Esopus Creek, Catskill Mountains, New York

Protecting Water Resources Protecting Water Resources fromfrom and and through through Forest Management …AgainForest Management …Again

Thom Kyker-Snowman, C.F. Natural Resource SpecialistMassachusetts DCR-Division of Water Supply Protection

Paul K. Barten, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Forest ResourcesUniversity of Massachusetts-Amherst

One Forest Under Two Flags CIF/SAF 2004 Edmonton, Alberta

Overview

• Management options

• From the forest to the faucet in Boston

• What’s wrong with this forest?

• Silviculture to enhance watershed forests

• Deer and regeneration

• The connections between forests and water

• Questions

Management Options

1. Business as usual

• timber production with conservative BMPs [CMPs]

2. Watershed Forest Management

• changing forest structure to enhance vigor and diversity

• resistance to and resilience following natural disturbance

• water …first, other products and values …second

3. Do nothing …designate as a ”wilderness” area

• Boston and 40 communities; 2,500,000 people

• Unfiltered supply

• DWSP Mandate: …pure water for future generations

• Deliver ≥ 250,000,000 gallons/day …in perpetuity

• 100,000 acres ~$1 million stumpage, $100 million water

The critical first barrier

Boston’s Water Supply

The Protection Forest: What’s wrong with this picture?

• What’s right? Forest…all other land covers degrade water.

• But, mature, even-aged overstory– Capacity for nutrient uptake by

older forests is limited– Susceptibility to catastrophic wind

(‘38 data – 50-70% damage) lower resistance

• Underdeveloped understory and midstory– Slower recovery from disturbance– Lower nutrient assimilation lower resilience

Hurricane of ‘38

July

MA microburst 1988

Regional Forest Disturbances in the New England

Ice storm 1998

HWA

Gypsy moth

Remember where this forest has been.

fast forward 70 to 100 years

eliminate Wolves, American chestnut, hemlock?

add exotic insects and diseases, invasive plants, and atmospheric deposition

brace for new challenges

1720 1840 1930

The Harvard Forest Models

Not just young, aggrading forests everywhere…

Multiple age classes/layers (The conversion of even-aged stands to uneven-aged structure in Southern NE (Kelty et al. 2003 NJAF))

Overstory (maturing)• regulates microclimate• seed source• large woody debris

Midstory (aggrading)• assimilates nutrients• accumulates biomass• resistant to wind damage

Regeneration (ready reserve)• least susceptible to disturbance

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

% d

istu

rbed

Unmanaged

Managed

1635 1788 1815 1938

• Increase frequency to decrease amplitude of disturbance• Effect of disturbance …quantity, quality, timing of flow

Diversifying Forest Structure: Finding the Balance

Source: Satterlund and Adams, 1992. Wildland watershed management.

25% removal

Regeneration (shoot the deer!)

• No hunting access (1936 – 1990)• Controlled hunt (1991 – present)

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

1989 1993 1994 1995 1996

Mea

n S

tem

s/ac

re

OTH

OAK

MAP

HEM

WP

Div. of Water Supply Protection Forest Management

• 80,000 acres under management

• 8 field foresters

• 8-10 MMBF/year sawtimber, 4,500 cords fuelwood, and 7,000 tons of pulpwood

• Stumpage ~$1 million

• First public land in North America to be Green Certified

……this all sounds vaguely familiarthis all sounds vaguely familiar

~900BC~900BC …accurate concept of hydrologic cycle in China…accurate concept of hydrologic cycle in China

~400BC~400BC …Plato’s observations about land degradation …Plato’s observations about land degradation

13421342 …first …first “protection forest”“protection forest” established in Switzerland established in Switzerland (322 established by 1777)(322 established by 1777)

George Perkins Marsh, 1864 …”Man and Nature”

““With the disappearance of the forest all is changed.With the disappearance of the forest all is changed.””

Sustainable forestry is [still] the antidote to exploitive logging.

Gifford Pinchot, 1903 …”A Primer of Forestry

““A forest, large or small, may render its service in many A forest, large or small, may render its service in many ways. It may reach its highest usefulness by standing as a ways. It may reach its highest usefulness by standing as a safeguard against floods, winds, snow slides, moving sands, or safeguard against floods, winds, snow slides, moving sands, or especially against the dearth of water in streams.especially against the dearth of water in streams.””

Raphael Zon, 1911 …”Forests and Water in Light of Scientific Investigation

““A national policy which, though considering the direct A national policy which, though considering the direct value of forests as a source of timber, fails to take full account value of forests as a source of timber, fails to take full account also of their influence upon erosion, the flow of streams, and also of their influence upon erosion, the flow of streams, and climate, climate, may easily endanger the well-being of the whole may easily endanger the well-being of the whole people.people.””

Hon. Joseph G. Cannon(R-Illinois) (1836-1926)

First elected in 1873

Speaker of the House1903-1911

Weeks Act debate of 1911

“Not one cent for scenery.”

of Pres. Theodore Roosevelt:

”He had no more respect for the Constitution than a tomcat has for a marriage license.”

Policy Statement National Association of State ForestersJackson, MississippiSeptember 29, 2004 (last Wednesday)

“The Connection Between Forests and Water”

“Water, in all its uses and permutations, is by far the most valuable commodity that comes from the forest land that we manage, assist others to manage, and/or regulate.”

The Ashokan Reservoir from Slide Mountain, New York