of restoration on sustainable timber harvest levels (Brackley).
Tradeoffs among ecosystem services benefits (Nicholls)
Integrating ecosystem Services and forest restoration (Deal/Patterson)
Heating options suing biomass removals from Staney young growth (Nicholls).
Social benefits of restoration projects (Kruger). Staney Community Forestry Project FINAL: REPORTResources
Resources
http://www.fs.fed.us/publications/watershed/
http://conserveonline.org/workspaces/staney-creek/
http://conserveonline.org/workspaces/staney-creek/documents/documents-and-papers/view.html
The Forest Service