United States

Department of

Agriculture

Forest Service

Pacific Northwest

Research Station

General Technical

Report

PNW-GTR-760

May 2008

Effects of Forest Practices on

Peak Flows and Consequent

Channel Response: A State-ofScience Report for Western

Oregon and Washington

Gordon E. Grant, Sarah L. Lewis, Frederick J. Swanson, John H. Cissel,

and Jeffrey J. McDonnell
The Forest Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is dedicated to the

principle of multiple use management of the Nation’s forest resources for sustained yields of wood, water, forage, wildlife, and recreation. Through forestry

research, cooperation with the States and private forest owners, and management of the national forests and national grasslands, it strives—as directed by

Congress—to provide increasingly greater service to a growing Nation.

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and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion,

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all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require

alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print,

audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice

and TDD).

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1400 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-

3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and

employer.

Authors

Gordon E. Grant is a research hydrologist and Frederick J. Swanson is a research geologist, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest

Research Station, Forestry Sciences Laboratory, 3200 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis,

OR 97331; Sarah L. Lewis is a faculty research assistant, Department of Geosciences, and Jeffrey J. McDonnell is a professor, Department of Forest Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331; John H. Cissel was the science

liaison for western Oregon, U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land

Management, Corvallis, OR 97331, and is currently the program manager for the

Joint Fire Science Program, Boise, ID 83705.
i

Abstract

Grant, Gordon E.; Lewis, Sarah L.; Swanson, Frederick J.; Cissel, John H.;

McDonnell, Jeffrey J. 2008. Effects of forest practices on peak flows and

consequent channel response: a state-of-science report for western Oregon and

Washington. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-760. Portland, OR: U.S. Department

of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 76 p.

This is a state-of-the-science synthesis of the effects of forest harvest activities on

peak flows and channel morphology in the Pacific Northwest, with a specific focus

on western Oregon and Washington. We develop a database of relevant studies

reporting peak flow data across rain-, transient-, and snow-dominated hydrologic

zones, and provide a quantitative comparison of changes in peak flow across both a

range of flows and forest practices. Increases in peak flows generally diminish with

decreasing intensity of percentage of watershed harvested and lengthening recurrence intervals of flow. Watersheds located in the rain-dominated zone appear to be

less sensitive to peak flow changes than those in the transient snow zone; insufficient

data limit interpretations for the snow zone. Where present, peak flow effects on

channel morphology should be confined to stream reaches where channel gradients

are less than approximately 0.02 and streambeds are composed of gravel and finer

material. We provide guidance as to how managers might evaluate the potential risk

of peak flow increases based on factors such as presence of roads, watershed drainage efficiency, and specific management treatments employed. The magnitude of

effects of forest harvest on peak flows in the Pacific Northwest, as represented by

the data reported here, are relatively minor in comparison to other anthropogenic

changes to streams and watersheds.

Keywords: Peak flow, forest harvest, channel morphology, Pacific Northwest.
ii

Summary

This paper presents a state-of-the-science synthesis of the effects of forest harvest

activities on peak flows and channel morphology in the Pacific Northwest (PNW),

with a specific focus on western Oregon and Washington. Findings are broadly

applicable to additional areas in the PNW and other regions with similar physical

characteristics. The primary intent is to provide technical guidance to land managers in distinguishing potential major from minor effects. We develop a database

of relevant studies reporting peak flow data across rain-, transient-, and snowdominated hydrologic zones, and provide a quantitative comparison of changes in

peak flow across a range of flows and forest treatments. We consider treatments that

are implemented at the scale of individual harvest units and small catchments (<10

km2

). We also suggest an approach for evaluating potential risk from peak flow

increases in larger basins (>10 km2

) with complex management histories. We provide a qualitative analysis for interpreting likely magnitude of peak flow changes on

channels of different geomorphic types.

The primary research studies used to evaluate effects of forest practices on

peak flows come from long-term, experimental watersheds and, to a lesser extent,

modeling and process studies. We organized studies from the literature based on

hydrologic zones and intensity of management activities conducted. Next, we

analyzed the data for peak flow trends across the range of flows and intensity of

management treatments represented, ultimately focusing on geomorphically effective events (recurrence interval greater than 1 year) that have the potential to

influence channel morphology. We constructed response lines representing the

maximum and mean reported peak flow increases (expressed as percentage increase)

from small watershed studies, and evaluated these increases against the limits of

detectable change from flow measurements alone (approximately 10 percent

change). We then expanded our scale of investigation to look at how other factors

such as roads, patterns of cuts, and riparian buffers potentially influence peak flows

at larger watershed scales, and suggest means of interpreting the envelope lines from

the small watershed studies in larger basins. Finally, we fold considerations of

channel type and morphology, as defined primarily by channel gradient, into the

analysis to provide a first-order prediction of whether peak flow increases of a

particular magnitude might affect channel structure in a particular basin.

The site-scale data support the interpretation that watersheds located in the raindominated region are less sensitive to peak flow changes than those in the transient

snow region. The data further support the interpretation that if peak flow increases
iii

do occur, they can be detected only in flows with a return period of 6 years or less.

Effects of forest harvest on extreme flows cannot be detected using current technologies and data record lengths, but hydrologic theory suggests that such effects

are likely to be small. Small watershed studies (particularly those involving clearcuts) likely represent the maximum effect of forest harvest on the landscape, and

we suggest that such effects should diminish, or at most remain constant, with

increasing watershed size.

Moreover, the data support the inference that when present, peak flow effects

on channels should be confined to a relatively discrete portion of the stream network: stream reaches where channel gradients are less than approximately 0.02 and

streambed and banks are gravel and finer material. Peak flow effects on channel

morphology can be confidently excluded in high-gradient (slopes >0.10) and

bedrock reaches, and are likely to be minor in most step-pool systems. On the other

hand, if channels are gravel or sand-bedded, a more detailed hydrologic and geomorphic analysis seems warranted.

The magnitude of effects of forest harvest on peak flows in the Pacific Northwest, as represented by the data reported here, are relatively minor in comparison to

other anthropogenic changes to streams and watersheds. The impact of forest

harvest in the Pacific Northwest on peak flows is substantially less than that of

dams, urbanization, and other direct modification of channels.
iv

1 Introduction

2 Context

2 Motivating Issues

4 Historical Changes in Management Practices

6 Influences on Peak Flows

7 Technical Background

8 Defining Peak Flows

9 Hydrologic Processes Affecting Peak Flows

11 Paired Watershed Studies

13 Modeling Studies

13 Study Design and Elements

13 Geographic and Spatial Scales

14 Management Treatments

16 Hydrologic Zones

16 Scaling Hydrologic Processes and Effects

17 Limitations of Analysis

18 Methods

18 Literature Review and Distribution of Relevant Studies

21 Peak Flow Data Set Compilation and Analysis

30 Findings

30 Peak Flow Changes at the Site Scale

37 Analysis of Peak Flow Increases in Larger Basins

38 Application

41 Channel Response to Potential Peak Flow Increases

44 Management Implications

47 Acknowledgments

48 English Equivalents

48 Literature Cited

61 Appendix 1: Additional Resources

65 Appendix 2: Watershed Data Tables
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Effects of Forest Practices on Peak Flows and Consequent Channel Response

Introduction

This paper presents a state-of-the-science synthesis of the effects of forest harvest

activities on peak flows and channel morphology in the Pacific Northwest, with

a particular focus on western Oregon and Washington. In this paper, we suggest

reasonable ranges of interpretation for existing studies and provide a framework

for extrapolation of the findings to modern applications. We use published and

peer-reviewed scientific literature including both primary studies and syntheses in

our analysis. This work draws on recent literature reviews (e.g., Guillemette et al.

2005, Moore and Wondzell 2005), which examine a full suite of hydrological

changes attributed to forest management across a large geographic region. Here we

adopt a narrower geographic and topical focus because of the prominence of the

peak flows issue in current management and regulatory discussions throughout

western Oregon and Washington.

Our focus is exclusively on hydrologic changes to peak flows and consequent

effects on stream channels. We recognize that there are many other hydrologic

effects relevant to managers, including changes to low flows, water yield, etc. In

the interests of providing focus, and also because the peak flow issue remains one

of the most contentious in terms of land management decisions, we restrict our

analysis to changes in peak flow. Further, we do not examine other well-researched

geomorphic responses to land management (e.g., landslides) even though hydrologic processes are often involved. Finally, in interpreting potential effects of peak

flow changes on channels we emphasize changes that have biological implications,

i.e., changes to aquatic habitat and sediment transport, but do not consider biological or water quality effects directly.

Our intent is to help land managers distinguish potential major from minor

effects in evaluating impacts of forest harvest on peak flows. We maintain that,

despite some controversy in the interpretation of study results, there is actually a

substantial amount of agreement among scientists as to the likely magnitude and

consequence of peak flow changes. Moreover, we recognize important variation in

peak flow response across hydrologic regions and forest harvest treatment types and

suggest ways that this variation can be acknowledged in forest planning. Because of

the changing nature of land use practices and large gaps in data for various treatment types, this study must inevitably rely on extrapolation of well-established

results into areas with much less data, hence less certainty. We have tried to do this

by using clear logic and assumptions that can provide useful sideboards to constrain

uncertainty, and guide management decisions.
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GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-760

Beginning with some background perspectives on the peak flow issue, we

lay out an approach that we believe offers a consistent train of logic to help guide

management direction in this area. We develop a database of relevant studies

reporting peak flow data, and provide a quantitative comparison of change in peak

flow across a range of flows and forest treatments, and among hydrologic zones.

We also consider how treatments that are implemented at the scale of individual

harvest units might also affect peak flows at the scale of larger drainage basins,

where the pattern and age of management units, presence of roads, and condition

of riparian areas are all factors. Finally, we provide a qualitative analysis for

interpreting likely magnitude of peak flow changes on different channel types.

Taken together, these findings are intended to help managers understand the likely

magnitude of forest management effects on peak flows and channel morphology in

western Oregon and Washington.

Context

Understanding the approach taken here requires appreciation of the broader context

of peak flows and the changing nature of forest management practices.

Motivating Issues

The relationship between forest practices and streamflow has been with us for

millennia. Plato wrote of the connection between forests and streamflow in the

Critias, and an ancient Chinese proverb reads: “To rule the mountain is to rule the

river.” The first “protection forest” was established in Switzerland in 1342 to

control torrents in the Alps, and such forests were common by the 16th century in

Switzerland, Austria, and Germany. In the United States, establishment of federal

forest reserves in 1891 was motivated by securing “favorable conditions of flow”

as well as providing for timber supply. Widespread concern over the relationship

between forest cutting and floods provided the impetus for laws establishing the

National Forest System in 1905, and this concern is renewed following all major

floods when it becomes fashionable to damn forestry as a primary cause of flooding. In the view of the public, and even among trained professionals, the relationship between deforestation and floods is well-established and self-evident (FAO

2005).

The long history of scientific research examining the effects of forests and

forest practices on hydrology reveals a much more complex story. Beginning in

1910 with the first paired-watershed experiments at Wagon Wheel Gap, Colorado,
3

Effects of Forest Practices on Peak Flows and Consequent Channel Response

hydrologists have sought to establish the relationship between timber harvest, road

construction, and related activities, and streamflow in a wide range of climatic,

geographic, vegetative, and management settings. The published results of these

studies provide a voluminous, dense, and often contradictory literature. With

reference only to the effects of forest harvest on peak flows—the focus of this

paper—results differ from study to study, watershed to watershed, and region to

region. Consensus views have been difficult to achieve, however, perhaps because

of the wide range of experimental locales, statistical approaches, treatment types

and intensities, and watershed histories represented in the technical literature.

Despite this lack of consensus from the scientific community, land managers

and regulatory agencies are in the position of having to plan forest land management in a manner that addresses the peak flow issue. Forest land managers in the

Western United States have developed strategies intended to minimize the potential

effect of forest activities on streamflow, particularly peak flows. Such strategies are

often identified as a means of addressing potential cumulative watershed effects and

have included a wide range of approaches, including scheduling constraints on timber harvest (i.e., aggregate recovery percentage [ARP]), and procedures to represent land use activities in a common currency of disturbance (i.e., equivalent

clearcut area [ECA], equivalent roaded area [ERA]) (reviewed by Reid 1993).

More recently, regulatory agencies in the Pacific Northwest charged with implementing the Endangered Species Act (ESA) must reconcile the scientific literature

on peak flows with the potential effects on fish species and critical habitat as a

result of activities designed under the Aquatic Conservation Strategy of the Northwest Forest Plan (Reeves et al. 2006, Tuchmann et al. 1996). In particular, the peak

flow issue has most commonly surfaced as part of the ESA consultation process

associated with specific land management projects proposed by federal agencies.

Regulatory agencies and land managers must resolve uncertainties associated with

this issue, and reasonably assess the relationship between any potential peak flow

changes and consequences to channel morphology and fish viability. Moreover,

there has been continuing litigation regarding cumulative effect analyses within

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents.

With both the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service facing

major revisions of their regional-scale forest plans in the next few years in the

Pacific Northwest, there is a clear need to revisit the issue of peak flows as it

applies to forest management. This study and report were initiated by the BLM

to provide a venue for technical analysis and guidance toward development and
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GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-760

implementation of their new resource management plans (RMPs). This is particularly timely, as many of the forest management practices that were represented in

small watershed studies in the past are changing in response to societal and ecological factors. Interpreting and extrapolating the results of this historical science in

light of new management treatments is clearly necessary to bridge gaps in our

understanding, and requires the perspectives of research scientists, field practitioners, and forest planners. This project is intended to begin to fill that gap.

To ensure that a broad range of both management and scientific views were

considered in the development of this document, we held two 1-day workshops for

external comment and review. The first, held in Corvallis, Oregon, in November

2005, included land managers and resource specialists (primarily hydrologists)

from the BLM, Forest Service, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries. This workshop somewhat paralleled a similar one encompassing a broader set of hydrologic issues held at the H.J. Andrews Experimental

Forest in May 2004 and funded by the Focused Science Delivery Program of the

USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest (PNW) Research Station. At the 2005

workshop, the discussion focused on introducing our overall approach to this issue,

including the hydrologic zone and management treatment framework, and soliciting input and suggestions on how to improve our analysis. The second workshop,

held in Corvallis in March 2006, included scientists from across the Pacific Northwest whose work is relevant to aspects of the peak flow issue. Here we looked for

an oral review and critique of the ideas contained in this paper and attempted to

identify areas of common agreement and disagreement within the research community. Results of all three workshops have been incorporated into the document as

best we could, but the paper does not necessarily reflect agreement or consensus

among all workshop participants. Results from this study were also presented at the

BLM State of the Science Conference in Corvallis in June 2006.

Historical Changes in Management Practices

Forest management practices on federal lands have changed a great deal in the last

50 years in response to changing markets, technology, social values, legal context,

and scientific understanding of ecosystem responses. Intensive stand-level silviculture for timber production dominated federal forestry in the 1950s, 1960s, and

1970s. Although there was variation throughout the region and over time, typical

practices included dispersed patch clearcutting, broadcast burning, and artificial

regeneration. In some places, usually on sites that were more difficult to regenerate,
5

Effects of Forest Practices on Peak Flows and Consequent Channel Response

shelterwood cuts were used instead of clearcuts. Shelterwoods typically left 30

to 40 percent of the basal area of the stand after the first harvest; a second harvest

then removed these trees after regeneration was established, commonly 10 years

later. Sometimes the second cut was never implemented and the shelter trees were

left as a component of the stand, such as in Coyote Creek watershed 1. The majority of paired watershed studies in the region examine these early types of regeneration harvests.

In the late 1980s, changing science and changing values created an urgent need

to modify these practices to reduce risks to species, habitats, and ecological processes, including peak streamflows. Integrating the lessons learned from long-term

ecological studies into management practices resulted in the retention of large green

trees, snags, and logs when regeneration harvests occurred, although the level of

live tree retention differed greatly among sites. This practice of leaving green trees

became known as “variable-retention harvesting” and encompassed practices where

as few as 2 trees per acre (tpa) and as many as 30 to 40 tpa were left.

Regeneration harvests were dramatically reduced in the 1990s and post

2000 because of the need to conserve and recover populations of listed species,

including northern spotted owls (Strix occidentalis caurina), marbled murrelets

(Brachyramphus marmoratus), and several species of anadromous salmonids.

Emphasis shifted to commercially thinning plantations established after clearcutting in the 1950s and 1960s. Although some commercial thinning was implemented prior to the 1990s, it was limited in extent. Initial native forest thins and

precommercial thins were conservative and had little impact on stand development.

However, as more information regarding the development of late-successional

habitat emerged, thinning practices removed more material, sometimes leaving as

few as 40 tpa. Thus the range of practices now described as thinning is as broad

as (in terms of material retained), and potentially overlaps with, variable-retention

harvesting.

The spatial pattern of forest harvests has also changed over time. In the 1950s,

1960s, and 1970s, clearcuts were dispersed across the landscape to help establish a

road network, to intersperse areas of forage and cover for large game animals, and

to distribute the hydrologic effects of forest cuttings. This began to change in the

1980s as the wildlife value of the remaining but increasingly scarce patches of

intact older forest increased. Harvests were often aggregated to minimize fragmentation of the remaining old forest.
6

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-760

From a hydrological standpoint, a treatment that retains an extremely low percentage of live trees (e.g., 2 tpa, 100- to 80-percent harvested) can be assumed to

be functionally equivalent to a clearcut. At the other end of the range (30 to 40 tpa,

30-percent harvested to lightly thinned), the challenge is to detect when hydrologic

functions of a harvested watershed become significantly modified from uncut

forest.

Influences on Peak Flows

It is well documented that intensive forest harvest, including clearcutting, broadcast burning, road building, and riparian disturbance, have the potential to dramatically change the biophysical processes in watersheds. Changes in annual water and

sediment yield, low flows, peak flows, and water quality metrics (e.g., temperature,

chemical composition) have all been observed after forest harvest, and tied to resultant ecological effects. These interactions have become an important feature of

assessments of proposed forestry operations, although some aspects of these interactions are scientifically well understood, and some are not. We now have long records from experimental watershed studies (some exceeding 50 years) and maturing

capability of simulation modeling to allow us to better test hypotheses of these

complex linkages.

Forest management practices are not the only causes of historical variations in

peak flow and other pertinent hydrologic parameters. Urbanization, agriculture,

and grazing can all influence drainage efficiency, defined as the routing and timing

of water delivery to the channel and through a stream network (Tague and Grant

2004). At the larger basin scale, dam and reservoir operations typically also alter

the natural hydrograph, thus complicating the interpretation of direct effects of

forest management to peak flows and channels. Natural disturbances such as standreplacing wildfires, or landslides and debris flows, can also dramatically alter

hydrologic and geomorphic systems.

A wide array of components factor into hydrologic and geomorphic behavior,

including climate, biotic and geophysical processes, natural disturbances, and management practices; storage and fluxes of water, sediment, and wood; and resulting

channel and water column habitat for aquatic organisms. This review focuses on a

subset of these components: forest management effects on peak flow and channel

structure (fig. 1). We recognize that this wider array of components and management practices may influence peak flow and channel structure independently and

interactively, rather than directly. For example, peak flows redistribute sediment

and pieces of large wood that, in turn, trap additional sediment, thereby creating
7

Effects of Forest Practices on Peak Flows and Consequent Channel Response

channel habitat. We also recognize that in addition to our interest in changes in the

magnitude of peak flow for the purposes of channel-changing sediment transport,

changes in the timing and duration of peak flow events and the magnitude of peaks

with recurrence intervals less than 1 year may have important ecological ramifications not discussed here. Although it is challenging to disentangle the complex

effects of forest management on peak flows and channel morphology, we strive to

keep our emphasis on the direct effects of forest management.

Technical Background

An extensive literature on a variety of mechanisms addresses the effects of forestry

practices on peak flows (e.g., Beschta et al. 2000, Harr 1980, Jones and Grant

1996, Moore and Wondzell 2005, Reid and Lewis 2007, Ziemer and Lisle 1998).

We begin by defining some hydrologic terminology and summarizing findings

about key processes affected by forest harvest. We then explore the history, interpretations, and limitations of the paired watershed and modeling studies that have

addressed changes in peak flow.

Figure 1—A process model of the relation between land use practices and altered storm peaks (after Ziemer

1998). Shading indicates processes considered in this report; A through D indicate boxes shown in figure 2.
8

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-760

Defining Peak Flows

In the Pacific Northwest, natural fluctuations in stream discharge are controlled by

seasonal precipitation and snowmelt patterns. With the majority of precipitation

falling in the winter months, the annual hydrograph of a stream has a characteristic

shape, reaching its highest levels during intense rain events or spring snowmelt, and

receding to its lowest levels in the late summer. Overlain on this seasonal pattern

are numerous hydrograph peaks that are because of individual precipitation events.

Depending on the type of information desired, different populations of hydrograph

peaks are used to perform statistical analyses that explore characteristics of, and

changes to, peak flows. For this synthesis, we are primarily concerned with two of

these populations: annual peak flow series, and partial-duration series. Dunne and

Leopold (1978) presented a detailed discussion of the relation between the two

types of series. Annual instantaneous peak flows are used in flood-frequency

analysis to determine recurrence intervals (see below), whereas most peak flow

investigations compare pre- and posttreatment partial-duration series, composed

of a larger population of hydrograph peaks above a specified magnitude (see

“Methods” section).

The recurrence interval (RI) or return period of a flow is the average number

of years over the period of record that an annual peak flow equals or exceeds a

specified discharge. This metric may also be reported as the annual exceedence

probability, which is calculated as the inverse of the recurrence interval, e.g. the

probability that the flow will be equaled or exceeded in any given year. For example, a flow with a 5-year RI has a 0.2 probability (20 percent chance) of being

equaled or exceeded in any given year. Recurrence interval is based on the statistical characterization of a time series of annual peak flow values, often by fitting

these values to an assumed probability distribution (i.e., Log Pearson). The highest

instantaneous discharge of a stream each water year is considered the annual peak

streamflow. The length of the data series determines the largest recurrence interval

that can be calculated. For example, extracting the highest annual instantaneous

peak flow from each of 10 years of measured streamflow allows the determination

of the 1-, 2-, 5-, and up to the 10-year RI, but calculating the 20- or 50-year RI

requires a longer record. Recurrence intervals of flows are commonly reported in

peak flow studies and are used here to facilitate flow comparisons among watersheds.

Recurrence interval should not be confused with flow-duration analysis. Flowduration curves are derived from daily streamflow values, and describe the percentage of time that flow is above or below a certain magnitude. Flow-duration analysis

is useful for characterizing flows with recurrence intervals of 1 year or less.
9

Effects of Forest Practices on Peak Flows and Consequent Channel Response

The annual sequencing of flows and the inter-annual variation in discharge

influences both the geomorphology of the stream channel and the ecology of

aquatic and riparian habitats. This natural variation supports a complex relationship between channel morphology and ecosystem function. Flows that have the

capacity to initiate bedload sediment transport, and thus channel change, are called

geomorphically effective flows (Pickup and Warner 1976). In the coarse-grained

streams typical of the Pacific Northwest, these flows generally occur at or above

bankfull discharge, at recurrence intervals greater than 1 year (Andrews 1983,

1984), and are often captured by the analysis of an annual peak flow series. Flows

with recurrence intervals of less than 1 year may transport sediment in fine-grained

channels, and are more commonly analyzed with flow-duration statistics (e.g.,

Topping et al. 2000a, 2000b).

Hydrologic Processes Affecting Peak Flows

In general, changes in site-level conditions accompanying forest harvest are predicted to change local hydrologic processes such that peak flows generally increase

(fig. 1). The strong seasonality of many of these effects can determine which

processes are dominant at any given time. Our analysis involved interpreting how

the change to each process is likely to scale with the intensity of treatment, and is

summarized below and in figure 2.

Evapotranspiration—

Removal of trees and leaf area decreases evapotranspiration rates, leading to increased soil moisture in harvested areas; this reduces the subsurface saturation

deficit that needs to be made up before direct runoff can occur, thereby increasing

peak flows for the same volume storm. This effect is most pronounced in autumn

when forest soils are driest. Once the soil mantle wets up, this effect largely disappears. This effect is expected to scale more or less linearly with the amount of

vegetation removed by forest harvest (Harr 1976, Rothacher 1973).

Interception—

Canopy removal decreases the amount of water intercepted by vegetation during

precipitation events allowing a greater proportion of total precipitation to reach the

forest floor. Decreases in direct interception because of canopy removal therefore

have the potential to increase soil moisture levels, thereby increasing peak flows

(Reid and Lewis 2007). This effect should scale linearly with amount of canopy

removed and can occur in any season.
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GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-760

Cloud water interception—

Cloud water interception by the canopy (sometimes referred to as fog drip [Harr

1982]) can be a major source of water input in some watersheds. In this case,

canopy removal has the potential to decrease cloud water interception, decreasing

peak flows. As this process is strongly influenced by wind bringing moist air masses

through canopies, the largest effects should be in harvested areas on upper hillslopes

and ridges facing in the direction of the prevailing wind. Harvesting leeward slopes

and valley bottoms should have less effect.

Snow accumulation and melt rates—

Changes to snow accumulation and melt rates may result in peak flow changes

during both rain-on-snow (ROS) events and spring flows. Snow tends to accumulate

in canopy openings and melt faster during warm ROS events, primarily as the result

Figure 2—Conceptual change in influence of process on peak flow because of forest harvest for (A)

evapotranspiration, (B) direct interception, (C) fog drip, and (D) snow accumulation and melt. The

maximum possible change occurs at 100-percent harvest, and decreases with harvest as indicated

by bar height for each of the three hydroregions: rain-dominated (R-dark grey), transient snow zone

(T-light grey) and snow-dominated (S-white). The absolute value of the maximum effect is different

among processes and hydrologic zones.
11

Effects of Forest Practices on Peak Flows and Consequent Channel Response

of energy released by moisture condensing on the snow surface; this effect is

predicted to scale with the opening size (Harr and McCorison 1979). Large canopy

openings, especially at higher elevations, are also subject to increased sublimation

from wind, thereby reducing snow cover over time (Storck et al. 2002). Scaling this

process is complex because of this nonlinear response.

Soil compaction—

Roads also play a key role in altering peak flow dynamics (fig. 1). Compaction of

soils from construction of new access or skid roads results in less infiltration and

greater overland flow. When this increased flow is intercepted by road networks

that cross subsurface flowpaths and change flow routing, both the peak magnitude

and time of peak concentration may change in a watershed. Because these mechanisms directly involve flow routing, the actual effect on peak flows depends on how

increased flow and accelerated timing of runoff from road surfaces interact with

other water delivery processes (Luce 2002). This effect should roughly scale with

percentage of area compacted or length of road network that is directly connected

to streams or both (Wemple et al. 1996) but is highly dependent on the location of

roads in the landscape (Wemple and Jones 2003). It is difficult to disentangle road

effects from harvest effects because most harvested basins have roads. Instead we

draw upon modeling studies that estimate the magnitude of peak flow increase

likely because of road construction alone (Bowling and Lettenmaier 2001).

Paired Watershed Studies

Experimental watershed research in the Pacific Northwest began more than 50

years ago with the establishment of three small watersheds in the H.J. Andrews

Experimental Forest in the western Cascades of Oregon, and grew to include

multiple sets of watersheds in British Columbia, Washington, coastal and southern

Oregon, and northern California. The studies were performed over small areas (0.1

to 10 km2

), and originally were intended to assess initial effects of management

practices. In several cases, the gage records were terminated 5 to 10 years after

treatments, but in others the watershed records have been sustained or, in some

cases, reactivated after a break in record of several decades.

Small watershed studies predominantly use control-treatment comparisons in

adjacent watershed pairs, although some experimental studies (e.g., Casper Creek)

use a nested approach with multiple gages measuring streamflow and other watershed products at several scales within the same watershed. Comparisons among sets

of experimental watersheds arrayed longitudinally or along environmental gradients

provide important information as well.
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GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-760

The experimental design in paired-watershed studies is typically based on

comparison of metrics extracted from hydrographs between treated and untreated

watersheds following a pretreatment period during which streamflows from the

two watersheds are calibrated against each other. The difference between the preand posttreatment relation for the pair is then interpreted as the treatment effect,

although other statistical comparisons are possible depending on objective (see

Jones 2005 for review).

Although the paired-watershed approach is well-established in the literature, it

has a number of limitations.

• The pretreatment period may not include the same range of flows as

observed in the posttreatment period, leading to some uncertainty about

what the predicted flow would have been based on the treated/control

relationship. This is primarily a problem for extreme high and low flows.

• The relationship between the treated and control watersheds may change

over time for reasons other than the treatment, for example: (a) forests are

aging in both cases, but are at different points in succession, hence type and

rate of change of forest stand condition differ; (b) one or both watersheds

may be affected by natural disturbances, such as fire, defoliating insects, or

windthrow; or (c) both control and treated watersheds may be affected by

adjacent treatments.

• Extreme floods are very important, but by definition occur rarely, so the

sample size of these events is always small, and it is difficult to move

beyond anecdotal predictions to robust statistical analysis.

• Disentangling the effects of multiple treatments (e.g., forest cutting and

roads) within the same watershed is problematic, especially when

treatments overlap in both time and space.

• The timescales over which these experiments are typically run often

include climatic variation that can influence the outcome of the experiment in unknown ways. For example, the measured treatment effect might

be different if it occurred at the beginning of a dry or wet cycle as driven

by the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. Progressive global warming over the

past and into future decades introduces additional uncertainty in

interpreting results.

• Local variability in precipitation and difficulty in accurately measuring

precipitation means that there can be different but unmeasurable inputs to

paired watersheds during the same event, leading to different flow

responses.
13

Effects of Forest Practices on Peak Flows and Consequent Channel Response

• Small watershed studies are inherently expensive and difficult to maintain,

and therefore represent case studies without even pseudoreplication. In the

absence of true replication, it is difficult to make strong statistical

inferences.

• Small watershed studies are limited by the accuracy of the instruments

and techniques used to measure streamflow, and accuracy varies over the

distribution of flows, ranging from a few percent for low flows measured

with an accurately calibrated weir, to 10 to 15 percent or more for high

flows measured by standard stage-to-discharge techniques and calibrated

against periodic wading discharge measurements (see Sauer and Meyer

1992, for discussion of error).

Modeling Studies

Increasingly, researchers are using process-based models to formulate hypotheses

that are tested against available measured data. Some models employ detailed

understanding of hydrologic and geomorphic processes to inform the statistical

analysis of long-term data sets (Lewis et al. 2001). Other models, such as the

Distributed Hydrology Soil Vegetation Model (DHSVM) (Bowling and Lettenmaier

2001), and the Regional Hydro-Ecologic Simulation System (RHESSys) (Tague

and Band 2001) use spatially distributed data sets to investigate complex linkages

between management treatments and hydrologic response. Modeling efforts are

increasingly relied upon to fill both data gaps and process-linkages that are not

addressed by the traditional paired watershed literature, and are therefore included

in this synthesis.

Study Design and Elements

To synthesize the available data from a wide variety of studies, we developed a

framework to maximize the correlation of findings, and explore process-based

explanations for the results of paired-watershed and modeling studies of forest

harvest effects on peak flows. The following sections explain the definitions we

used to explore the data set and introduce our approach to distilling the results of

our analysis in a rigorous and useful fashion.

Geographic and Spatial Scales

We develop our analysis at two spatial scales. The site scale refers to studies that

examine hydrologic response for management practices conducted on hillslopes,
14

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-760

plots, or within small experimental watersheds (area <10 km2). This scale is

generally synonymous with the terms drainage and catchment, and includes headwater (zero- and first-order) streams, and is significantly smaller than the management units defined by the hydrologic unit code (HUC). Management treatments at

this scale typically involve one or several management activities with or without

the presence of roads; we focus on the hydrologic impact of specific forest harvest

activities. Most experimental watershed studies have been conducted at the site

scale (area <10 km2

), and therefore most of our data synthesis and analysis occurs

at this scale.

At the basin scale (> 10 km2 to < 500 km2), we consider ways of evaluating the

composite effects of roads, along with the size, age, and spatial distribution of harvested units, together with the effects of riparian buffers or reserves. We use this

broader spatial scale to examine likely geomorphic response to peak flow increases

in terms of bedload sediment transport and channel morphology. Our basin scale is

larger than the site scale and generally synonymous with the terms subwatershed

and watershed employed by other classification schemes. Our basins include

second- to fifth-order streams, and may be applied to HUC management units up

to fifth-field watersheds.

At both scales of analysis, we exclusively employ the term “watershed” when

referring to a topographic area bounded by drainage divides where surface waters

drain to a common point (usually a gage station). This is not to be confused with

the U.S. Geological Survey’s HUC watershed class, which denotes a drainage basin

of a particular size. Our watersheds have no implied scale.

Although our results are focused on western Oregon and Washington, we

draw on studies beyond this area to provide context and a broader range of climatic

zones and forest and treatment types. The study sites forming the basis for our

analysis are typically located in steep (slopes range from 30 to greater than 60 percent), mountainous terrain with varying geology and soils but usually supporting

mature to old-growth coniferous forests with pretreatment ages greater than 100

years. In general, initial management treatments occurred less than 50 years ago.

Management Treatments

The long timescales involved in implementing and following a paired watershed

design means that land management practices have evolved since the original

treatments were imposed. For example, in the Pacific Northwest, small experiments in the 1960s and 1970s typically used complete clearcutting without riparian
15

Effects of Forest Practices on Peak Flows and Consequent Channel Response

buffers and hot, broadcast burning of slash. Such treatments are not generally

employed today on public lands. No paired watershed studies provide data on

practices commonly used today including green-tree, standing dead, and downed

wood retention; extensive riparian buffers; limited-ground-disturbance logging

methods; and less intense slash reduction methods. Although this might be viewed

as a serious limitation on interpreting peak flow effects of contemporary forest

practices, we maintain that the clearcut treatments and untreated control watersheds

neatly bracket the intensity of today’s treatments, providing a reasonable frame of

reference for interpreting the potential effects of today’s practices.

Because contemporary forest practices are so varied and unlike some of the

practices used in experimental watersheds in the past, it is necessary to describe

classes of practices by using a common frame of reference (fig. 3). We elected to

use the percentage of watershed area harvested (hereafter referred to as percentage

harvested) as the metric to compare studies and treatments, because it can be interpreted from the description of the harvest practice for each study. This classification only represents a general magnitude of harvest, and because of small sample

sizes, ignores both type and spatial pattern of harvest. Under this scheme, the same

percentage harvested generally can represent a range of basal area cut or canopy

removed, and does not distinguish among patch sizes. For example, clearcutting a

single patch equal to 50 percent of an area, cutting small patches totaling 50 percent of an area, and thinning 50 percent of the trees over 100 percent of an area all

Figure 3—Forest harvest treatments that result in a reported value of 50 percent of area harvested.

Theoretical intensity of treatment and predicted influence on peak flow changes decreases from

left to right.
16

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-760

represent 50 percent harvested. However, we recognize that hydrologic effects may

not be the same. In the above example, we would predict that hydrologic impacts

would decrease in the presented order of diminishing intensity of treatment (fig. 3).

Hydrologic Zones

Hydrologic zones represent landscapes sharing the common hydrologic processes

of precipitation type and seasonality, hydraulic conductivity and residence times,

and partitioning of surface and subsurface flow (Winter 2001). These factors

involve interactions among climate, geology, soils, and vegetation. Because historical weather data and seasonal observations of precipitation type are easily coupled

with elevation data for a watershed, we adopt the widely used definition of three

hydrologic zones based on dominant precipitation type: rain-dominated, snowdominated, and the transient snow zone that lies between them.

The transient snow zone (TSZ) is of particular interest because it represents

the geographic region where ROS events are particularly common during winter

months, and such events are potentially affected by timber harvest (Berris and Harr

1987, Christner and Harr 1982, Harr 1986, Jones and Grant 1996). For example, in

western Oregon, the lower boundary of the TSZ falls between 350 and 450 m, and

the upper boundary falls between 1100 and 1200 m (Christner and Harr 1982, Harr

1986). For southern Oregon, the TSZ falls at the relatively higher elevational band

between 760 to 1050 m and 1200 to 1700 m.

Recent studies have further partitioned the landscape on the basis of temperature (Nolin and Daly 2006) and geology (Tague et al. 2007). No commonly

accepted hydrologic zone classification for the Pacific Northwest satisfactorily

incorporates these factors for our purposes, although several candidates have been

proposed (Winter 2001, Wolock et al. 2004). In the absence of a commonly accepted, detailed classification, we use site-specific information to guide data

interpretation within each broadly defined hydrologic zone.

Scaling Hydrologic Processes and Effects

We evaluated the relative magnitude and general trend of forest treatment effect

by hydrologic zone and peak flow generating mechanism (fig. 2). We considered

process-based scaling issues for four key factors: (A) evapotranspiration, (B) direct

interception, (C) cloud water interception, and (D) snow accumulation and melt

rates. We expect the relative dominance of the four processes to range from most to

least important within each hydrologic zone as follows: rain zone–ABCD, transient
17

Effects of Forest Practices on Peak Flows and Consequent Channel Response

snow zone–DABC, and snow zone–DBAC. For example, the influence of snow

dynamics is likely to be maximally expressed in the transient snow zone, where

ROS events are common, moderately expressed in the snow zone, and minimally

expressed in the rain zone, where snow is rare. For each process and hydroregion,

the relative trend presented is a broad interpretation of the degree to which the

process under consideration scales with percentage harvested. This is a conceptual

scaling only, and is not tied to quantitative data. The approach presented (fig. 2)

sets sideboards on the potential relative magnitude of peak flow increases as a

function of hydrologic mechanisms, flow magnitude, and geography.

Limitations of Analysis

The studies reported in this document paint a reasonably consistent picture of forest

management effects on peak flows. There are some outliers, however, and additional factors that may create real and apparent discrepancies among studies:

• Even within a somewhat homogeneous region such as the Pacific

Northwest, existing studies represent a range of geology, topography,

climate, and vegetation types, each of which gives rise to differences in

hydrologic process domains and responses to the same treatment.

• The treatments differ, ranging from clearcutting with broadcast burning

and roads to small patch cuts with no roads or burning. The location of

treatments with respect to other important features (e.g., roads, streams,

sources of groundwater, mass movements, soils of different depths) is

highly variable and typically not described or replicated.

• Studies employ different statistical techniques involving different sets of

assumption and sensitivities to change (Jones 2005). Furthermore, different

standards of statistical significance contribute to varying interpretations.

• Definitions and uses of specific hydrologic metrics differ among studies,

including what constitutes a peak flow (e.g., any hydrograph rise, flows

above a threshold, only geomorphically effective flows).

• Different studies may employ or compare different lengths of record or

calibration periods, and these may span different climatic periods.

• Hydrologic modeling studies employ a range of models with varying

sensitivities to key hydrologic processes, spatial and temporal resolution,

and accuracy of the data sets used.
18

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-760

Despite these limitations, small watershed studies represent the best and in

many cases only means of quantifying the effects of forest practices on streamflow,

particularly when combined with modeling or field-based process studies.

Methods

We first organized published studies based on hydrologic zone and intensity of

management activities (percentage harvested). Next, we analyzed the data for peak

flow trends across the range of flows and percentage harvested, ultimately focusing

on geomorphically effective flows (recurrence interval greater than 1 year) that

have the potential to influence channel morphology. Then we constructed envelope

curves representing the maximum reported peak flow increases, as supported by

our site scale analysis (area < 10 km2

).

We next expanded our investigation to the basin scale (area >10 km2

) to look

at how other factors such as roads, patterns of cuts, treatment type, and riparian

buffers potentially influence peak flows at larger watershed scales, and suggest a

method to interpret the envelope curves from the site-scale studies in larger basins.

Finally, we considered how channel type and morphology, as defined primarily by

channel gradient, could be used to provide a first-order prediction of whether peak

flow increases of a particular magnitude might affect channel structure in a particular watershed.

Literature Review and Distribution of Relevant Studies

A broad literature review was performed to compile research linking forest practices in the Pacific Northwest with changes to peak flow. We surveyed the literature

with standard computer-based search engines using keyword searches for combinations of relevant terms (e.g., peak streamflow, flood, forest harvest, logging, etc.).

Search criteria limited our geographic focus to western North America, except in

the case of broad topical review papers. We also compiled references by crosschecking citations in relevant articles (most notably Moore and Wondzell 2005)

and through personal communication with researchers in the field. The resulting

bibliography includes literature on relevant general hydrologic processes, as well as

experimental and modeling studies that specifically investigate forest harvest effects

on peak flow (app. 1).

Our subsequent synthesis efforts focused on identifying studies that specifically

report changes in peak flow attributed to forest harvest and on distilling the data to

provide a transparent summary that facilitates comparison among studies. Figure 4

illustrates the range of experimental sites where research has been conducted on
19

Effects of Forest Practices on Peak Flows and Consequent Channel Response

Figure 4—Experimental watersheds in the Northwestern United States. Watersheds are arranged by percentage of area

harvested and hydrologic zone. Each box includes applicable studies reporting peak flow data; italics indicate modeling

studies. White background indicates Oregon studies; light gray shading indicates studies of watersheds outside of

Oregon.
20

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-760

the effects of forest harvest on peak flow. The sites (area <10 km2) are arrayed by

hydrologic zone (defined by dominant precipitation type) and management treatment (represented as percentage area harvested). Each box includes the name of the

experimental site and the relevant studies that analyzed peak flow data from that

site. The right-hand column represents larger basins (area >10 km2

), which typically have a more complex history of forest management. Modeling studies included here may also report general findings from multiple sites (e.g., Bowling

et al. 2000) when information on forest treatment and watershed characteristics are

not reported for individual sites.

Although the Pacific Northwest has long been the geographic focus of small

watershed studies, these studies were not intentionally designed to represent the

full range of management treatments across all hydrologic zones (fig. 4). The

snow-dominated zone is particularly poorly represented in Oregon. The combination of older paired studies from Colorado and Idaho, the emerging modeling

literature out of British Columbia and Colorado, and process-based work in southern Oregon (Storck et al. 2002) give us a starting point for interpreting change in

snow-dominated zones.

Early studies in the documentation of peak flow increases attributed to forest

harvest include the only Oregon watersheds in the rain-dominated zone (the Alsea

watersheds) along with the H.J. Andrews Forest in the TSZ. One of the best designed and well-documented long-term experimental studies, Caspar Creek in

northern California, also falls into the rain zone, providing valuable modeling and

empirical data. The main complication in interpreting the data set from the raindominated zone is the presence of roads in almost all watersheds. There has been a

corresponding direct focus on road effects on hydrologic routing (e.g., Wemple and

Jones 2003) and resulting changes in peak flow (Coe 2004).

Much of the research effort in Oregon is understandably focused on the TSZ,

primarily because it affects much of the federal forest land in the Cascades. Treatments in these studies cluster around 100- and 30-percent harvested, and often

included broadcast burning and road construction. Most larger basin studies are also

situated in this hydrologic zone. General trends at the site scale are therefore best

able to support larger basin issues (e.g., roads, scaling) in this hydrologic zone,

particularly when combined with modeling and process studies. Our analysis is

limited to studies that actually report quantitative data (as opposed to descriptive

observations) on changes in peak flow (as opposed to water yield or low flow)

attributed to forest harvest. Supplemental and additional literature may be found in

appendix 1.
21

Effects of Forest Practices on Peak Flows and Consequent Channel Response

Peak Flow Data Set Compilation and Analysis

For each reference listed in the study framework, relevant information was compiled in a series of data tables (app. 2). This information includes the management

history of each experimental watershed (location, climate, forest type, harvest

history, etc.) and the research design and findings of each study (return interval

of peak flow analyzed, length of record used, method of analysis, reported findings, etc.). Modeling and experimental studies were compiled separately, recognizing the inherent differences in study design and format of findings. These data

tables represent the numbers reported by the authors; no additional analyses were

performed on the data. No unpublished data are included in this analysis.

There is a wide range in analytical technique and reporting of peak flow data,

even for a single site with a common data set (e.g., table 1). Partial-duration series

of flow peaks above a specified magnitude from the pre- and posttreatment flow

measurements are typically linearly or logarithmically regressed, or compared by

using analysis of variance (ANOVA). The calculated changes in peak flow can be

reported for flows grouped by season (fall, winter, spring), size (small, medium,

large), type of precipitation event (rain, rain-on-snow), and posttreatment period

length. Data are usually reported as a percentage change in peak flow, which

facilitates comparison among sites. Some studies index findings to changes in

absolute magnitude of flow in a control watershed, whereas other studies index

changes to recurrence interval. Few studies report data across this entire range, and

table 1 exemplifies the challenge that managers face in making sense of the scientific literature.

For this synthesis, we were interested in published results from paired watershed or modeling studies where statistical significance of the results were reported

and peak flow changes could be evaluated (1) across a range of flows for a single

watershed or (2) at a return period greater than 1 year or (3) both. Other criteria

used to select studies included the use of a calibration period and sufficient explanation of the methods employed in analysis.

Several experimental studies do not report quantitative data that we could use

for our comparison. These references were retained, however, for qualitative use

in later sections of the synthesis. Some studies grouped findings by season (Harr et

al. 1975) or precipitation form (Harr 1986) and did not report a combined change

that was inclusive of all sizes of peak flows. Cheng et al. (1975) do not provide

information on the recurrence interval of the flows, probably because of the very

short posttreatment record, and the reported decrease in peak flow (-22 percent) is
22

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-760 Table 1—Peak flow data from H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest Watershed 1 Magnitude of change Event Minimum Return Record Direction years since harvest Reference Method of analysis type flow period length of changea All 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 m3·s-1·km-2 – – – – Years – – – – – – – – – – – – – Percent – – – – – – – – – Rothacher Linear regression of All 0.11 Nr 5 Increase 24 1973 peaks Large 1.09 Nr 5 Nsc nr Harr 1986 Linear regression of Rain- 0.98 2 18 Increase d nr peaks on-snow Jones and Analysis of variance on All 0.03 Na 22 Increase 27 46 28 31 30 Grant 1996 log-transformed Fall 0.03 Na 22 Increase 39 68 30 23 27 peaksb Winter 0.03 Na 22 Increase 22 31 28 36 27

Spring 0.03 Na 22 Increase 21 70 32 28 46

Small 0.03 <0.125 22 Increase 20 67 38 42 43

Large 0.35 0.4 22 Nsc 27 20 25 16 16

Thomas and Linear regression of Small 0.03 <0.125 22 Increase 90 40 65 55

Megahan log-transformed Medium-small 0.11 0.125 22 Increase 38 28 36 32

1998c peaksb Medium-large 0.21 0.2 22 Increase 28 25 16 16

Large 0.35 0.4 22 Increase 25 25 14 14

Beschta et al. Linear regression of Large 0.35 0.4 22 Increasee 28

2000 log-transformed Large 0.65 1 22 Increasee 16

peaksb Large 1.00 5 22 Increasee 9

Jones 2000 Analysis of variance on All 0.03 Na 30 Increase 22 31 26 21

log-transformed Small, fall 0.03 Na 30 Increase 38 53 33 20peaks Small, spring 0.03 Na 30 Nsc 9 41 28 22

Rain 0.03 Na 30 Nsc 22Mixed 0.03 Na 30 Nsc 22Rain-on-snow 0.03 Na 30 Increase 31

Large 0.65 >1 30 Increase 25

Bold text indicates values graphed in figure 5. Na = not applicable, Nr = not reported, Nsc = no significant change.a Values statistically significant at 0.05, except where noted.b These three studies used the same dataset.c Values estimated from Table 3a.d Significance not reported.e Significant at 0.1.
23

Effects of Forest Practices on Peak Flows and Consequent Channel Response

Figure 5—Reported changes in peak flow for Oregon watersheds. Each point represents a published value for percentage increase to

peak flow after harvest, relative to the control flow watershed for (A) Andrews Forest and (B) Coyote Creek. Dashed vertical line

indicates 1-year return period. Dashed horizontal line indicates the 10-percent detection limit.

therefore not interpretable. Flume Creek (Hudson 2001) is the only experimental

study we found testing contemporary management practices, but it calculated the

percentage change to peak flow of only that population of peaks falling above the

95-percent confidence interval for the pretreatment regression (rather than the

entire posttreatment population), thereby inflating the values reported.

Site-scale data are limited by the accuracy of the instruments and techniques

used to measure streamflow, and accuracy varies over the distribution of flows,

ranging from a few percent for low flows measured with an accurately calibrated

weir, to 10 to 15 percent or more for high flows measured by standard stage-todischarge techniques and calibrated against periodic wading discharge measurements (Sauer and Meyer 1992). Based on considerations of gage and measurement

error at high-flow events, we identify a minimum detectable change in peak flow

(detection limit) of ±10 percent for our site-scale analysis (e.g., figs. 5, 6, 8, 9,

11). Percentage changes in peak flow that fall in this range are within the experimental and analytical error of flow measurement and cannot be ascribed as a

treatment effect.

Peak flow studies increasingly follow a format introduced by Thomas and

Megahan (1998) to graph percentage change to peak flow at a single site over a

range of flows. We adopt this as one format for study comparison (figs. 5, 6).

Studies at seven sites and two studies reporting average values for a collection of

similar and related sites reported data appropriate for this type of analysis. The data

-
24

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-760

Figure 6—Reported changes in peak flow for California and

Washington watersheds. Each point represents a published

value for percentage increase in peak flow after harvest relative

to the return period of the control watershed for (A) subbasins

of Caspar Creek, California, (B) modeled basins of Deschutes

River, Washington, and (C) average values of 23 large basins

in western Washington. Dashed horizontal line indicates the

10-percent detection limit.
25

Effects of Forest Practices on Peak Flows and Consequent Channel Response

required are percentage change in peak flow keyed to a control watershed return

interval or to flow across the entire wet season (e.g., bold values in table 1). The

point at which the regression lines intersect the 10-percent detection limit is interpreted as the discharge (or return period) above which a change in peak flow from

a watershed is not detectable (fig. 7). Watersheds from both the rain-dominated and

transient-snow hydrologic zones were used in this analysis. No appropriate data are

available from the snow-dominated zone.

Our second analysis explored changes in peak flow across a range of forest

treatments, and incorporated a much larger subset of the compiled studies. The

data criteria were percentage change in peak flow for the population of peaks with

a recurrence interval of 1 year or greater (tables 2, 3, 4). Flows of this magnitude

are widely recognized as geomorphically effective, defined as having the capacity

to initiate bedload sediment transport (Andrews 1983, 1984). Data are presented

individually for each of the three hydrologic zones: rain-dominated, transient snow,

and snow-dominated (fig. 8).

Two formats are employed to display this data. First, all data from tables 2

through 4 are plotted to show the spread in values keyed to management treatment

type (fig. 8a-c). Studies that reported no significant change without a percentage

value, or across a larger population (e.g., all size peaks) or both subsets of the wet

season (e.g., both fall and winter flows) are included as an indication of no detectable change (zero value) (see tables 2 through 4). To facilitate interpretation of this

data set, representative values for each study in each watershed were then grouped

by percentage harvest (fig. 8d-f). Percentage harvest group ranges (100 to 80 percent, 79 to 40 percent, and 39 to 0 percent) were determined primarily by natural

data spread, but these breaks are intuitively supported by the general scaling of

changes in hydrologic function with percentage harvest (fig. 2). Studies reporting

no significant change (nsc) rather than a numeric value, studies reporting negative

change, and multiple values for a site reported by the same study are not included

in the calculation of the averages and standard deviations plotted (fig. 8d-f).
26

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-760

Table 2—Paired watershed studies with reported peak flow data for the rain-dominated hydrologic zone

Basin Treatment Roads Return Reported

Location name Area Harvest type > 2% period change Reference

km2 Percent Years Percent

Carnation H 0.12 90 Clear Y All 20 Hetherington 1982

Creek, BC B 9.30 41 Mixed Y All Nsc Hetherington 1982

Alsea Needle 0.71 82 Clear Y All 20 Harris 1977

River, OR Needle 0.71 82 Clear Y All Nsc Harr et al. 1975

Deer 3.04 25 Clear Y All 2 Harris 1977

Deer 3.04 25 Clear Y All Nsc Harr et al. 1975

Deer 2 0.56 30 Clear Y All Nsc Harr et al. 1975

Deer 3 0.41 65 Clear Y All 20 Harr et al. 1975

Deer 4 0.16 90 Clear N All Nsc Harr et al. 1975

Caspar SFC 4.24 67 Mixed Y 1 Nsc Ziemer 1981

Creek, CA SFC 4.24 67 Mixed Y 8 Nsc Wright et al. 1990

SFC 4.24 67 Mixed Y All Nsc Ziemer 1998

Nave 8.89 41.4 Mixed Y 2 15 Ziemer 1998

Nave 0.98 97.8 Clear Y 2 27 Ziemer 1998

BAN 0.10 95 Clear Y 2 21 Ziemer 1998

KJE 0.15 97.1 Clear Y 2 28 Ziemer 1998

GIB 0.20 99.6 Clear Y 2 39 Ziemer 1998

CAR 0.26 95.7 Clear Y 2 19 Ziemer 1998

EAG 0.27 99.9 Clear Y 2 27 Ziemer 1998

NFC 4.73 49.6 Mixed Y 2 9 Ziemer 1998

Nsc = no significant change.

Figure 7—Maximum recurrence interval at the

detection limit as a function of the percentage

harvested for selected watersheds graphed in

figures 5 and 6.
27

Effects of Forest Practices on Peak Flows and Consequent Channel Response

Table 3—Paired watershed and modeling studies with reported peak flow data for the transient snow zone

Basin Treatment Roads Return Reported

Location name Area Harvest type > 2% period change Reference

km2 Percent Years Percent

Deschutes Hard 2.30 35 Modeled N 2 10.1 Bowling and

River, WA Hard 2.30 35 Modeled Y 2 22.6 Lettenmaier 2001

Ware 2.80 66 Modeled N 2 15.4

Ware 2.80 66 Modeled Y 2 29.0

Fox Creek, 1 0.59 25 Patch N 1 Nsc Harr 1980

Bull Run, 1 0.59 25 Patch N 1 13 Jones 2000

OR 3 0.71 25 Patch N 1 Nsc Harr 1980

3 0.71 25 Patch N 1 13 Jones 2000

H.J. 1 0.98 100 Clear N 1 Nsc Rothacher 1973

Andrews, 1 0.98 100 Clear N 1 16 Beschta et al. 2000

OR 1 0.98 100 Clear N 1 25 Jones 2000

3 1.01 25 Patch Y 1 13 Beschta et al. 2000

3 1.01 25 Patch Y 1 16 Jones 2000

10 0.10 100 Clear N 1 -8 Jones 2000

6 0.13 100 Clear Y All Nsc Harr et al. 1982

6 0.13 100 Clear Y 1 16 Jones 2000

7 0.15 60 Shelter N All Nsc Harr et al. 1982

7 0.15 100 Shelter N 1 27 Jones 2000

Coyote 1 0.69 50 Shelter N 9 47 Harr et al. 1979

Creek, OR 1 0.69 50 Shelter N 1 10 Jones 2000

2 0.68 30 Patch N 9 10 Harr et al. 1979

2 0.68 30 Patch N 1 36 Jones 2000

3 0.59 100 Clear N 9 36 Harr et al. 1979

3 0.59 100 Clear N 1 26 Jones 2000

Nsc = no significant change.
28

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-760

Table 4–Paired watershed, large basin and modeling studies with reported peak flow data for the snowdominated zone

Basin Treatment Roads Return Reported

Location name Area Harvest type > 2% period change Reference

km2 Percent Years Percent

Umatilla ELG1 0.30 43 Patch Y All Nsc Fowler et al. 1987

National ELG2 0.24 50 Shelter N All Nsc

Forest, OR ELG4 1.18 22 Patch Y All Nsc

Deadhorse Dead 2.70 10 Mixed Y All 0 Troendle and King

Creek, CO 1987

Wagon B 0.81 100 Clear N All 50 Van Haveren 1988

Wheel Gap,

CO

Fool Fool 2.89 40 Patch Y All 23 Troendle and King

Creek, ID 1985

Horse 12 0.83 33 Patch Y All 15 King 1989

Creek, ID 14 0.62 27 Patch N All 35

16 0.28 21 Patch Y All 36

18 0.86 29 Patch Y All 34

Camp Camp 33.9 27 Mixed Y All 21 Cheng 1989

Creek, BC Camp 33.9 27 Mixed Y All Nsc Moore and Scott 2005

Redfish Curr 26.2 9.9 Modeled N 1.9 6 Schnorbus

Creek, BC 1/3L 26.2 11.2 Modeled N 1.9 5 and Alila 2004

2/3L 26.2 18 Modeled N 1.9 6

1/3M 26.2 12.3 Modeled N 1.9 8

2/3M 26.2 19 Modeled N 1.9 15

1/3U 26.2 15.8 Modeled N 1.9 11

2/3U 26.2 22.4 Modeled N 1.9 17

1/3A 26.2 19.8 Modeled N 1.9 12

100L2 26.2 38.2 Modeled N 1.9 20

100U2 26.2 32.8 Modeled N 1.9 34

100A 26.2 52.7 Modeled N 1.9 34

Nsc = no significant change.
29

Effects of Forest Practices on Peak Flows and Consequent Channel Response

Figure 8—Reported changes in peak flow for different treatment types in (A) rain-dominated, (B) transient snow, and (C)

snow-dominated zones. Dark gray symbols represent treatment type. Small white circles inside larger gray symbol indicate a

basin with greater than 2 percent of the area in roads. Modeled points connected with arrows represent increases attributed to

roads within a single watershed. Mean and 1 standard deviation of non-zero values plotted in (A) through (C) are grouped by

percentage harvested (0 to 39 percent, 40 to 79 percent, 80 to 100 percent) in (D) rain-dominated, (E) transient snow, and (F)

snow-dominated zones. For all graphs, gray shading around zero indicates limit of detection (±10 percent).
30

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-760

Findings

Peak Flow Changes at the Site Scale

Event magnitude—

The largest peak flow increases reported were for small storms with recurrence

interval much less than 1 year (figs. 5, 6). Peak flow increases of as much as 90

percent over the control were reported for these small events. For all but one study

examined, increases in peak flow diminish with increasing storm magnitude. The

trend appears to be roughly an exponential decrease and was modeled as such, in

both experimental watershed studies (fig. 5, 6a, 6c) and modeling studies (fig. 6b)

and from the site to large basin scale (fig. 6c). For most watersheds, the decreasing

trend is strongly influenced by the small number of the largest storm events. However, this trend is consistent across a wide range of studies, lending confidence to

the interpretation that percentage increase in peak flow is greatest for the smallest

storms. This is also consistent with studies from other regions and general hydrologic understanding (e.g., Leopold 1980).

Only one watershed (Coyote 1) (fig. 5b) did not follow the general trend of

decreasing magnitude of change with event return period, but actually showed the

highest percentage increases in peak flow for the largest storms. These anomalous

results may reflect cross-transfer of water during the largest events as a result of

road drainage, as discussed by Harr et al. (1979), and subsequently by other researchers (Wright et al. 1990). In general, results from the Coyote Creek watersheds are suspect because of the paucity of large storms during either the pre- or

posttreatment periods. We report the results for both Coyote 2 and Coyote 3, however, because they fit our criteria of acceptable data, but exclude Coyote 1 from

further analysis.

Peak flow increases generally approach the 10-percent detection limit (minimum detectable change in flow) at recurrence intervals less than 6 years, although

this differs from watershed to watershed (figs. 5, 6). Some studies suggest the 10-

percent detection limit is reached at somewhat longer recurrence intervals (e.g.,

Coyote 3, Ware Creek). Since experimental pre- and posttreatment periods are

generally not long enough to represent these longer recurrence intervals, we cannot

confidently extrapolate the curves to the corresponding percentage increase in peak

flow. The field and analytical methods represented by these studies, therefore, do

not provide evidence that forest harvest increases peak flows for storms with

recurrence intervals longer than 6 years.
31

Effects of Forest Practices on Peak Flows and Consequent Channel Response

When the recurrence interval corresponding to the minimum detectable change

is plotted across the range of percentage forest harvested represented by these

watersheds (fig. 7), a trend of higher recurrence intervals corresponding to greater

percentages of area harvested is discernable. With the exception of Coyote 2, there

is a distinct linear downward trend with Y-intercept at approximately zero percent

harvested. This interpretation is consistent with hydrologic theory that predicts

diminishing effect of forest harvest with both increasing flow magnitude (Leopold

1980) and decreasing harvest intensity.

Management treatment—

The largest percentage increases in peak flows are expressed at 100-percent harvested (clearcut); this is true for all hydrologic zones (fig. 8). There is no consistent

pattern of treatment type and reported changes in peak flow (fig. 8a-c) that would

allow us to address the observed variability attributed to treatment type. Zero percent change or no significant change in peak flow is reported from 25- to 100-

percent harvested in both the rain and transient zones, and from 9- to 50-percent

harvested in the snow zone. Increases in peak flow range from 0 to 40 percent in

the rain and transient zones, and from 0 to 50 percent in the snow zone. In all three

zones, averages and standard deviations of reported increases, a conservative estimate of mean percentage change in peak flow, support the general trend of smaller

changes in peak flows with lower levels of harvest (fig. 8d-f).

There is wide scatter in the data from the snow-dominated zone (fig. 8c, 8f).

The scatter is indicative of the primary importance of other factors (e.g., aspect,

elevation, timing and temperature of snowfall) in this hydrologic zone. Other researchers have had similar difficulty in discerning a relationship between percentage of watershed harvested and change in peak flow (Moore and Wondzell 2005,

Scherer 2001). Although there is an apparent decreasing trend in the data averages

(fig. 8f), similar to the other two hydrologic zones (figs. 8d, 8e), there is a lack

of modeling and field studies at higher levels of harvest (>50 percent) to lend

confidence to this interpretation in the snow zone. We therefore suggest that the

snow zone graph should not serve as a basis for management direction, and do not

include the snow-dominated zone in subsequent interpretation figures. Much of the

research on this subject has been conducted in British Columbia, and we refer the

manager faced with a high proportion of landscape in the snow-dominated zone to

this work for further guidance (e.g., Macdonald et al. 2003, Moore and Scott 2005,

Schnorbus and Alila 2004, Storck et al. 2002, Whitaker et al. 2002, Winkler et al.

2005).
32

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-760

Roads—

Increases in peak flows attributed to roads and associated soil disturbances

complicate the interpretation of our analysis for harvested area alone. In the raindominated zone, all but one study site (Deer 4, Alsea) includes roads covering at

least 2 percent of the treatment area (table 2, fig. 8a). Therefore, we cannot disentangle the influence of roads on the observed increases in peak flow in this hydrologic zone. In the transient zone, only two experimental sites (Watersheds 3 and 6,

H.J. Andrews), and two modeling sites (Hard and Ware, Deschutes) include significant roads in the treatment (table 3, fig. 8b). Studies in Watershed 3 (25 percent

harvest) report values at the upper end of the range (13 and 16 percent) for similarly harvested sites without roads, whereas values for Watershed 6 (100 percent

harvest) are at the lower end of the range (nsc and 16 percent) for clearcut sites

without roads. Modeling studies for Washington watersheds suggest an approximate

doubling of the percentage change in peak flows attributed to harvest alone when

road construction is included in the model (Bowling and Lettenmaier 2001). We

cannot parse the available site-scale data to look at the effects of roads of different

ages, location in the landscape, or other factors that contribute to the degree of

influence of roads on change in peak flows.

Seasonality—

Although we did not do a comprehensive analysis of seasonality of peak flow

increases, we observe that in most studies, percentage increases are greatest for fall

storms (Beschta et al. 2000, Jones and Grant 1996, Thomas and Megahan 1998).

The most consistent mechanism for producing peak flow changes appears to be

related to reduced evapotranspiration following harvest resulting in higher soil

moisture levels, hence increased runoff during early fall storms. The only countervailing evidence that we are aware of comes from Caspar Creek, where peak flow

increases of approximately 20 percent were distributed across both season and storm

intensity (Reid and Lewis 2007). The authors of this study interpret these findings

as resulting from canopy interception losses that occur regardless of storm type in a

redwood-dominated forest. Although intriguing, these findings have not yet been

replicated in the Douglas-fir forests of western Oregon and Washington.

Riparian buffers—

During high flows, riparian water tables rise close to the soil surface, facilitating

flow of water across the riparian zone (Dunne and Black 1970a, 1970b, Rivenbark

and Jackson 2004). Presence of trees, roots, and woody debris on flood plains

increases hydraulic resistance, and may thereby decrease velocities of both water

flows and flood waves (i.e., hydrograph peaks) (Darby 1999). This effect is likely
33

Effects of Forest Practices on Peak Flows and Consequent Channel Response

to be particularly pronounced in wide, alluvial rivers with well-developed flood

plains, where flows have the opportunity to inundate valley floors and interact with

vegetation (Tal et al. 2004). Most mountain rivers, however, have relatively narrow

valleys with flood plains constructed by both fluvial and nonfluvial processes (Grant

and Swanson 1995). Research has documented the interaction of flood flows and

vegetation during floods in these systems (e.g., Johnson et al. 2000, Swanson et al.

1998). There may be some effect of riparian forests in reducing hydrologic connectivity betweens roads, compacted areas, and streams, and we therefore include it as

a factor for consideration at the basin scale, but we are unaware of any research

specifically linking presence, absence, or extent of riparian forests to changes in

peak flows in mountain landscapes.

The evapotranspiration demands of riparian forests are likely to play only a

very minor role during peak flows of the magnitude described here, as these flows

typically occur during wet mantle periods when evapotranspiration is low. We have

no data on whether riparian buffers are likely to mitigate or offset potential peak

flow increases from harvested areas.

Forest age and recovery—

Percentage change in peak flow generally decreases with time after harvest (Jones

2000, Jones and Grant 1996, Thomas and Megahan 1998). Because of limited data

availability, we use this general finding to guide our analysis by reporting peak flow

increases for the first postharvest interval, generally 2 to 5 years, reported for each

study if possible, and use the entire posttreatment period only when that is the only

value reported, which tends to underestimate the potential increase for the first

years immediately after harvest. Key questions that we are unable to address with

this data set include whether thinning resets the clock at the time of second harvest,

and whether the response is the same for cutting second growth and old growth.

Spatial pattern of harvest—

The specific mechanisms that drive peak flow increases are likely to be sensitive to

the scale of forest patches, in terms of their horizontal and vertical dimensions, and

their distribution and contiguity. In particular, rain-on-snow processes at the stand

level have been shown to vary with both forest stand age and patch size (Harr and

Coffin 1992), so we would expect this effect to be present for watersheds in the

transitional snow zone. There is even stronger evidence for patch size and orientation affecting snow accumulation and melt processes in the snow zone (Storck et al.

2002, Troendle and King 1987, Winkler et al. 2005). We see less evidence supporting patch age and size contributing to peak flow effects for watersheds in the rain

zone.
34

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-760

Our findings on effects of partial harvest (nonclearcuts) are limited by scant

data. In general, we expect that the magnitude of peak flow increases depicted

by figure 8 represent the maximum potential increases for large canopy openings

because the size of opening relates directly to key hydrologic processes and figure 8

includes the largest possible opening—100-percent harvest (fig. 2). In theory,

partial cutting and thinning should result in peak flow changes that are lower than

those indicated for clearcutting, and may be undetectable in some watersheds.

Summary of site-scale findings—

The maximum percentage increases in peak flow can be used to construct linear

envelope curves, or response lines, that encompass the full range of data reported by

the studies in the rain and transient snow zones (figs. 9, 10). We also plot a mean

reported change based on the averages of the data from figures 8a and 8b. Theoretically, these response lines represent conservative estimates of maximum and mean

measured increases in peak flow for a given percentage harvest and can be used to

evaluate the potential for hydrologic response to management treatment. By conservative, we mean that these lines are high estimates of potential forest harvest effects.

Whereas the maximum line, by definition, represents the highest reported increases,

the mean line is also biased toward higher values, as reported zero values are not

included in the calculation.

In the rain zone, the maximum response line reaches the 10-percent detection

limit at approximately 29 percent harvested (fig. 9). This suggests that if less than

29 percent of the watershed is harvested, there are no data supporting a resultant

increase in peak flow; in fact, the first detectable reported value occurs at 40 percent. The response line for mean reported change crosses the detection limit at

45 percent harvest. Remembering that this data set inherently includes greater than

2 percent roads in most studies, we posit that a response line representing harvest

without the construction of new roads would shift down, suggesting an even higher

threshold for harvest prior to detectable change in peak flow. However, the absence

of any data to support this prevents us from drawing a without-roads response line

for the rain-dominated zone.

For watersheds within the TSZ, we are able to begin to disentangle the influence of road construction from peak flow increases that are attributed to harvest

alone (fig. 10). We constructed a maximum response line for studies with less than

2 percent roads. This maximum no-roads response line reaches the detection limit

at approximately 15 percent harvested. The mean response line, which includes a

few basins with roads, crosses the detection limit at a slightly higher value of 19
35

Effects of Forest Practices on Peak Flows and Consequent Channel Response

Figure 9—Peak flow response to harvest in the rain-dominated hydrologic zone.

Solid line represents maximum values reported and includes the influence of roads.

Dashed line is a linear fit through the average values from figure 8c, and represents

the mean reported change for all data. Gray shading around zero indicates limit of

detection (±10 percent).

Figure 10—Peak flow response to harvest in the transient snow hydrologic zone.

Solid line represents maximum values reported for basins without roads. Dashed

black line is a linear fit through the average values from figure 8d, and represents

the mean reported change for all data. Dashed gray line represents interpreted

change with roads, and is a linear fit through a doubling of the average values.

Gray shading around zero indicates limit of detection (±10 percent).
36

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-760

percent harvested. The Andrews Watershed 3 data point that includes roads (25

percent harvested, 16 percent increase), and the modeled points from Bowling and

Lettenmaier (2001) that include roads (35 percent harvested, 23 percent increase;

and 66 percent harvested, 29 percent increase) all plot above the no-roads maximum reported response line. As we lack sufficient data at the upper end of the harvest range to confidently draw a maximum with-roads response line for the TSZ as

we did for the rain zone, we use the modeled 50-percent increase that was due to

the presence of roads reported by Bowling and Lettenmaier (2001) to suggest an

interpreted maximum response line with roads based on a doubling of the average

values. This line remains above the detection limit at all values of percentage

harvested.

Once we have defined the maximum and mean reported changes in peak flows

that are likely at various levels of harvest, we must revisit our definition of “percentage harvested.” As “50-percent harvested” represents a variety of treatment

intensities (fig. 3), and our experimental and modeling data are primarily drawn

from the most intense of those treatments (i.e., clearcutting), we must address the

effects of less intense treatments such as partial harvest and thinning. Drawing on

scaling inferences from basic understanding of hydrologic processes to identify

plausible trends and magnitudes (fig. 2) we suggest that the mean response lines

may provide good guidance in the prediction of likely changes in peak flow from

treatments that result in lower disturbance intensities and overall reductions in basal

and leaf area than clearcutting. For example, the mean response line suggests a 40-

percent thinning over 100-percent of area could be predicted to result in a detectable peak flow increase of approximately 14 percent in a TSZ watershed and would

be under the detection limit in rain-dominated watersheds.

Confidence in the general trends and magnitudes of peak flow increases shown

in figures 8, 9 and 10 is enhanced by comparison with published global data sets

for peak flow increases attributed to forest harvest (fig. 11, after Guillemette et al.

2005). The trend shows similar order of magnitude of peak flow increases as a percentage of area harvested, and our data are contained entirely within the larger data

set. The correspondence between our results and these broader global data should

be interpreted cautiously, as the higher peak flow increases reported by Guillemette

et al. (2005) include practices that are not represented in the data sets used in this

synthesis, including expansive road and skid trail networks, widespread application

of herbicides, and extensive scarification.
37

Effects of Forest Practices on Peak Flows and Consequent Channel Response

Analysis of Peak Flow Increases in Larger Basins

A key concern in the management arena is how peak flow increases measured at the

site scale (area <10 km2

) should be interpreted at the larger basin scale (>10 km2 to

<500 km2

). As we have previously discussed, changes to peak flows are influenced

by factors other than harvest, including overall basin condition; the age and pattern

of forest stands within a larger basin; the location, age, and extent of road networks; and the extent (both laterally and longitudinally) of riparian buffers. These

factors become increasingly complex to quantify in larger basins, and therefore

increasingly important in interpreting potential peak flow increases.

Unfortunately, very few studies address the response of peak flows to forest

management in larger basins in this region, the papers by Jones and Grant (1996,

2001) with followup analyses by Thomas and Megahan (1998) being the exception.

Some modeling studies examine larger basins (Bowling and Lettenmaier 2001).

None of these studies addressed the full set of management issues that apply at

larger basin scales. Thus, we cannot strictly rely on data as the basis for interpreting likely peak flow effects at the basin scale, but must draw on inferences from

field and modeling studies as well. Here we present general principles for interpreting peak flow effects in larger basins, and suggest an approach consistent with data

from small watersheds.

The magnitude of any peak flow increase in response to forest management

diminishes with increasing basin area for several reasons, including attenuation of

flood peaks because of channel resistance, flood-plain storage, and transmission

losses, as well as effects of storm size and origin (Archer 1989, Garbrecht 1991,

Shaman et al. 2004, Singh 1997). The magnitude of this effect differs from basin

to basin and is affected by the location and timing of tributary inputs, but can

typically result in reductions in unit streamflows of 50 percent or greater

(Woltemade and Potter 1994).

No hydrologic mechanism exists by which peak flow increases, when measured

as a percentage change, can combine to yield a higher percentage increase in peak

flows in a larger basin. For example, if peak flows in two confluent subbasins each

increase by 15 percent, the resultant increase downstream of the confluence can be

no more than 15 percent and is likely to be less. As a consequence, the magnitude

of peak flow increases for larger basins will necessarily be equal to or smaller than

those reported for small watersheds.

For the few studies where increases in peak flows for large basins have been

reported, the magnitude of increase is typically less than the inter-annual variability
38

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-760

in streamflows. For example, the range of peak flow increases for larger basins (60

to 600 km2

) as reported by Jones and Grant (1996; their fig. 7) and measured as the

difference in peak flows between neighboring watersheds with different forest harvest histories, is less than the inter-annual range of streamflows as measured over

the same period. This may partially explain why no studies in the Pacific Northwest

have demonstrated the effect of forest harvest on peak flows by using time series

of mean or instantaneous peak flow statistics–the inter-annual variance swamps

the land use signal. As an aside, this has direct implications for interpreting likely

effects of peak flow increases on channel morphology and aquatic habitat, when

peak flow increases occurring in the landscape are less than the “natural” variability

in streamflows to which channels and presumably ecosystems are adjusted.

Application

Taken together, these general principles provide strong inference that peak flow

increases in large basins will almost invariably be less than those in small watersheds, suggesting that the response lines for small watersheds (fig. 9, 10) represent

maximum increases for all size watersheds. The degree to which the predicted

Figure 11—Reported changes to peak flow from worldwide studies, after Guillemette et al. 2005.

Gray shading around zero indicates limit of detection (±10 percent).
39

Effects of Forest Practices on Peak Flows and Consequent Channel Response

increases are less than the maximum reported response line should be based on an

analysis that incorporates the manager’s best evaluation of the separable effects of

watershed size, roads, previous cutting history, and degree of forest recovery in

establishing an overall level of acceptable “risk” or what some have termed “threshold of probable concern” (Rogers and Biggs 1999). We suggest that potential peak

flow increases in large basins be interpreted from figures 9 and 10, with predicted

increases falling around the mean response line in most cases. This analysis can be

viewed as semi-quantitative, in the sense that it incorporates numerical analyses of

key watershed conditions, but does not attempt to define a statistically rigorous

solution.

A large-basin analysis should begin with standard approaches to establish the

current condition of the watershed with respect to its prior forest cutting and recovery history. Such approaches can include the equivalent clearcut area (ECA)

(King 1989; see Reid 1993 for review), aggregate recovery percentage or other

metrics of forest regrowth (e.g., Austin 1999, Talbot and Plamondon 2002). The

proposed treatment could then be added to the existing ECA or similar metric

to determine the effective percentage area harvested. Locating this value on the

maximum reported change line from figures 9 and 10 establishes the upper bound

of potential response, with a lower bound of no response.

Determining where the proposed treatment falls within this range requires

an assessment of the intrinsic basin condition and intensity of proposed management action (fig. 12). For example, the existing and proposed road network should

be evaluated with respect to its degree of connectivity with the stream network

(e.g., Wemple et al. 1996). Additional qualitative analyses can be performed for

the extent of riparian buffers, and existing and proposed sizes of cutting units. The

analysis can then be extended to include intrinsic basin factors, such as soil depth,

topographic relief, stream density, permeability and porosity of bedrock, and other

geologic factors influencing the drainage efficiency, or speed with which water is

routed through the watershed (Tague and Grant 2004). In general, we would expect

that factors contributing to faster runoff (e.g., shallower soils, low-permeability

bedrock) would result in greater drainage efficiency in transmitting any potential

peak flow increases to the watershed outlet. Taken together, these analyses provide

a useful estimate of the extent to which proposed management actions are more or

less likely to result in peak flow increases by various mechanisms.

We propose that this sort of analysis of potential peak flow increases become

the basis for interpreting the response lines presented in figures 9 and 10. A greater

weight of factors on the left side of figure 12 would lead to an interpretation of
40

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-760

peak flow increases closer to the maximum response line, whereas a greater weight

on the right side would lead to an interpretation of increases at or below the mean

response line. The outcome of this type of approach is not a single number for

peak flow increases, but a plausible and defensible range of potential increases

that is based on the preponderance of evidence and consistent with both data and

inference. The following examples, beginning with simple interpretations and

proceeding to more complicated analyses, suggest basic guidelines for applying the

response curves and process-based understanding generated by the data synthesis to

possible management scenarios. These are not meant to represent real treatments

for actual watersheds, and should not be viewed as such.

Example 1—

A harvest is scheduled for a 100-year-old forest in the rain zone of the Oregon

Coast Range. If the proposed cut is approximately 20 percent, both the maximum

and mean response lines in figure 9 suggest it would not result in a detectable

increase (i.e. greater than 10 percent) in peak flows with a return period of greater

than 1 year. If the proposed cut is 35 percent of the area, figure 9 suggests the

resulting increase in peak flow would not be detectable (i.e., less than 10 percent)

following the mean response line, and would be approximately 13 percent based on

the maximum reported response line, resulting in a range of 0 to 13-percent increase in peak flow. Figure 12 can then be used to narrow down the range of likely

peak flow response. For the case of a single large clearcut on thin soils in a watershed with pre-existing dense road network that is hydrologically connected to the

stream network, the predicted increase in peak flow would fall near the upper end

Figure 12—Site conditions and management treatment considerations that potentially influence

peak flows. Considerations are listed in decreasing likelihood of effect. Grayscale represents

theoretical range in impact of each factor (black = high, white = low).

Likelihood of peak flow increase
41

Effects of Forest Practices on Peak Flows and Consequent Channel Response

of the range (i.e., 13 percent). If, on the other hand, the proposed treatment involved a 20-percent thinning on similar soils with the same road network, then the

predicted response is more likely to fall nearer the lower end of the range, and not

be detectable.

Example 2—

A patch cut involving the removal of 50 percent of basal area in small (less than

0.05 km2

) patches is proposed for a 5-km2 watershed with no existing roads in the

TSZ of the western Cascades. From figure 10, the maximum response at the smaller

watershed scale is potentially a peak flow increase of 21 percent, with a mean response of 15 percent. If the treatment included construction of new, hydrologically

connected roads, the peak flow increase could be higher. The larger basin (area =

100 km2

) in which this watershed falls has an ECA of 25 percent. This pre-existing

basin condition corresponds to a peak flow increase of as much as 13 percent prior

to any additional treatments. The proposed treatment would increase the large-basin

ECA to 27.5 percent, resulting in a maximum response of 14 percent, an increase of

1 percent. In this case, the small proportion of the larger basin scheduled for harvest

results in only a small increase in ECA, and a very small increase in peak flows at

the larger basin scale.

Channel Response to Potential Peak Flow Increases

Despite the interest that this issue has garnered, to date no field studies explicitly

link peak flow increases with changes in channel morphology. Although there is an

extensive literature on forest harvest effects on stream channels, no studies that we

are aware of have demonstrated a direct correlation between peak flow changes

attributed to forest harvest alone and changes to the physical structure of streams.

This statement refers specifically to the effect of peak flow changes directly on

channels as measured by changes in channel geometry, planform, or bedload

sediment transport; but not to secondary effects that could potentially be attributable to peak flow changes, such as local increases in soil water leading to increased

mass movements that deliver sediment to channels and may result in changes in

channel structure. Disentangling these different causal mechanisms on channel

change can be problematic, as they are often confounded (Grant 1988, Lyons and

Beschta 1983). We do not consider such linkages here although they clearly are a

factor in some basins.
42

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-760

In the absence of direct studies, our approach to evaluating the likely effect of

peak flow increases on channels roughly follows the train of logic suggested by

Grant (1987: 143):

A necessary condition for channel changes is that flows have sufficient

force to move bed material. For a given cross-section, channel slope, and

size distribution of bed material, the magnitude of flows required to move

different size fractions on the bed can be estimated...

Percentage increases in peak flows can be indexed against the magnitude of

flows required for bedload sediment transport while recognizing that sediment

transport represents a necessary but not sufficient condition for channel change.

The magnitude of flows required for bedload sediment transport, termed geomorphically effective flows, differ from channel type to channel type and even

within the same channel, but some general principles apply and can be used to

identify where the most likely channel responses to any peak flow changes are

likely to be located in the channel network.

A detailed channel and cross-section analysis is necessary to rigorously define

bedload sediment transport thresholds (e.g., Buffington and Montgomery 1997,

Hicks and Gomez 2003, Rosgen 2006). We provide a more general conceptual

framework relating channel types to the return period of critical flows required for

sediment transport of a reference grain size, assumed here as the median grain size

(D50). We therefore define Qcr as the flow required, on average, to move the reference grain size, and RIcr as the corresponding recurrence interval of that flow.

We further propose a simple classification system for channel types based on channel gradient. This scheme follows that proposed by Montgomery and Buffington

(1997) but also loosely corresponds to the stream typology proposed by Rosgen

(1996) and used by many federal agencies. Four broad channel types are considered: cascade, step-pool, gravel-bed, and sand-bed. These channel types generally

occur within discrete slope ranges (Montgomery and Buffington 1997) (fig. 13).

In general, the frequency of bedload sediment transport increases with decreasing channel gradient. This is due to a number of factors including the correlation

between gradient and bed grain size, and the dependency of critical dimensionless

shear stress on gradient and channel type (e.g., fig. 8-4 in Rosgen 1996). The

analytical basis for this claim is beyond the scope of this paper; see Andrews (1983)

for details. But approximate ranges for RIcr can be based on field evidence (fig.

13). For example, Andrews (1984) found that flows equal to or slightly less than

bankfull were required for initiation of gravel transport on 24 gravel-bed streams in
43

Effects of Forest Practices on Peak Flows and Consequent Channel Response

Colorado; Pickup and Warner (1976) cited a range of recurrence intervals (1.15

to 1.45 years) for effective discharge on gravel-bed rivers; Wohl (2000: 106-112)

gave a good summary of varying entrainment frequencies and bedload transport

rates as a function of stream type. Much less frequent transport is reported for steppool and cascade channels. Grant et al. (1990), for example, reported RIcr for steppool channels of 20 to 50 years. Topping et al. (2000a, 2000b) provided estimates

of RIcr for sand-bedded channels on the Colorado River. This approach is also

consistent with stability analyses for channel types suggested by Rosgen (2006,

table 2-4).

Following these analyses we can begin to address which channel types are most

likely to be affected by potential peak flow increases. We set the lower bound on

RIcr as approximately 1 year and the upper bound at approximately 6 years (fig. 7

and shaded rectangle in fig. 13). The intersection of this rectangle with the labeled

stability fields for each of the channel types provides a rough estimate of the

likelihood of peak flow increases translating into bedload sediment transport and

associated channel morphology changes. This analysis reveals that the steepest

Figure 13—Domains for initiation of bedload sediment transport as a function of channel type

(Grant et al. 1990, Montgomery and Buffington 1997) and recurrence interval (Andrews 1984,

Grant et al. 1990, Pickup and Warner 1976, Topping et al. 2000a, 2000b, Wohl 2000).
44

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-760

channel types (cascade and step-pool) generally have RIcr values above those likely

to be affected by peak flow increases. In contrast, gravel- and sand-bed channels

have RIcr values where peak flow increases may be a factor. In Oregon and Washington, gravel-bed channels are the dominant stream type likely to be sensitive to

any peak flow changes as sand-bed channels in forested landscapes are rare in the

Pacific Northwest.

Figure 13 provides only a rough guide to where peak flow changes have the

potential to be manifest–it is intended primarily to show where such changes are

unlikely to occur. Moreover, local scour and fill can occur in a wide range of

channels over a wide range of peak flows. For example, Faustini (2000) reported

local changes of one to several grain diameters in channel cross-section area for a

cobble-bed, step-pool channel from peak flows less than a 10-year recurrence

interval. However, substantial changes in most cross sections of this channel type

require peak flows with recurrence intervals greater than 10 years.

Field observations and more detailed analyses are called for where a high

concern for potential peak flow changes exists (e.g., Rosgen 2006). Also, this

analysis focuses only on sediment entrainment. Potential effects of changing

hydrologic regimes on other channel processes, including changes in the frequency

of wood entrainment and transport, lateral migration, or pool/riffle dynamics are

not considered. However, this analysis sets the lower threshold of concern, as wood

entrainment or channel geometry or planform changes generally occur at higher

RIcr than initiation of bedload sediment transport. This analysis is likely to be

particularly useful in identifying parts of the stream network where risk of channel

response to peak flow changes is relatively low. Finally, because our entire analysis

is based on flood frequency analysis (recurrence interval) as opposed to flow duration data (daily flows), we cannot address the question of whether the duration of

peak flows has changed, nor whether channel morphology changes because of

changing flow duration are likely.

Management Implications

This analysis of the available data on forestry-induced peak flow changes and likely

first-order geomorphic effects on streams raises a number of key questions with

respect to management of forest lands. We have tried to frame the issue as broadly

as possible while still providing our best estimates of the state of the science. We

were conservative in our interpretations—the manner in which we constructed the

response lines in figures 9 and 10 is an example of this. These available data do not

permit an entirely rigorous and statistically valid analysis of whether or not forest
45

Effects of Forest Practices on Peak Flows and Consequent Channel Response

harvest activities cause peak flow changes sufficient to cause geomorphic or ecological effects. The data do, however, provide a sound basis for discriminating

“big” effects from “small” effects, and help to identify geographic regions and

parts of watersheds where such effects are more likely to occur and result in detectable changes.

Specifically, the small-watershed data support the interpretation that watersheds

located in the rain-dominated region are less sensitive to peak flow changes than

those in the TSZ. This is reflected in the difference between the 29-percent (rain)

versus 15-percent (transient) harvested area detection limit (figs. 9, 10). Furthermore, the data support the interpretation that if peak flow increases do occur, they

can be detected only in flows of moderate frequency and magnitude. This is not to

say that forest harvest has no effect on extreme events, just that we cannot detect

them. Hydrologic theory, however, suggests that such effects are likely to be small.

Considerations as to how these effects might scale up in larger basins indicated

that small-watershed studies likely represent the maximum effects of forest harvest

present on the landscape, and that such effects will, at most, remain constant with

watershed size. This finding is consistent with the observations of Jones and Grant

(1996) that similar percentage harvested in small and larger basin pairs resulted in

similar magnitudes of peak flow changes. In general, we would predict that harvest

effects diminish as basin size increases.

Moreover, the data suggest that peak flow effects on channels, if any, should be

confined to a relatively discrete portion of the network where channel gradients are

less than approximately 0.02. These are primarily the domain of gravel-bed rivers

and streams in forested landscapes in western Oregon and Washington. Peak flow

effects on channel morphology can be confidently excluded in high-gradient (slopes

>0.10) and bedrock reaches, and are likely to be minor in most step-pool systems.

On the other hand, if channels have beds of fine gravel or sand, a much closer

hydrologic and geomorphic analysis seems warranted.

In general, the magnitude of channel morphologic changes because of peak

flow increases alone are likely to be much less significant than other impacts

associated with forest harvest activities. Effects of deforestation on landslides,

debris flows, and surface erosion are well documented (e.g., Reid 1993, Sakals et

al. 2006, Sidle et al. 1985) and these are likely to have far more direct effects on

channel structure than peak flows alone, as these processes typically involve direct

introduction of sediment into stream channels. In particular, accelerated geomorphic processes associated with forest roads are likely to have some of the most

pronounced effects on forest streams (e.g., Wemple et al. 2001). Although we
46

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-760

acknowledge that there may be some synergistic effects between erosion and peak

flow effects on channels, i.e., that increased surface erosion and delivery of fine

sediments to channels may decrease the threshold of mobility of bed sediments

because of bed fining (e.g., Curran and Wilcock 2005), we have no data from

which to evaluate the magnitude of these complex responses. Instead, we look to

land managers to use field evidence of such processes to guide their assessments of

risk, along the lines suggested here.

The magnitude of effects of forest harvest on peak flows in the Pacific Northwest, as represented by the data reported here, are relatively minor in comparison

to other anthropogenic changes to streams and watersheds. In particular, the effects

of dams on hydrologic regimes, including peak flows, can be several orders of

magnitude greater, particularly where the dams are large and used for flood control

(Grant 1997). Urbanization similarly imposes much larger changes to peak flows

than does forest harvest, although less than dams. For example, moderate amounts

of urbanization in watersheds located in Puget Sound increased peak flows by factors of 1.5 to 2.75, with corresponding and measurable effects on channel incision

and geometry (Booth and Henshaw 2001, Moscrip and Montgomery 1997).

The effects of global warming on hydrologic responses are only beginning to

be addressed, and we know of no studies that look specifically at how warming

might influence peak flow responses in forest basins. We can speculate that predictions of increased climate intensification and “storminess” in the wintertime might

increase the frequency of rain and ROS events in some landscapes, and warmer

summer temperatures may result in a more pronounced effect on evapotranspiration. In general, we would predict that the current estimates of global warming in

the Pacific Northwest are likely to shift the boundaries of hydrologic zones upward

in elevation, with zones that are currently snow-dominated becoming ROS dominated, while rain-dominated zones increase at the expense of TSZs. The identified

boundaries of these regions may need to be redefined in the future (Nolin and Daly

2006).

Concerning the effects of forest harvest on the largest floods, Jones and Grant

(2001: 177) noted that the peak flow issue “... cannot be resolved with statistics

based on a mere handful of extreme flood events. Future physical process based

modeling and field studies will improve our understanding of forest harvest effects

on these rare big floods...” Ultimately the best way forward toward understanding

effects of management on large peak flow events will be to illuminate the black

box of forested watersheds in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest with new fieldbased experimental work to understand flow pathways, residence times, and stream
47

Effects of Forest Practices on Peak Flows and Consequent Channel Response

sources. Given the extreme expense and difficulty in mounting such campaigns,

modeling studies provide a key way to move beyond a singular focus on paired

watershed studies (and purely statistical analysis of flow data) to seek new ways

of quantifying forest harvesting and road construction influences on peak flows,

particularly at the extremes of the flow frequency distribution.

The change detection modeling approach (Kundzewicz and Robson 2004) is

one way to deal with the many data sets where controversy lingers, and new sites

where controversy will undoubtedly rage. This is a very straightforward use of a

model (Kuczera 1987), but surprisingly has had little use in interpreting peak flow

issues. This modeling approach is a possible useful alternative to the paired catchment approach to evaluate the effects of a land-use or land-cover change. The

approach is especially useful in cases where a suitable control basin does not exist,

which is often the case for larger basins.

Using the data from decades worth of small watershed studies, we have attempted to constrain the problem of peak flow increases and likely geomorphic

effects on channel systems. Although such data are incomplete, subject to interpretation, and particularly problematic for interpreting modern practices, they do provide a sound basis for setting boundaries on the likely magnitudes and directions of

change. In setting these limits, we recognize the importance of site-level information and risk assessment that can only be provided by the on-the-ground manager

and specialist. Work incorporating new field experiments supplemented by modeling is necessary to close some of the gaps. This analysis provides forest managers

and regulators with the information needed to proceed with some measure of

confidence while these newer studies take root.

Acknowledgments

This research was funded by a Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystems Studies

Cooperative Agreement between the USDI Bureau of Land Management and

Oregon State University. Supporting funds were also provided by the USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station and its Focused Science Delivery

Program. Feedback from workshop participants and reviewers of early drafts was

intergral to the success of the synthesis. Participants in the managers workshop

(December 2005) included Deigh Bates, Liz Berger, Robert Beschta, Steve Burns,

Dan Carpenter, Bengt Coffin, Duane Dippon, Lowell Duell, Dave Halemeier,

Steve Hofford, Bill Hudson, Sherri Johnson, Mikeal Jones, Dave Kretzing, Laurie

Lindell, Joe Moreau, Chester Novak, Dave Squyres, Kris Ward, and Chuck
48

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-760

Wheeler. Participants in the science workshop (March 2006) were Younes Alila,

Tim Beechie, George Ice, Sherri Johnson, Julia Jones, and Charlie Luce. Participation in a workshop does not imply endorsement of this manuscript. Comments on

early drafts were also provided by Margaret Beilharz, Caty Clifton, Terry Cundy,

Denise Dammann, Jim Fogg, Dan Moore, Jami Nettles, Maryanne Reiter, Bob

Ruediger, and Dave Smith. The final manuscript was greatly improved by discussions with Chester Novak and Chris Sheridan, and reviews by Brian Staab, Dan

Moore, and George Ice.

English Equivalents

When you know: Multiply by: To find:

Meters (m) 3.28 Feet

Hectares (ha) 2.47 Acres

Square kilometers (km2

) 0.386 Square miles

Cubic meters per second (m3

/s) 35.31 Cubic feet per second

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GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-760

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Effects of Forest Practices on Peak Flows and Consequent Channel Response

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GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-760
61

Effects of Forest Practices on Peak Flows and Consequent Channel Response

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Willamette National Forest. Portland, OR, U.S. Department of Agriculture,

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62

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-760

Hetherington, E.D. 1998. Watershed Hydrology. In: Hogan, D.L.; Tschaplinski,

P.J.; Chatwin, S. eds. Carnation Creek and Queen Charlotte Islands fish/forestry

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26(2): 111–113.
63

Effects of Forest Practices on Peak Flows and Consequent Channel Response

MacDonald, L.H.; Hoffman J.A. 1995. Causes of peak flows in northwestern

Montana and northeastern Idaho. Journal of the American Water Resources

Association. 31(1): 79–95.

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retrospective view. In: Folliott, P.F.; Baker, M.B., Jr.; Edminster, C.B.; Dillon,

M.C.; Mora, K.L., tech. coords. Land stewardship in the 21st century: the

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Station. 177–188.

Post, D.A.; Jones, J.A. 2001. Hydrologic regimes of forested, mountainous,

headwater basins in New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oregon, and Puerto Rico.

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Cascade Range of Oregon. Water Resources Research. 1(1): 125–134.

Scherer, R.; Pike, R.G. 2003. Management activities and streamflow in the

Okanagan Basin: outcomes of a literature review and a workshop. FORREX

series 9. Kamloops, BC: Forest Research and Extension Partnership. 52 p.

Stanley, B.; Arp, P.A. 2002. Effects of forest harvesting on basin-wide water yield

in relation of percent of watershed cut: a review of literature. Fredericton, NB:

Nexfor/Bowater Forest Watershed Research Centre; University of New

Brunswick. 35 p.

Storck, P. 2000. Trees, snow and flooding: an investigation of forest canopy effects

on snow accumulation and melt at the plot and watershed scales in the Pacific

Northwest. Water Resources Series Tech. Rep. 161. Seattle, WA: University of

Washington. 176 p.

Storck, P.; Lettenmaier, D.P.; Connelly, B.A.; Cundy, T.W. 1995. Implications

of forest practices on downstream flooding: phase II final report. Seattle, WA:

Washington Forest Protection Association. 100 p.
64

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-760

Thyer, M.; Beckers, J.; Spittlehouse, D.; Alila, Y.; Winkler, R. 2004. Diagnosing a distributed hydrologic model for two high-elevation forested catchments

based on detailed stand- and basin-scale data. Water Resources Research.

W01103, doi:10.1029/2003WR002414.

Troendle, C.A. 1987. Effect of clearcutting on streamflow generating processes

from a subalpine forest. In: Swanson, R.H.; Bernier, P.Y.; Woodard, P.D. eds.

Forest Hydrology and Management, IAHS-AISH Publ. No. 167. Wallingford,

UK: International Association of Hydrological Sciences. 545–552.

Waichler, S.R.; Wemple, B.C.; Wigmosta, M.S. 2005. Simulation of water

blanace and forest treatment effects at the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest.

Hydrological Processes. 19: 3177–3199.

Wright, K.A.; Sendek, K.; Rice, R.; Thomas, R. 1990. Logging effects on

streamflow: storm runoff at Caspar Creek in northwestern California. Water

Resources Research. 26(7): 1657–1667.
65

Effects of Forest Practices on Peak Flows and Consequent Channel Response

Appendix 2: Watershed Data TablesTable 5—Peak flow data from Alsea Experimental Watershed, OregonSite and Event Minimum Return Record Direction Magnitude of changetreatment Reference Method of analysis type flow period length of change Roads Harvest

m3

·s

-1· km-2 – – – Years – – – – – – – Percent – – – –

Needle Branch Harr et al. 1975 Linear regression of peaks Fall Nr Nr <5 Increase Nr Nr82% harvest Winter Nr Nr <5 Increase Nr Nr5% roads Harris 1977 Linear regression of peaks Large 0.55 Nr 7 NscDeer Creek Harr et al. 1975 Linear regression of peaks Fall Nr Nr <5 Nsc

25% harvest Winter Nr Nr <5 Nsc4% roads Harris 1977 Linear regression of peaks Large 0.55 Nr 7 Nsc 2Deer 2 Harr et al. 1975 Linear regression of peaks Fall Nr Nr <5 Nsc30% harvest Winter Nr Nr <5 Nsc3% roads Moore and Interpreted from Harr et al., Large 0.55 Nr 7 Nsc 2

Wondzell 2005 1975 data set

Deer 3 Harr et al. 1975 Linear regression of peaks Fall Nr Nr <5 Increase 5 Nr

65% harvest Winter Nr Nr <5 Increase 5 2012% roads Moore and Interpreted from Harr et al., Large 0.55 Nr 7 Increase 18 44

Wondzell 2005 1975 data set

Deer 4 Harr et al. 1975 Linear regression of peaks Fall Nr Nr <5 Nsc90% harvest Winter Nr Nr <5 Nscno roads Moore and Interpreted from Harr et al., Large 0.55 Nr 7 Nsc

Wondzell 2005 1975 data set

Nr = not reported, Nsc = no significant change.
66

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-760 Table 6—Peak flow data from Carnation Creek Watershed, British Columbia Site and Event Minimum Return Record Direction Magnitude of change treatment Reference Method of analysis type flow period length of change Roads Harvest

m

3

·s

-1· km-2 – – – Years – – – – – – Percent – – –

Carnation H Hetherington Linear regression of peaks Rain 0.55 Nr Nr Increase 20 2090% harvest 19826.5% roadsCarnation B Hetherington Linear regression of peaks Rain 0.55 Nr Nr Nsc Nr Nr41% harvest 1982no roads

Nr = not reported, Nsc = no significant change.
67

Effects of Forest Practices on Peak Flows and Consequent Channel Response

Table 7—Peak flow data from Caspar Creek Experimental Watershed, CaliforniaSite and Event Minimum Return Record Direction of Magnitude of change

treatment Reference Method of analysis type flow period length change Roads Harvest

m3

·s

-1· km-2 – – – Years – – – – – – – Percent – – – –

South Fork Ziemer 1981 Least squares regression of Small 0.016 Nr 4 Increase Nr Nr(SFC) peaks Medium 0.07 Nr 4 Nsc67% harvest Large 0.16 1.01 4 Nsc5% roads Very large 0.41 1.4 4 Nsc

All Na Na 4 Increase Nr 10

Double mass curve All Na Na 4 Increase Nr 4

Wright et al. 1990 Least squares logarithmic All Nr Na 5 Increase Nsc Nr

regression of peaks Small <.067 Nr 5 Increase 20 111

Large >0.112 8 5 Nsc

Ziemer 1998 Least squares regression All >0.1 Nr 15 Nsc

of peaks

North Fork Ziemer 1998 Linear regression of peaks All >.1 7x/yr 12 Nsc 2(NFC) Large Nr 2 12 Increase 949.6% harvest Fall >0.125 Nr 12 Increase 3002% roadsBAN Ziemer 1998 Linear regression of peaks Large 0.8 2 12 Increase 2195% harvest Reid and Lewis Analyzed by Ziemer 1998 Small Nr >.15 2 Increase 56

2.6% roads 2007CAR Ziemer 1998 Linear regression of peaks Large 0.8 2 12 Increase 19

95.7 % harvest Reid and Lewis Analyzed by Ziemer 1998 Small Nr >.15 2 Increase 54

2.8 % roads 2007EAG Ziemer 1998 Linear regression of peaks Large 0.8 2 12 Increase 27

99.9 % harvest Reid and Lewis Analyzed by Ziemer 1998 Small Nr >.15 2 Increase 58

4.9 % roads 2007GIB Ziemer 1998 Linear regression of peaks Large 0.8 2 12 Increase 39

99.6 % harvest Reid and Lewis Analyzed by Ziemer 1998 Small Nr >.15 2 Increase 70

4.2 % roads 2007KJE Ziemer 1998 Linear regression of peaks Large 0.8 2 12 Increase 28

97.1 % harvest Reid and Lewis Analyzed by Ziemer 1998 Small Nr >.15 2 Increase 67

6.5 % roads 2007
68

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-760 Table 7—Peak flow data from Caspar Creek Experimental Watershed, California (continued) Site and Event Minimum Return Record Direction of Magnitude of change treatment Reference Method of analysis type flow period length change Roads Harvest

m

3

·s

-1· km-2 – – – Years – – – – – – – Percent – – – –

Average of Ziemer 1998 Linear regression of peaks Large Nr 2 12 Increase 27

clearcut Medium >0.4 0.5 12 Increase 34NFC basins97.8 % harvestAverage of Ziemer 1998 Linear regression of peaks Large Nr 2 12 Increase 15

partial cut Medium >0.4 0.5 12 Increase 16NFC basins41.4 % harvest

Na = not applicable, Nr = not reported, Nsc = no significant change.
69

Effects of Forest Practices on Peak Flows and Consequent Channel Response

Table 8a—Peak flow data from Watershed 3, H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest, OregonSite and Method of Event Minimum Return Record Direction Magnitude of change, by years since harvesttreatment Reference analysis type flow period length of change All 0 5 10 15 20 25 30

m3

·s

-1· km-2 – – – Years – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Percent – – – – – – – – – – –

Watershed 3 Jones and Analysis of All 0.03 Na 25 Increase 11 28 22 17 14 14

30% harvest Grant 1996 variance on log- Fall 0.03 Na 25 Increase 7 30 23 12 15 5

6% roads transformed peaksa Winter 0.03 Na 25 Increase 8 23 22 21 16 23

Spring 0.03 Na 25 Increase 5 42 25 23 7 15Small 0.03 <0.125 25 Increase 4 36 27 16 15 12

Large 0.35 0.4 25 Increase 6 23 22 13 13 15

Thomas and Linear regression Small 0.03 <0.125 25 Increase 39 23

Megahan of log-transformed Medium- 0.11 0.125 25 Increase 22 18

1998b peaksa small

Medium- 0.21 0.2 25 Increase 17 17

large

Large 0.35 0.4 25 Increase 16 16

Beschta et Linear regression of Large 0.35 0.4 25 Increasec 24

al. 2000 log-transformed peaksa Large 0.65 1 25 Increasec 13

Large 1.00 5 25 Increasec 6

Jones 2000 Analysis of variance on All 0.03 Na 33 Increase 8 19 14 10

log-transformed peaks Small, fall 0.03 Na 33 Increase 15 31 21 12

Small, spring 0.03 Na 33 Nsc 9 22 8 10Rain 0.03 Na 33 Nsc 10Mixed 0.03 Na 33 Nsc 22Rain-on-Snow 0.03 Na 33 Increase 26Large 0.65 >1 33 Increase 16

All values statistically significant at 0.05. Bold indicates values graphed in figure 5. Na = not applicable, Nsc = no significant change.a These three studies used the same data set.b Values estimated from table 3a.c Statistical significance not reported.
70

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-760 Table 8b—Peak flow data from Watersheds 6, 7, and 10, HJ Andrews Experimental Forest, Oregon Site and Method of Event Minimum Return Record Direction Magnitude of change, by years since harvest treatment Reference analysis type flow period length of change All 0 5 10 15 20 25 30

m

3

·s

-1· km-2 – – – Years – – – – – – – – – – – – – Percent – – – – – – – – – –

Watershed 6 Harr et al. Linear regression All 0.45 1 6 Nsc Nr

100% harvest 1982 of peaks9% roads

Jones 2000 Analysis of variance All 0.03 Na 23 Increase 37 20

on log-transformed Large 0.65 1 23 Increase 16peaks

Watershed 7 Harr et al. 1982 Linear regression All 0.45 1 6 Nsc Nr

100% harvest of peaksno roads

Jones 2000 Analysis of All 0.03 Na 12 Increase 25 36

variance on log- Large 0.65 1 12 Increase 27transformed peaks

Watershed 10 Harr and Linear regression All 0.22 Na 1 Decrease -32

100% harvest McCorison of peaksno roads 1979

Harr 1986 Linear regression Rain-on 0.55 Na 16 Nsc Nr

of peaks snow

Jones 2000 Analysis of variance All 0.03 Na 22 Increase 25 26

on log-transformed Large 0.65 1 22 Nsc -8peaks

Na = not applicable, Nr = not reported, Nsc = no significant change.
71

Effects of Forest Practices on Peak Flows and Consequent Channel Response

Table 9—Peak flow data from Bull Run Watershed, OregonSite and Method of Minimum Return Record Direction Magnitude of change, by years since harvesttreatment Reference analysis Event type flow period length of change All 0 5 10 15 20

m3

·s

-1· km-2 – – – –Years – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Percent – – – – – – – – – –

Fox 1 Harr, 1980 Linear regression All 0.56 1 Nr Nsc 025% harvest of peaks1% roads Jones, 2000 Analysis of All Nr Na 20 Increase 12 5

variance on log- Small, fall Nr 0.28 20 Nsc 7 12transformed peaks Small, spring Nr 0.28 20 Nsc 22 -5

Large Nr 1 20 Increase 13

Fox 3 Harr, 1980 Linear regression All 0.56 1 Nr Nsc 025% harvest of peaks1% roads Jones, 2000 Analysis of Small, fall Nr 0.28 20 Nsc 1 2

variance on log- All Nr Na 20 Nsc 2 8transformed peaks Small, spring Nr 0.28 20 Nsc 4 -8

Large Nr 1 20 Increase 13

Bold indicates values graphed in figure 5. Na = not applicable, Nr = not reported, Nsc = no significant change.
72

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-760 Table 10—Peak flow data from Coyote Creek Experimental Watershed, Oregon Site and Method of Minimum Return Record Direction Magnitude of change, by years since harvest treatment Reference analysis Event type flow period length of change All 0 5 10 15 20 m3·s-1· km-2 – – – – Years – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Percent – – – – – – – – – – – Coyote 1 Harr et al. Linear regression Large 0.22 9 5 Increase 47 50% harvest 1979 of peaks 1.6% roads Jones 2000 Analysis of All Nr Na 12 Increase 36 42 variance on log- Small, fall Nr 0.24 12 Increase 73 63 transformed peaks Small, Nr 0.24 12 Nsc 17 15 spring Large Nr 1 12 Nsc 10 Moore and Estimated from Large 0.19 1.1 5 Nr 6 Wondzell Harr et al. 1979 0.35 1.5 5 Nr 25

2005 regression 0.45 2 5 Nr 32

relationships 0.87 5 5 Nr 44

1.23 10 5 Nr 48

Coyote 2 Harr et al. Linear regression Large 0.22 9 5 Increase 10 10

30% harvest 1979 of peaks1.7% roads Jones 2000 Analysis of All Nr Na 12 Increase 32 40

variance on log- Small, fall Nr 0.24 12 Increase 71 61

transformed peaks Small, spring Nr 0.24 12 Nsc 26 36

Large Nr 1 12 Increase 36

Moore and Estimated from Large 0.19 1.1 5 Nr 18

Wondzell Harr et al. 1979 0.35 1.5 5 Nr 14

2005 regression 0.45 2 5 Nr 13

relationships 0.87 5 5 Nr 10

1.23 10 5 Nr 9.6

Coyote 3 Harr et al. Linear regression Large 0.22 9 5 Increase 36

100% harvest 1979 of peaks0.3% roads Jones Analysis of All Nr Na 12 Increase 45 73

2000 variance on log- Small, fall Nr 0.24 12 Increase 116 75

transformed peaks Small, spring Nr 0.24 12 Increase 24 71

Large Nr 1 12 Increase 26

Moore and Estimated from Large 0.19 1.1 5 Nr 56

Wondzell Harr et al. 1979 0.35 1.5 5 Nr 46

2005 regression 0.45 2 5 Nr 43

relationships 0.87 5 5 Nr 37

1.23 10 5 Nr 35

Bold indicates values graphed in figure 5. Na = not applicable, Nr = not reported, Nsc = no significant change.
73

Effects of Forest Practices on Peak Flows and Consequent Channel Response

Table 11—Peak flow data from Umatilla National Forest, OregonSite and Event Minimum Return Record Direction Magnitude of changetreatment Reference Method of analysis type flow period length of change Roads Harvest

m

3

·s

-1· km-2 – – – – Years – – – – – – – – Percent – – – –

Elgin 1 Fowler et al. 1987 Nr All Nr Nr 6 Nsc 043% harvestElgin 2 Fowler et al. 1987 Nr All Nr Nr 6 Nsc 050% harvestElgin 3 Fowler et al. 1987 Nr All Nr Nr 6 Nsc 022% harvest

Nr = not reported, Nsc = no significant change.
74

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-760

Table 13—Peak flow data from Camp Creek, British ColumbiaSite and Event Minimum Return Record Direction Magnitude of changetreatment Reference Method of analysis type flow period length of change Roads Harvest

m

3

·s

-1· km-2 – – – –Years – – – – – – – – Percent – – – –

Camp Creek Cheng 1989 Comparison of annual peak Large Nr Nr 6 Increase 21

27% harvest flow values

Moore and Scott Analysis of covariance Medium >0.03 Nr 17 Nsc Nr

2005 Small <0.03 Nr 17 Increase Nr

Table 12—Peak flow data from Deadhorse Creek, ColoradoSite and Event

Nr = not reported, Nsc = no significant change.

Minimum Return Record Direction Magnitude of change

treatment Reference Method of analysis type flow period length of change Roads Harvest

m

3

·s

-1· km-2 – – – – Years – – – – – – – – Percent – – – –

Deadhorse Troendle and Analysis of covariance All Nr Nr Nr (<5) Nsc 010% harvest King 19873.4% roadsNorth Fork Troendle and Analysis of covariance All Nr Nr Nr (<5) Increase 50

36% harvest King 19873.1% roadsUnit 8 Troendle and Nr All Nr Nr 3 Nr 0

40% harvest King 19874.9% roadsUpper Basin Troendle and30% harvest King 1987 Nr All Nr Nr Nr (<5) Nr 0

3.2% roads

Nr = not reported, Nsc = no significant change.
75

Effects of Forest Practices on Peak Flows and Consequent Channel Response

Table 15—Peak flow data from Fool Creek, ColoradoSite and Event Minimum Return Record Direction Magnitude of changetreatment Reference Method of analysis type flow period length of change Roads Harvest

m

3

·s

-1· km-2 – – – – Years– – – – – – – – Percent – – – –

Fool Creek Troendle and Analysis of covariance All Nr Nr 28 Increase 23

40% harvest King 1985

Table 14—Peak flow data from Wagon Wheel Gap, ColoradoSite and Event

5% roads

Nr = not reported.

Minimum Return Record Direction Magnitude of change

treatment Reference Method of analysis type flow period length of change Roads Harvest

m

3

·s

-1· km-2 – – – Years – – – – – – – Percent – – – –

Catchment B Bates and Henry Comparison of mean daily All Nr Nr 7 Increase 50100% harvest 1928 flow

no roads

Van Haveren Comparison of maximum All Nr Nr 7 Increase 50

1998 daily flow

Nr = not reported.
76

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-760 Table 16—Peak flow data from Horse Creek, Idaho Site and Event Minimum Return Record Direction Magnitude of change treatment Reference Method of analysis type flow period length of change Roads Harvest m3·s-1· km-2 – – – – Years – – – – – – – – Percent– – – – Horse Creek King and Linear regression of peaks All Nr Nr Nr Nsc Nr no harvest Tennyson 3.7% roads 1984 Subbasin 10 King and Linear regression of peaks All Nr Nr Nr Nsc Nr no harvest Tennyson 2.6% roads 1984 Subbasin 12 King 1989 Linear regression of peaks All Nr Nr Nr Nsc 15 33% harvest

3.9% roadsSubbasin 14 King 1989 Linear regression of peaks All Nr Nr Nr Increase 35

27% harvest1.8% roadsSubbasin 16 King 1989 Linear regression of peaks All Nr Nr Nr Increase 36

27% harvest3% roadsSubbasin 18 King 1989 Linear regression of peaks All Nr Nr Nr Increase 34

29% harvest4.3% roads

Nr = not reported, Nsc = no significant change.
Pacific Northwest Research Station

Web site http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw

Telephone (503) 808-2592

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FAX (503) 808-2130

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Pacific Northwest Research Station

P.O. Box 3890

Portland, OR 97208-3890
U.S. Department of Agriculture

Pacific Northwest Research Station

333 S.W. First Avenue

P.O. Box 3890

Portland, OR 97208-3890

Official Business

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