Symposium on Forestry

Best Management Practice 

Effectiveness in the Eastern US

ABSTRACTS OF PRESENTATIONS

AND POSTERS

Skelton Conference Center

Blacksburg, VA

May 12-15, 2014

Co-sponsored by the

National Council for Air and Stream

Improvement, Inc. (NCASI), 

the Society of American Foresters,

and Virginia Tech

BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 1

Symposium on Forestry Best Management Practice 

Effectiveness in the Eastern US

Skelton Conference Center, Blacksburg, VA

May 12-15, 2014

Agenda

Monday – May 12, 2014: Welcome Reception (Poster Presentations)

 (6:00 pm to 9:00 pm)

 

Tuesday – May 13, 2014: Oral Presentations and Poster Session 

 (8:00 am to 5:30 pm)

 19 Oral Presentations (20-min each, 380 minutes)

Wednesday – May 14, 2014: Field Tour (all day)

 7:00 am Leave Blacksburg, travel to Reynolds Homestead

 Stop 1 9:45-10:00 Designed Roads with good BMPs Kris Brown, Clay Sawyers

 Stop 2 10:10- 10.25 Legacy Roads with improvements Kris Brown

 Stop 3 10:45- 11:20 Skid Trail BMPs Chad Bolding

 Stop 4a 11:35-11:40 Biomass Harvesting BMPs Scott Barrett

 Stop 4b 11:40-11:50 Fire line BMPs Mike Aust

 Stop 5 12:00-12:50 Box Lunch at RJR

 Stop 6: 1:05-1:15 History of Reynolds Homestead Clay Sawyers/Kyle Peer

 Stop 7:1:20-1:35 Low water crossing and approaches Clay Sawyers

 Stop 8 1:40-1:55 Road standards and sediment AJ Lang

 Stop 9 2:05-2:20 Legacy roads without improvements Kris Brown

 Stop 10a 2:45-3:00 SMZ BMPs Mike Aust

 Stop 10b 3:00-3:15 Stream approach BMPs Kris Brown

 Stop 10c 3:15-3:30 Bridge BMPs Brian Morris

 Stop 11 3:45-4:00 Culvert BMPs Brian Morris

 Stop 12a 4:10-4:15 Ford BMPs Brian Morris

 Stop 12b :4:15-4:45 Group Discussion

 5:00: Leave Reynolds Homestead

 6:45 Arrive Conference Center

Thursday – May 15, 2015: Oral presentations continue (8:00am – 12:10pm)

 Concurrent sessions 

 20 Oral presentations (20-min each, 400 minutes)

39 Oral presentations (20-mins each): 780 minutes

13 Poster presentations
2 BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014

TENTATIVE SESSION AGENDA

Tuesday (19 talks, 380 minutes)

8:00 – 8:40 Introduction and Opening Remarks

8:40 – 10:00 Session #1: SMZ Effectiveness and Wetland BMPs (4 talks)

Spatial and Temporal Frequency of Overland Flow from Piedmont Pine Plantations

(Rhett Jackson, University of Georgia)

Streamside Management Zones Compromised by Stream Crossings, Legacy Gullies, and 

Over-Harvest in the Piedmont (A.J. Lang, Virginia Tech)

How Well Do Riparian Buffers and Best Management Practices Protect Water Resources 

of Small Streams: Results of a Seven-Year Study in Maine (Ethel Wilkerson, Manomet 

Center for Conservation Sciences)

Influence of Variable Streamside Management Zone Configurations on Water Quality 

Following Harvest (Christopher Barton, University of Kentucky)

10:00 – 10:30 BREAK

10:30 – 11:50 Session #2: SMZ Effectiveness and Wetland BMPs (3 talks)

Streamside Management Zone Residual Values and Potential Management Options

(Bill Lakel, Virginia Division of Forestry)

Using Mat Logging BMPs to Improve Recovery of Forested Wetlands 

Following Harvesting (Kimberly Bohn, University of Florida)

Long Term Effects of Wet Weather Harvesting in the Flatwoods (Mike Aust, Virginia 

Tech)

12:00 – 1:00 LUNCH

1:00 – 2:00 Session #3: BMPs, Biodiversity and Disturbance 1 (3 talks)

Assessment of Streamside Management Zone Efficacy for Conserving Benthic 

Macroinvertebrate Communities Following Timber Harvest in Eastern Kentucky 

Headwater Catchments (Joshua K. Adkins, Transylvania University)

Effects of Timber Harvest within Streamside Management Zones on Salamander 

Populations in Ephemeral Streams of Southeastern Kentucky (Thomas Maigret, 

University of Kentucky)
BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 3

The Effect of Microsite on Invasive Species Colonization Associated with the Use of 

Timber Harvesting BMPs (Kevin Devine, University of Kentucky)

2:00 – 3:00 Session #4: Watershed Scale Research 1 (3 talks)

Effectiveness of Forestry Best Management Practices for Water Quality Protection in 

Four Headwater Catchments in the Falls Lake Watershed (Johnny Boggs, Biological 

Scientist, USDA Forest Service)

The Florida Fertilization Project: Monitoring BMP Effectiveness with High Resolution 

Data (Daniel McLaughlin, University of Florida)

Assessing BMP Effectiveness for Woody Biomass Production for Bioenergy in 

Groundwater-Dominated Coastal Plain Watersheds (Natalie Griffiths, Oak Ridge 

National Laboratory)

3:00 – 3:30 BREAK

3:30 – 5:30 Session #5: Roads, Skid Trails and Stream Crossings (6 talks)

Effectiveness of Best Management Practices to Reduce Sediment Delivery From 

Reopened Legacy Roads at Forest Stream Crossings (Kristopher Brown, Virginia Tech)

Effectiveness and Cost of Implementing Skid Trail BMPs (Chad Bolding, Virginia Tech)

Effectiveness of Elevated Skid Trail Headwater Stream Crossings in the Cumberland 

Plateau (Christopher Reeves, University of Kentucky)

Virginia State-wide Forest Road Stream Crossing Sediment Contribution (Brian Morris, 

Virginia Tech)

Methods for Detecting and Resolving Passage Issues for Small, Non-game Fish at RoadStream Crossings (Andy Dolloff, US Forest Service)

Recreational Stream Crossing Effects on Sediment Delivery and Macroinvertebrates in 

Southwestern Virginia, USA (Kathryn R. Kidd, Virginia Tech)

Wednesday – All Day Field Tour (7:00 am – 6:45 pm)
4 BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014

Thursday – Concurrent sessions (20 Talks, 400 minutes)

8:00 – 10:00 Session #6: State and Federal BMP Effectiveness and Implementation 

Monitoring (6 talks)

State Forestry Agency Efforts to Monitor BMP Effectiveness: A Southern Perspective 

(Hughes Simpson, Texas A&M Forest Service)

Forestry BMP Education & Training in the South (Tom Gerow, North Carolina Division 

of Forestry)

Assessment of State Forestry Best Management Practices for the Eastern U.S. (Richie 

Cristan, Virginia Tech)

Forest Harvesting in Tennessee: BMP Implementation Rates, Demographic Profiles and 

Costs Associated with the Non-Regulatory Program (Wayne Clatterbuck, University of 

Tennessee)

The Forest Service National BMP Program – Assessing the First Year of Monitoring

(Pam Edwards, US Forest Service)

Forest Harvesting BMPs in the Chesapeake Bay (Sally Claggett, US Forest Service)

8:00 – 9:00 Session #7a: Watershed Scale Research (3 talks)

Monitoring the Effectiveness of Forestry Best Management Practice Implementation in 

the Flat Creek Watershed (Kristopher Brown, Virginia Tech)

Texas Alto Watershed Study – Evaluating the Hydrologic Effects of Intensive 

Silviculture with BMPs and Other Land Uses on Water Resources (Matt McBroom, 

Stephen F. Austin State University)

Assessing BMP Effectiveness in the Pacific Northwest: Value of Collaborative, 

Integrated Research Programs (Bob Bilby, Weyerhaeuser Company)

9:00 – 10:00 Session #7b: BMPs, Biodiversity and Disturbance 2 (3 talks)

The Role and Function of Streamside Management Zones for Biodiversity Conservation 

on Forested Landscapes (Darren Miller, Weyerhaeuser Company)

Potential Effects of Forestry Operations and Associated BMPs on Stream and Riparian 

Species (Mike Aust, Virginia Tech)

Use of Simple Suspended and Bed Sediment Metrics to Explain Biotic Index Variability 

and Relationships between Fish and Macroinvertebrate Assemblage Metrics in Georgia 

Piedmont Streams (Denise Carroll, Georgia Southern University)
BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 5

10:00 – 10:30 BREAK

10:30 – 11:50 Session #8: Innovative Approaches to Assessing BMP Effectiveness 

(4 talks)

Road Sediment Models: Strengths and Necessary Improvements (Bob Danehy, NCASI)

Nutrient Tracking Tool – A User-Friendly Tool for Calculating Nutrient Losses Under 

Various Agricultural and Forestry Management Practices (Ali Saleh, Tarleton State 

University)

Can WEPP Estimate BMP Effectiveness from Experimental Forest Roads? (Kevin 

McGuire, Virginia Tech)

A Holistic Risk-Based Approach for BMP Effectiveness at the Watershed Scale (Rob 

Slesak, Minnesota Forest Resources Council)

10:30 – 11:50 Session #9: Woody Biomass (4 talks)

Field Implementation and Effectiveness of Riparian Buffers in Forest Biofuel Operations

(Jami Nettles, Weyerhaeuser Company)

A Comparison of Best Management Practices (BMP) Implementation and Estimated 

Erosion Rates on Biomass and Conventional Harvesting Operations in the Piedmont of 

Virginia (Scott Barrett, Virginia Tech)

Recommended Management Practices for Bioenergy Production (Rebecca Efroymson, 

Oak Ridge National Laboratory)

Sustainability Standards and Best Management Practices: Integrating Paradigms for 

Enhanced, Sustainable Forest Management (James McCubbins, University of Illinois, 

Urbana-Champaign)
6 BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014

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BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 7

SESSION #1

(8:40 – 10:00 AM)

STREAMSIDE MANAGEMENT ZONE EFFECTIVENESS

AND WETLAND BMPs

Spatial and Temporal Frequency of Overland Flow from Piedmont Pine Plantations

Rhett Jackson, University of Georgia

Streamside Management Zones Compromised by Stream Crossings, Legacy Gullies, 

and Over-Harvest in the Piedmont

A.J. Lang, Virginia Tech

How Well Do Riparian Buffers and Best Management Practices Protect Water 

Resources of Small Streams: Results of a Seven-Year Study in Maine

Ethel Wilkerson, Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences

Influence of Variable Streamside Management Zone Configurations on Water 

Quality Following Harvest

Christopher Barton, University of Kentucky

10:00 – 10:30 AM BREAK
8 BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014

SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL FREQUENCY OF OVERLAND FLOW

FROM PIEDMONT PINE PLANTATIONS

Presenter: Rhett Jackson, University of Georgia,

Athens, GA (rjackson@warnell.uga.edu)

Co-Authors: Rhett Jackson and Joan Schneier, University of Georgia, Athens, GA

Forest clearcutting and site preparation can increase the frequency of overland flow by 

expanding variable source areas and creating bare soils that produce Horton overland 

flow. The resulting surface runoff may enter SMZs as either dispersed sheet flow or 

concentrated runoff. This study quantified the spatial and temporal frequency of overland 

flow entering the streamside management zones (SMZs) of two clearcut, bedded, and 

planted areas plus an uncut mature reference area in the Georgia Piedmont. Overland 

flow collection cups, called runoff cups hereafter, were established at 30 m intervals 

along the SMZ boundaries. Runoff cups were installed with the lips flush with the ground 

along the upper edge of the SMZ. These cups were covered with a shingle roof raised on 

two stakes to exclude rainfall from entering the cup. Absence or presence of runoff was 

tallied for events exceeding 13 mm. Surface runoff commonly occurred in plantations 

from well distributed locations around the SMZ, with high spatial and storm variability. 

Cup responsiveness and bare ground decreased from the first to the second year after 

harvest. Response frequency was best correlated to rainfall factor “R” from the Revised 

Universal Soil Loss Equation , total storm depth, and 24-hour and 6-hour maximum 

intensities. Runoff locations were well distributed, and some CFTs fully penetrated the 

SMZ. Mean plantation concentrations of dissolved nitrates, phosphates and suspended 

solids were 2.1, 0.21, 54 mg/L the first year, and 0.1, 0.12, 36 mg/L the second year, 

respectively. Results suggest that variable width SMZs with greater protection of variable 

source areas and gullies would increase water quality protection. 
BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 9

STREAMSIDE MANAGEMENT ZONES COMPROMISED BY STREAM 

CROSSINGS, LEGACY GULLIES, AND OVER-HARVEST IN THE PIEDMONT

Presenter: A.J. Lang, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA (Lan0893@vt.edu)

Co-Authors: A.J. Lang, W.M. Aust, M.C. Bolding, S.M. Barrett and

K.J. McGuire, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA

W.A. Lakel, III, Virginia Dept. of Forestry, Charlottesville, VA

Streamside management zones (SMZs) are commonly used best management practices 

(BMPs) for the protection of water quality from silvicultural disturbances, yet the 

integrity of SMZs may be compromised so that water borne pollutants are not trapped 

within the SMZ. The overall goal of this project was to identify and characterize SMZ 

“breakthroughs” so that BMP recommendations can be refined for compromised SMZs. 

SMZs associated with 16 clearcut harvests in the Virginia Piedmont were evaluated after 

harvest closure. Ten kilometers of SMZ borders were carefully examined for partial 

breakthroughs or complete breakthroughs. Partial breakthroughs trapped a portion of the 

sediment, while complete breakthroughs appeared to have allowed sediment to pass 

through with minimal restriction. An average of 3.3 complete breakthroughs/km of SMZ 

occurred. The 41 breakthroughs recorded across 16 sites were comprised of 33 complete 

breakthroughs and eight partial breakthroughs. The most common complete 

breakthroughs were caused by stream crossings (42%), reactivation of legacy agricultural 

gullies (27%), and harvest related soil disturbances near or within SMZs (24%). Better 

compliance with existing BMPs could have reduced sediment delivery for 16 of the 33 

complete breakthroughs. Minimizing the number and area of stream crossings and 

ensuring adequacy of BMPs for stream crossing approaches (e.g., cover, water control, 

and closure) may reduce breakthroughs. Stabilization of legacy gullies could be 

accomplished by a variety of techniques such as retention of SMZs around gullies and 

gully stabilization with slash or sediment retention structures. Breakthroughs can also be 

reduced by more complete adherence to existing guidelines for pre-harvest identification 

of stream crossings and SMZs and retention of appropriate levels of residual trees within 

SMZs.
10 BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014

HOW WELL DO RIPARIAN BUFFERS AND BEST MANAGEMENT 

PRACTICES PROTECT WATER RESOURCES OF SMALL STREAMS: 

RESULTS OF A SEVEN-YEAR STUDY IN MAINE

Presenter: Ethel Wilkerson, Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences, 

Brunswick, ME (ewilkerson@manomet.org)

Co-Authors: Ethel Wilkerson and Andrew Whitman, 

Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences, Brunswick, ME

Timber harvesting operations near waterways can alter the physical, chemical, and 

biological composition of streams and rivers. BMPs such as riparian buffers and 

minimization of vegetation and soil disturbance near the channel can avoid post-harvest 

changes to water resources. We conducted a harvest experiment on 15 small streams in 

western Maine to test the effectiveness of riparian buffers of different widths and other 

best management practices to protect against changes within streams and riparian areas.

Fifteen streams were assigned to 5 treatment groups (3 streams per treatment): (1) 

clearcut harvest with no stream buffer, (2) clearcut with partially harvested (<40% 

removal) 11-m buffers, both sides, (3) clearcut with partially harvested 23-m buffers, 

both sides, (4) selection cut harvest retaining at least 13.7 m2/ha residual basal area with 

no designated buffer, and (5) controls. Before the timber harvest and six years after the 

harvest, we measured stream and riparian air temperatures, water quality parameters, and 

nutrient concentrations both within the 12-ha harvest zone and upstream of harvesting 

operations in undisturbed forest. This harvest experiment yield these findings: (1) careful 

application of best management practices that minimized vegetation and soil disturbance 

near the stream channel prevented post-harvest changes in pH, conductivity, dissolved 

oxygen, turbidity, and soluble reactive phosphorus in all treatment groups including 

streams harvested without a buffer, (2) buffers ≥11m wide protected against significant 

long-term (>1 year) increases stream and riparian air temperatures, (3) partial removal 

(≤40% of basal area) of timber within buffers did not interfere with the effectiveness of 

the buffer to prevent changes in stream and riparian air temperatures and water quality 

parameters, (4) streams harvested without a buffer did show significantly elevated water 

(2.3-3.6oC) and riparian air (3.4-5.4oC) temperatures that persisted for at least six years 

after the harvest when vegetation regrowth provided ~50% canopy cover (measured 0.3 

m above the stream channel). We concluded that in harvests that impact ≤40% of small 

watersheds careful application of management practices that minimized soil disturbance 

near the stream channel combined with relatively narrow, partially harvested riparian 

buffers can protect temperature and water resources on small streams in Maine.
BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 11

INFLUENCE OF VARIABLE STREAMSIDE MANAGEMENT ZONE 

CONFIGURATIONS ON WATER QUALITY FOLLOWING FOREST HARVEST

Presenter: Christopher Barton, University of Kentucky, 

Lexington, KY (barton@uky.edu)

Co-Authors: Emma Witt, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN

Christopher Barton and Jeffrey Stringer, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY

Alex Cherry, U.S. Geological Survey, Louisville, KY

Randall Kolka, USDA Forest Service, Grand Rapids, MN

Streamside management zones (SMZ) are a common best management practice used to 

minimize impacts to water quality from forest harvesting operations. Further information 

on the impact of SMZ width and canopy retention as well as the extension of 

management zones to the entire stream network is necessary. The objective of this 

research was to evaluate the impact of varying SMZ configurations for perennial, 

intermittent, and ephemeral streams on stream temperature, and total suspended solids, 

turbidity, settleable solids, nitrate, and dissolved oxygen concentrations. Watersheds with 

wider SMZ (33 m, 100% canopy retention) and improved crossings measured no 

significant change from unharvested control watersheds for all parameters except nitrate 

concentration and mean diurnal temperature. Changes in total suspended solids, turbidity, 

nitrate, dissolved oxygen, and stream temperature were detected for watersheds treated 

with the current recommended SMZ configurations (50% overstory harvest, 16 m wide 

SMZ) and watersheds with unharvested SMZ (16 m wide, 100% canopy retention) and 

improved crossings, but the magnitude of change is not expected to negatively impact 

water quality. The combination of the use of improved crossings and maximizing the 

amount of undisturbed forest floor near streams via a combination of increased SMZ 

width and canopy retention was effective at minimizing suspended sediment input to the 

streams due to forest harvesting.
12 BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014

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BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 13

SESSION #2 

(10:30 – 11:50 AM)

STREAMSIDE MANAGEMENT ZONE EFFECTIVENESS

AND WETLAND BMPs

Streamside Management Zone Residual Values and Potential Management Options

Bill Lakel, Virginia Division of Forestry

Using Mat Logging BMPs to Improve Recovery of Forested Wetlands 

Following Harvesting

Kimberly Bohn, University of Florida 

Long Term Effects of Wet Weather Harvesting in the Flatwoods 

Mike Aust, Virginia Tech

12:00 – 1:00 PM LUNCH
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BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 15

STREAMSIDE MANAGEMENT ZONE RESIDUAL VALUES

AND POTENTIAL MANAGEMENT OPTIONS

Presenter and Author: Bill Lakel, Virginia Dept. of Forestry, 

Charlottesville, VA (william.lakel@dof.virginia.gov)

Streamside Management Zones (SMZS) are widely recognized as an important Best 

Management Practice (BMP) for protecting surface water quality from silvicultural 

pollution. These stands often contain valuable timber that is left behind for environmental 

and societal benefits and can be a significant cost to landowners and/or timber buyers. 

Sixteen small watersheds in Central Virginia were evaluated post harvest and residual 

timber values were quantified along with an estimate of storm damage to residual SMZ 

stands. Feasibility of managing these stands through periodic partial harvests in 

conjunction with final harvest of adjacent managed pine stands was examined with a 

basic financial analysis that included the financial incentives offered by the Virginia 

riparian buffer tax credit.
16 BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014

USING MAT LOGGING BMPs TO IMPROVE RECOVERY OF 

FORESTED WETLANDS FOLLOWING HARVESTING

Presenter: Kimberly Bohn, University of Florida, Milton, FL (kkbohn@ufl.edu)

Co-Authors: Kimberly Bohn, University of Florida, Milton, FL

Matt Cohen and Amy Washuta, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

Wetland logging has received considerable scrutiny in recent decades because of 

potential effects of modern harvesting on site regeneration, ecosystem recovery and 

subsequent impacts to water quality. The objective of this work was to examine the 

effectiveness of mat logging BMPs on reduction to soil impacts and subsequent 

vegetative recovery in cypress-tupelo wetlands in Florida. Study sites included 5 matlogged and 6 conventionally bottom-logged stands ranging in age from 3 -15 yrs, as well 

as 4 second-growth reference stands. We determined skid trail areas from aerial imagery, 

measured depth changes across skid trails, and took field measurements of soils and tree 

regeneration on- and off-trails at each site. Skid trails in conventionally bottom-logged 

sites covered more than twice the area than in mat logged sites (27.9 vs 13.6%), and were 

generally twice as deep (30 – 45 cm vs 10 – 25 cm). Soil bulk density did not differ 

between logging methods, suggesting that conventional bottom-logging had a greater 

effect on soil displacement than compaction. Stem densities were variable across all sites 

(1000 – 5000 stems/ac) but generally didn’t differ on and off trails. However, basal area 

of regeneration was always higher off- than on-trail, underscoring the importance of 

minimizing skid trail extent as it appears to have a direct effect on site productivity. 

Relative densities and basal area by species was similar between reference conditions and 

mat logged sites. Over extended successional periods it appears that the harvested sites 

are on a trajectory to recover as intact forested wetlands.
BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 17

LONG TERM EFFECTS OF WET WEATHER

HARVESTING IN THE FLATWOODS

Presenter: Mike Aust, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA (waust@vt.edu)

Co-Authors: Mike Aust, Chad Bolding and Brian Strahm, 

Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 

Wood using facilities in the southeastern United States typically can store only two 

weeks of wood inventory, yet wet weather conditions can last from three to six months. 

Thus, wet weather harvesting is common in the region. Wet weather harvesting systems, 

such as shovel logging, have made significant advances during the past decade, but wet 

weather harvesting operations still have considerable potential to cause soil disturbances. 

Such soil disturbances have been linked to reduced site productivity. We have conducted 

several experiments in the flatwoods region to evaluate harvesting and site preparation 

mechanisms for reducing potential negative effects of wet weather harvesting 

disturbance. One of the major problems associated with wet weather harvesting is that 

more compacted and wetter conditions can lead to reduced survival of individual planted 

trees. Mechanical site preparation or drainage can alleviate reduced survival. The second 

major issue is that the wet weather harvest disturbances may cause changes to soil 

physical conditions that can limit long term site productivity of the stands. Our research 

indicates that such reductions can be naturally alleviated on sites that have natural shrink 

swell conditions or by artificial mechanisms such as fertilization, bedding, or moledrainage. Overall, the research indicates that wet weather harvesting impacts can 

generally be mitigated by artificial manipulations, but the costs of wet weather harvesting 

mitigation make it advisable to avoid or minimize the situation when possible. 

 
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BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 19

SESSION #3

(1:00 – 2:00 PM)

BMPs, DISTURBANCE AND BIODIVERSITY

Assessment of Streamside Management Zone Efficacy for Conserving Benthic 

Macroinvertebrate Communities Following Timber Harvest in Eastern Kentucky 

Headwater Catchments

Joshua K. Adkins, Transylvania University

Effects of Timber Harvest within Streamside Management Zones on Salamander 

Populations in Ephemeral Streams of Southeastern Kentucky

Thomas Maigret, University of Kentucky

The Effect of Microsite on Invasive Species Colonization Associated with the Use of 

Timber Harvesting BMPs

Kevin Devine, University of Kentucky
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BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 21

ASSESSMENT OF STREAMSIDE MANAGEMENT ZONE EFFICACY FOR 

CONSERVING BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATE COMMUNITIES 

FOLLOWING TIMBER HARVEST IN EASTERN

KENTUCKY HEADWATER CATCHMENTS

Presenter: Joshua Adkins, Transylvania University, Lexington, KY (jadkins@transy.edu)

Co-Authors: Joshua Adkins, Transylvania University, Lexington, KY

Christopher Barton and Jeffrey Stringer, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY

Scott Grubbs, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY

Riparian zones are ecological interfaces that play a key role in maintaining aquaticterrestrial linkages. Headwater streams generally comprise the majority of stream area in 

a watershed and strongly influence downstream food webs. Thus, maintaining the 

integrity of forested streamside areas is important. Our objective was to determine 

whether current streamside management zone (SMZ) criteria for the state of Kentucky 

are adequate to protect aquatic insect communities in headwater streams. Timber harvests 

were implemented from June 2008 to October 2009 within six watersheds at Robinson 

Forest in eastern Kentucky using a two-age deferment method. Treatments consisted of 

one of three SMZ configurations that ranged in SMZ width, canopy retention and use of 

improved ephemeral stream crossings. Treatment 1 followed KY BMP recommendations. 

Treatment 2 provided enhanced retention of trees within the SMZ and required elevated 

stream crossings. Treatment 3 enhanced retention further and extended the width of the 

SMZ, while also requiring elevated stream crossings. Each SMZ was applied to two 

watersheds. Two additional watersheds were used as unharvested controls. Invertebrate 

samples were collected from three riffles in intermittent and perennial reaches of each 

watershed. Samples were taken using a 0.09 m2Surber sampler. The samples were 

identified to genus and categorized into functional feeding groups. In the perennial 

reaches, we found greater abundances of shredders in Treatment 2 watersheds, but those 

differences were not statistically significant. We also found the greatest abundance of 

stoneflies (Order Plecoptera) in the Treatment 2 watersheds, but no difference in the 

number of stonefly taxa collected. There were no statistical differences in shredder 

abundance in the intermittent reaches, but stoneflies were found in greater numbers in the 

Treatment 1 intermittent reaches. Abundance of collectors and predators were elevated in 

the intermittent treatment groups compared to the controls. We found no differences in 

the Hilsenhoff Biotic Index between treatment groups, though benthic invertebrate 

abundance and richness were elevated in all treatment watersheds relative to the control. 

This suggests that stream invertebrate communities did respond to the timber harvest, 

though the current SMZ criteria in Kentucky appear to be adequate for protecting stream 

invertebrate communities. 
22 BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014

EFFECTS OF TIMBER HARVEST WITHIN STREAMSIDE MANAGEMENT 

ZONES ON SALAMANDER POPULATIONS IN EPHEMERAL 

STREAMS OF SOUTHEASTERN KENTUCKY

Presenter: Thomas Maigret, Univ. of Kentucky, 

Lexington, KY (thomas.maigret@uky.edu)

Co-Authors: Thomas Maigret, John Cox, Chris Barton and Steven Price, 

University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY

Dylan Schneider, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY

Jeffery Larkin, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA

Habitat loss and fragmentation are two of the most important causes of global population 

declines and extinction of amphibians. Forestry is an important extractive, economic 

activity to many human economies, but it can be detrimental to ecosystem function and 

species viability therein. Salamanders comprise a significant amount of forest community 

biomass, and given their sensitivity to environmental stressors, often serve as important 

indicators of declines in forest ecosystem function. Several studies have focused on the 

impacts of timber harvest on salamanders inhabiting perennial streams, the findings of 

which have helped inform timber best management practices in the U.S. headwater 

streams and associated riparia account for a small fraction of the total landscape, yet 

these features are critical to the functioning of forested ecosystems; however, few have 

examined how timber harvest impacts salamanders in or near these areas. Our objective 

was to investigate the effects of three different silvicultural treatments, each involving 

different streamside management zone (SMZ) characteristics, on salamander 

communities in ephemeral streams. Data were collected by regular checks of pitfall traps, 

coverboards, and transect searches. Using both pre- and post-harvest data, abundance 

estimates were acquired using binomial mixture models. Declines in some species of 

terrestrial and stream-breeding salamanders were detected, and were shown to be likely 

related to characteristics of the corresponding silvicultural treatment. We suggest that 

application of modest SMZ regulations to ephemeral streams would likely reduce or 

eliminate alleviate salamander declines in these important headwater areas.
BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 23

THE EFFECT OF MICROSITE ON INVASIVE SPECIES COLONIZATION 

ASSOCIATED WITH THE USE OF TIMBER HARVESTING BMPs

Presenter: Kevin Devine, University of Kentucky (kdevine321@gmail.com)

Co-Authors: Kevin Devine, Jeffrey Stringer and Christopher Barton, 

University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY

Songlin Fei, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN

The responses of invasive exotic plant species (IES) to silvicultural treatments one 

growing season after timber harvesting were examined in the Cumberland Plateau region 

of Southeastern Kentucky. Treatments included a commercial deferment harvest and 

unharvested control applied to five watersheds within University of Kentucky’s Robinson 

Forest. The effects of harvesting were compared between treatments and between 

preharvest and postharvest samplings. The spatial distribution and abundance of targeted 

IES throughout forest sites and trail systems were calculated from several sampling 

schemes. Additional analyses were performed to quantify forest disturbances derived 

from harvest activities to determine the relationships between soil, light levels, and other 

environmental characteristics and IES cover. Logistic and multivariate analysis 

techniques were used to analyze differences in IES distribution between pre-harvest and 

post-harvest units to relate post-harvest IES to microsite conditions. Microsite conditions 

within the forest and along the trail system proved important for explaining the presence 

and distribution of IES. Timber harvesting caused a significant increase in both Ailanthus 

altissima and Microstegium vimineum within harvested areas. However, many other 

identified IES did not initially respond to disturbances. Throughout the treatment units, 

species were influenced by disturbance type and intensity, as well as proximity to 

reclaimed surface mined land.
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SESSION #4

(2:00 – 3:00 PM)

WATERSHED SCALE RESEARCH

Effectiveness of Forestry Best Management Practices for Water Quality Protection 

in Four Headwater Catchments in the Falls Lake Watershed

Johnny Boggs, USDA Forest Service

The Florida Fertilization Project: Monitoring BMP Effectiveness with High 

Resolution Data

Daniel McLaughlin, University of Florida

Assessing BMP Effectiveness for Woody Biomass Production for Bioenergy in 

Groundwater-Dominated Coastal Plain Watersheds

Natalie Griffiths, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

3:00 – 3:00 PM BREAK
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BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 27

EFFECTIVENESS OF FORESTRY BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES 

FOR WATER QUALITY PROTECTION IN FOUR HEADWATER 

CATCHMENTS IN THE FALLS LAKE WATERSHED

Presenter: Johnny Boggs, USDA Forest Service, Raleigh, NC (jboggs@ncsu.edu)

Co-Authors: Johnny Boggs, Ge Sun and Steven McNulty,

USDA Forest Service, Raleigh, NC

David Jones, NC Forest Service, Raleigh, NC

Forestry BMPs are designed to prevent and reduce nonpoint source pollution delivery to 

streams and waterbodies during forestry operations. We tested effects of a clear cut 

harvest with a 50 foot streamside management zone around a small stream to prevent 

sedimentation and capture nutrients during forest logging operations in the Piedmont of 

North Carolina. Four headwater watersheds at Hill Demonstration Forest (HF) and two at 

Umstead Research Farm (UF) were monitored for streamflow and water quality. We 

found that streamflow increased dramatically above flow expected without forest cutting 

ranging from 210%, 250%, and 180% in HF and 255%, 200%, and 150% in UF in 2011, 

2012, and 2013, respectively. Total suspended sediment (TSS) load increased above preharvest levels, 63 kg/ha, 58 kg/ha and 60 kg/ha in HF and 30 kg/ha, 56 kg/ha, and 71 

kg/ha in UF in 2011, 2012, and 2013, respectively. Total nitrogen (TN) load increased 

above pre-harvest levels, 2.3 kg/ha, 1.8 kg/ha, 1.8 kg/ha in HF and 2.9 kg/ha, 3.1 kg/ha, 

and 1.5 kg/ha in UF in 2011, 2012, and 2013, respectively. Effects of tree harvest on the 

larger nested watershed (control and harvest watersheds combined) at HF were less than 

the smaller harvested watershed. Benthic macroinvertebrate biotic index scores 

maintained good to excellent water quality standards for harvested watersheds. These 

results align with other BMP effectiveness studies where temporary increases in 

streamflow were accompanied by increased in-channel sediment transport and nutrient 

loads while maintaining aquatic and ecological integrity. 
28 BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014

THE FLORIDA FERTILIZATION PROJECT: MONITORING BMP 

EFFECTIVENESS WITH HIGH RESOLUTION DATA 

Presenter: Daniel McLaughlin, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

(mclaugd@ufl.edu)

Co-Authors: Daniel McLaughlin and Matthew Cohen,

University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

The Florida Fertilization Project is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the State’s 

forestry best management practices (BMPs) to protect water resources and aquatic 

ecosystems during fertilization operations. In this paired watershed study, we employed a 

novel suite of in situ sensors in coastal blackwater streams to collect high resolution data 

(sub-hourly to sub-daily) on flow, nitrate, soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), colored 

dissolved organic matter (CDOM), turbidity, dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, and specific 

conductance. Such sensors provide new tools to enumerate seasonal to sub-daily variation 

in water chemistry and flow, improving inferences of controls acting at different scales. 

Data will be used to compare baseline and post-fertilization conditions and to isolate 

fertilization effects from natural variation. First year pre-fertilization data clearly 

demonstrate large solute and flow variation in response to rainfall and day-night cycles. 

These latter diurnal patterns are evident in several analytes (flow, CDOM, DO), 

suggesting both watershed (transpiration) and instream (metabolism) influences. Eventdriven flow variation has significant water quality effects, including enrichment of nitrate 

and turbidity, and dilution of SRP and CDOM. These data allow us to quantify natural 

variation in multiple parameters at the temporal scales at which they actually vary, and 

thus provide a much richer and more precise approach to elucidating the effects of forest 

fertilization and BMP effectiveness. 
BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 29

ASSESSING BMP EFFECTIVENESS FOR WOODY 

BIOMASS PRODUCTION FOR BIOENERGY IN 

GROUNDWATER-DOMINATED COASTAL PLAIN WATERSHEDS

Presenter: Natalie Griffiths, Oak Ridge National Laboratory,

Oak Ridge, TN (griffithsna@ornl.gov)

Co-Authors: Natalie Griffiths, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN

Rhett Jackson, Menberu Bitew and Enhao Du, University of Georgia, Athens, GA

Kellie Vaché, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR

Jeffrey McDonnell and Julian Klaus, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK

John Blake, US Forest Service-Savannah River, New Ellenton, SC

Growing demand for renewable energy sources has spurred interest in producing woody 

feedstocks for bioenergy from intensively managed, short-rotation pine forests in the 

southeast US. We are conducting a paired watershed study and hillslope hydrology 

investigation of the hydrologic and water quality effects of short-rotation silviculture in 

the Upper Coastal Plain of South Carolina within the DOE Savannah River Site. The 

study includes a reference watershed (45 ha) and two treatment watersheds (117 and 169 

ha), with approximately 40% of the treatment watershed areas harvested and put into 

intensive loblolly pine plantations. Achieving target yields requires supernormal 

competition control and nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization, with attendant concerns 

for bare soil runoff and contamination of groundwater. Current Best Management 

Practices (BMPs) for forestry in South Carolina were implemented during harvest and 

management of pine, allowing us to assess whether BMPs are effective at protecting 

water resources for this more intensive silviculture. 

Our monitoring program includes sampling from streams, shallow and deep groundwater 

wells, and hillslope and riparian piezometers both before and during conversion to shortrotation pine. We are also conducting concentrated flow track surveys along the 

streamside management zone (SMZ) perimeters at the end of each summer. Streamflow 

is intermittent, and groundwater contours suggest that groundwater flowpaths do not 

respect surficial basin boundaries. Estimation of the hydrologic effects of intensive forest 

management therefore requires hydrologic models structured and calibrated to represent 

dominant processes in this low-relief terrain. Groundwater monitoring for herbicides and 

nutrients is critical, as baseline measurements, experiments, and modeling suggest that 

upland areas and streams are rarely connected hydrologically and that groundwater is the 

dominant source of stream flow and nutrients. Preliminary estimates of groundwater 

transit times are in the range of a decade, so excess fertilizers may not appear in the 

streams for many years. The post-treatment water quality data support this hypothesis, as 

there have been no increases in stream water nitrate and ammonium concentrations postharvest or post-fertilization; however, ammonium and nitrate concentrations in deep 

groundwater have increased. Continued coupling of measurements and modeling will 

assess the short- and long-term effects of intensive silviculture for bioenergy and the 

effectiveness of current BMPs. 
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SESSION #5

(3:30 – 5:30 PM)

ROADS, SKID TRAILS AND STREAM CROSSINGS

Effectiveness of Best Management Practices to Reduce Sediment Delivery From 

Reopened Legacy Roads at Forest Stream Crossings

Kristopher Brown, Virginia Tech

Effectiveness and Cost of Implementing Skid Trail BMPs

Chad Bolding, Virginia Tech

Effectiveness of Elevated Skid Trail Headwater Stream Crossings in the 

Cumberland Plateau

Christopher Reeves, University of Kentucky

Virginia State-wide Forest Road Stream Crossing Sediment Contribution

Brian Morris, Virginia Tech

Methods for Detecting and Resolving Passage Issues for Small, Non-game Fish at 

Road-Stream Crossings

Andy Dolloff, US Forest Service

Recreational Stream Crossing Effects on Sediment Delivery and 

Macroinvertebrates in Southwestern Virginia, USA.

Kathryn R. Kidd, Virginia Tech
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BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 33

EFFECTIVENESS OF BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES 

TO REDUCE SEDIMENT DELIVERY FROM REOPENED

LEGACY ROADS AT FOREST STREAM CROSSINGS

Presenter: Kristopher Brown, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA (krisrb3@vt.edu)

Co-Authors: Kristopher Brown, Mike Aust, Kevin McGuire, 

Cully Hession and Andy Dolloff, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA

Efforts to control surface runoff and erosion from forest roads at stream crossings are 

critical for the protection of aquatic ecosystems in forests. This research investigated the 

effects of reopened legacy roads at stream crossings, with diverse intensities of best 

management practice (BMP) implementations, on sediment delivery rates to streams in 

the Virginia Piedmont physiographic region. We evaluated model performance of the 

Universal Soil Loss Equation modified for forested land (USLE-forest) and the Water 

Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) to predict annual sediment delivery rates from roads 

at stream crossings. We also examined the relationship between Virginia Department of 

Forestry BMP audit scores for roads and stream crossings and observed sediment 

delivery rates. Without improvements to road grade, surface cover, or water control,

sediment delivery rates ranged from 34 to 287 Mg ha-1year

-1

. In comparison, completely 

graveled stream crossing approaches had sediment delivery rates that ranged from 10 to 

16 Mg ha-1year

-1

. Event-based surface runoff and associated total suspended solids (TSS) 

concentrations were compared among a succession of gravel surfacing treatments that 

represented increasing intensities of best management practice (BMP) implementations 

on reopened stream crossing approaches. The three treatments were Bare (10-19% 

cover), Low Gravel (34-60% cover), and High Gravel (50-99% cover). Median TSS 

concentration of surface runoff for the Bare treatment (2.84 g L-1) was greater than Low 

Gravel (1.10 g L-1) and High Gravel (0.82 g L-1) by factors of 2.6 and 3.5, respectively. 

Mean gravel costs associated with the Low Gravel and High Gravel treatments were $92

and $184, respectively. Despite poor prediction accuracies, USLE-forest and WEPP 

performed well in identifying problem road approaches, which were characterized by 

insufficient water-control structures and inadequate surface cover. Combined audit scores 

for roads and stream crossings indicated that problem road approaches were associated 

with BMP compliance below 70%. Overall, these findings show that reopened legacy 

roads and associated stream crossing approaches can deliver significant quantities of 

sediment if roads are not adequately closed or maintained and that corrective BMPs, such 

as gravel and appropriate spacing of water control structures, can reduce sediment 

delivery to streams. 

Key words: Erosion control, forest roads, stream crossing approaches, water quality, 

erosion model evaluation, BMP cost-effectiveness, BMP audit score 
34 BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014

EFFECTIVENESS AND COST OF IMPLEMENTING SKID TRAIL BMPs

Presenter: Chad Bolding, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA (bolding@vt.edu)

Co-Authors: Chad Bolding and Mike Aust, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA

We recently completed a series of projects that compared the sediment reduction 

effectiveness and cost of several different BMPs for closing skid trails. Studies evaluated 

skid trail closure on both bladed and overland sites in the Virginia Piedmont, while a 

related study applied similar treatments to temporary skid trail stream crossings. The skid 

trail closure studies were conducted on the Reynolds Homestead Forest Resource 

Research Center in Critz, VA. The bladed skid trail study was instrumented by creating 

six trails on 10-15% slopes. At the overland site, no blading was used and four trails with 

an average of 18% slopes were identified from the harvesting operation. Closure 

treatments were the same at each site: 1) Control – water bar only, 2) Water bar and seed, 

3) Water bar, seed, and straw mulch, 4) Water bar and hardwood slash, and 5) Water bar 

and pine slash. Using PVC gutters and “dirt bags”, sediment was collected at each 

treatment area and weighed monthly for one year. The skid trail stream crossing study 

was conducted on forest industry lands in Buckingham County, Virginia. Stream water 

samples were collected daily above and below nine temporary skid trail crossings for one 

year after skid trails were closed with: 1) slash, 2) seed and mulch, and 3) seed, mulch, 

and silt fence. Ground cover was very effective in reducing the amount of sediment 

produced from both bladed and overland skid trails. Due to more exposed bare soil, the 

bladed site produced substantially more sediment than the overland site even though the 

overland site was steeper. Logging slash as well as the seed and mulch treatment were 

very effective at reducing erosion. The stream crossing study indicated similar results; 

both the slash and seed and mulch treatments provided excellent protection of stream 

water from sediment. These studies emphasize the importance of ground cover as soil 

stabilization and show that the use of logging slash on skid trails is very effective. Cost 

results also indicate that if applied during the harvesting operation, the use of existing 

slash may be the most cost effective technique for closing skid trails. 
BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 35

EFFECTIVENESS OF ELEVATED SKID TRAIL HEADWATER

STREAM CROSSINGS IN THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU

Presenter: Christopher Reeves, University of Kentucky, 

Lexington, KY (cdreev2@uky.edu)

Co-Authors: Christopher Reeves, Jeffrey Stringer, Christopher Barton, and 

Carmen Agouridis, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY

Daniel Bowker, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY

One of the primary concerns associated with timber harvesting is the production of 

sediments from stream crossings. While research has shown that using improved haul 

road crossings can mitigate sediment production in perennial streams compared to the use 

of unimproved crossings, little research has been undertaken on temporary skidder 

crossings of headwater streams, a situation common to a significant percentage of ground 

skidding operations. This experiment consisted of a controlled replicated testing of the 

effectiveness of four types of temporary skidder stream crossings (unimproved ford, 

corrugated culvert, wood panel skidder bridge, and PVC pipe bundle) relative to 

suspended sediment production. Automated samplers were used to monitor sediment and 

bedload production during the construction, use, removal, and post-removal phases 

associated with the use of these temporary crossings. Results showed that improved 

crossings mitigated total sediment production compared to unimproved fords. Further, 

wood panel bridges yielded lower amounts of sediment than culverts but pipe bundles 

show no difference between bridges or culverts. Sediment production varied by crossing 

type and use phase. While no differences were found among crossings types during 

construction, there was a difference between improved crossings and fords during use. 

Further, bridges and pipe bundle crossings produced significantly less sediments than 

culverts during both their removal and during post-removal sampling and fords produced 

the largest amount of sediments during these phases.
36 BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014

VIRGINIA STATE-WIDE FOREST ROAD STREAM CROSSING

SEDIMENT CONTRIBUTION

Presenter: Brian Morris, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA (brian.morris@vt.edu)

Co-Authors: Brian Morris, Chad Bolding and Mike Aust, Virginia Tech, 

Blacksburg, VA; Erik Schilling, NCASI, Aubrey, TX

Forest road stream crossings are typically necessary for both forest management and 

recreational activities. Due to the recent non-point source pollutant hearing by the United 

States Supreme Court, industry and agency professionals have questioned crossing 

permitting processes and current guidelines. This project was designed to evaluate 

sedimentation associated with permanent haul road stream crossings and the adequacy of 

current BMPs in the Piedmont region of Virginia. Rainfall simulation experiments were 

conducted on three different crossing structures (ford, culvert and wood panel bridge) 

with varying levels of BMPs (low, standard and high). Stream water samples were 

collected during rainfall simulations to determine sediment contributions. The long term 

impact of the crossing installations was evaluated by stream monitoring for nine months 

prior and nine months post installation. Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) water 

quality engineers provided data on the presence of stream crossings and the level of 

BMPs on the crossings over one year of timber harvest tract audits (240 sites). VA DOF 

timber harvest notification was used to identify an additional 400 timber harvests which 

were viewed in Google Earth to determine the presence of stream crossings and the 

corresponding harvest type and species composition. The resulting sedimentation data, 

Google Earth data, and VA Department of Forestry BMP stream crossing audit data were 

combined. The sediment data and crossing estimate of total number of crossings in the 

state allowed for an estimate of total state wide sediment production. The ford crossing 

produced the greatest sediment mass during construction of the BMP+ treatment (13.04 

Mg), followed by the culvert (12.95 Mg) during construction of the BMP- treatment and 

the bridge (0.17 Mg) during construction of BMPs. Mean sediment contributions during 

rainfall simulations was the least for the ford crossing, followed by the bridge and 

culvert. However, audit data analysis indicates that culvert crossings are the most 

common permanent crossing type, followed by fords and bridges. The larger quantity of 

culverts coupled with their larger sediment contribution indicates that forest managers 

should focus their efforts on BMPs for culverts while considering the use of other 

crossing structures with lower rates of sediment contribution. 
BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 37

METHODS FOR DETECTING AND RESOLVING PASSAGE ISSUES FOR 

SMALL, NON-GAME FISH AT ROAD-STREAM CROSSINGS

Presenter: Andy Dolloff, US Forest Service, Blacksburg, VA (adolloff@fs.fed.us)

Co-Authors: Andy Dolloff, Craig Roghair and Colin Krause, USFS, Blacksburg, VA

Jason Coombs and Andrew Whiteley, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 

Keith Nislow, USDA Forest Service, Amherst, MA

Pam Martin and Jon Walker, Daniel Boone National Forest, Winchester, KY

Along with in-stream sediment accumulation and movement, fish passage is an important 

consideration for monitoring the efficacy of BMPs at forest road/ stream crossings. We 

used a combination of techniques to monitor fish movement at road/stream crossings on 

the Daniel Boone National Forest, KY. In 2010, we used mark-recapture and collected fin 

clips for genetic analysis to assess passage at 20 crossings; at 3 of the crossings we also 

marked individual fish with radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and continuously 

monitored for movement from March – October. Mark-recapture provided relatively little 

useful information for assessing fish passage. In contrast, we detected differences in fish 

passage among crossings using RFID tagging and genetic approaches. RFID monitoring 

provided detailed information on the timing and magnitude of fish movement and again 

showed less movement through difficult crossings. Fish passage survey results show that 

the need for passage replacement or improvement projects far exceeds available budgets. 

To provide managers with tools to prioritize fish passage improvement projects, we 

developed The Crossing Assessment Decision Support System (CADSS), a custom addin for ArcMap that uses passage survey results, land ownership, species distributions, and 

stream network metrics to inform fish passage improvement projects. CADSS can be 

used to prioritize passage projects among watersheds, among crossings within individual 

watersheds, and to find data gaps in existing passage datasets.
38 BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014

RECREATIONAL STREAM CROSSING EFFECTS ON SEDIMENT DELIVERY 

AND MACROINVERTEBRATES IN SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA, USA

Presenter: Kathryn R. Kidd, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA (kathryn2@vt.edu)

Co-Authors: Kathryn R. Kidd, Mike Aust and Carolyn Copenheaver,

Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA

Trail-based recreation has increased over recent decades, which raises the environmental 

management issue of soil erosion originating from unsurfaced, recreational trail systems. 

Trail-based soil erosion that occurs near stream crossings represents a potential non-point 

source of pollution, which could degrade stream quality. This study examined the effects 

of multiple-use (hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding) recreational stream 

crossings on modeled soil erosion and macroinvertebrate-based water quality indices 

within the Poverty Creek Trail System of the George Washington and Jefferson National 

Forest in southwestern Virginia, USA. Modeled soil erosion rates at culvert, ford, and 

bridge stream crossings on recreational trails exceeded erosion rates for undisturbed 

forests, but were similar to erosion rates measured on forest operation skid trails and road 

stream crossings where best management practices were employed. Macroinvertebratebased metrics of water quality indicated consistently lower water quality downstream 

from trail crossings when compared to upstream reference reaches. Thus, current 

construction and maintenance standards for recreational stream crossings fail to fully 

protect water quality. Future management of recreational trail stream crossings would 

benefit from the wider use of improved crossings (hardened fords, riprapped culverts, and 

bridges), surface cover on approaches to streams, and increased use of water-control 

structures.
BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 39

Wednesday – May 14, 2014: Field Tour (all day)

 7:00 am Leave Blacksburg, travel to Reynolds Homestead

 Stop 1 9:45-10:00 Designed Roads with good BMPs Kris Brown, Clay Sawyers

 Stop 2 10:10- 10.25 Legacy Roads with improvements Kris Brown

 Stop 3 10:45- 11:20 Skid Trail BMPs Chad Bolding

 Stop 4a 11:35-11:40 Biomass Harvesting BMPs Scott Barrett

 Stop 4b 11:40-11:50 Fire line BMPs Mike Aust

 Stop 5 12:00-12:50 Box Lunch at RJR

 Stop 6: 1:05-1:15 History of Reynolds Homestead Clay Sawyers/Kyle Peer

 Stop 7:1:20-1:35 Low water crossing and approaches Clay Sawyers

 Stop 8 1:40-1:55 Road standards and sediment AJ Lang

 Stop 9 2:05-2:20 Legacy roads without improvements Kris Brown

 Stop 10a 2:45-3:00 SMZ BMPs Mike Aust

 Stop 10b 3:00-3:15 Stream approach BMPs Kris Brown

 Stop 10c 3:15-3:30 Bridge BMPs Brian Morris

 Stop 11 3:45-4:00 Culvert BMPs Brian Morris

 Stop 12a 4:10-4:15 Ford BMPs Brian Morris

 Stop 12b :4:15-4:45 Group Discussion

 5:00: Leave Reynolds Homestead

 6:45 Arrive Conference Center
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BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 41

SESSION #6

(8:00 – 10:00 AM)

STATE AND FEDERAL BMP EFFECTIVENESS

AND IMPLEMENTATION MONITORING

State Forestry Agency Efforts to Monitor BMP Effectiveness: 

A Southern Perspective 

Hughes Simpson, Texas A&M Forest Service

Forestry BMP Education & Training in the South

Tom Gerow, North Carolina Division of Forestry

Assessment of State Forestry Best Management Practices for the Eastern U.S.

Richie Cristan, Virginia Tech

Forest Harvesting in Tennessee: BMP Implementation Rates, Demographic Profiles 

and Costs Associated with the Non-Regulatory Program

Wayne Clatterbuck, University of Tennessee

The Forest Service National BMP Program – Assessing the First Year of Monitoring 

Pam Edwards, US Forest Service

Forest Harvesting BMPs in the Chesapeake Bay

Sally Claggett, US Forest Service
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STATE FORESTRY AGENCY EFFORTS TO MONITOR 

BMP EFFECTIVENESS: A SOUTHERN PERSPECTIVE 

Presenter: Hughes Simpson, Texas A&M Forest Service (hsimpson@tfs.tamu.edu)

Co-Authors: Hughes Simpson, Texas A&M Forest Service

Tom Gerow, Joe Fox, and Wib Owen, Southern Group of State Foresters, 

Water Resources Committee

The Southern Group of State Foresters (SGSF) has long recognized the connection 

between forests and clean water. In an effort to maintain this connection and provide 

leadership in forestry Best Management Practices (BMPs), SGSF established the Water 

Resources Committee (WRC). One of the objectives of the WRC is to facilitate work to 

monitor, report, and demonstrate the implementation and effectiveness of silviculture 

BMPs.

Forestry BMPs have been developed and implemented across the South for over 25 years. 

State forestry agencies promote the implementation of these practices through education, 

outreach, training, and technical assistance programs. Published implementation 

monitoring reports have shown that the forest sector has adopted these guidelines, noting 

high BMP implementation ratings. While this approach addresses the presence and 

functionality of BMPs, it does not provide empirical data on biological or physiochemical 

parameters that could be used to assess the effectiveness of BMPs in protecting water 

quality.

State forestry agencies are routinely involved in the planning and implementation stage of 

forestry BMP effectiveness monitoring projects conducted by academia. In addition to 

cooperating on these research projects, some states have also led efforts to monitor BMP 

effectiveness. Projects have ranged from collecting physiochemical water quality grab 

samples adjacent to forest operations, assessing aquatic biological communities before 

and after forest operations, conducting stormwater sampling in forested watersheds using 

the BACI approach, to comprehensive paired watershed monitoring projects. 

This presentation will review various state led effectiveness monitoring efforts in Florida, 

Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas. In each case, substantial information 

was added to the knowledge base on the effectiveness of forestry BMPs. 
44 BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014

FORESTRY BMP EDUCATION & TRAINING IN THE SOUTH

Presenter: Tom Gerow, Jr., North Carolina Forest Service (tom.a.gerow@ncagr.gov)

Co-Authors: John Colberg, Georgia Forestry Commission, Macon, GA

Tom Gerow, Jr., North Carolina Forest Service, Raleigh, NC

Hughes Simpson, Texas A&M Forest Service, Lufkin, TX

The key motivating theme with forestry BMPs is “education before regulation.” The 

Southern Group of State Foresters has recognized, for over a decade, the importance of 

training and education as a core element of an effective state BMP program. This 

proactive outreach is vital to assuring a high level of forestry BMP acceptance and 

implementation across the forestry community. State forestry agencies have worked 

closely for many years with their partners to host training events and produce educational 

resources that have been shared across the South. Most, if not all, logger 

training/certification programs include BMP education as a required component.

With the onset of third-party independent forest sustainability certification programs, 

there has been an increased awareness of, demand for, and implementation of forestry 

BMPs. These market-driven, non-regulatory forces have shown to be valuable for 

engaging loggers, foresters, landowners, and forest products companies on the benefits of 

using forestry BMPs, and following-up on issues in need of improvement.

Examples of BMP educational pathways and methods that have been used will be 

highlighted. Some examples include targeted videos; online training; in-woods field 

tours; classroom workshops; and hands-on demonstration areas.

Recurring BMP implementation survey assessments conducted across the South by most 

of the state forestry agencies have shown that BMP training and education have resulted 

in a higher rate of BMP usage by trained loggers. These BMP assessments also provide 

an important feedback mechanism for the states to understand where strengths or 

weaknesses in their BMPs may exist and identify where more targeted educational 

outreach may prove beneficial.

Future BMP training will likely incorporate more use of communication technology for 

participants to have access to the material at any time, rather than just at a one-time event. 

But this must be balanced with the inherent value of face-to-face, hands-on training. 

There are also opportunities to re-think how forestry BMPs can add value to the logistics 

chain of forest products growth, harvesting, and processing. Forest certification programs 

are expected to continue to have a strong emphasis on forestry BMPs to demonstrate 

environmental sustainability. And, forestry BMPs can be thought of as a riskmanagement tool for loggers.
BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 45

ASSESSMENT OF STATE FORESTRY BEST MANAGEMENT 

PRACTICES FOR THE EASTERN U.S.

Presenter: Richie Cristan, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA (rcristan@vt.edu)

Co-Authors: R. Cristan, M.C. Bolding, W.M. Aust, S.M. Barrett, 

and J.F. Munsell, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA

Forestry best management practices (BMPs) were developed by U.S. states beginning in 

1972 with the Federal Water Pollution Act. Many states had formal BMP manuals by the 

1980’s. Monitoring and implementation of forestry BMPs typically vary by state. 

Forestry BMP guidelines are generally non-regulatory in eastern states while some states 

may have mandatory forestry BMP guidelines through Forest Practice Acts. 

Alternatively, some states can be classified as quasi-regulatory indicating that BMP 

guidelines are non-regulatory but water quality infractions can result in penalties. There 

have been few studies that compare monitoring strategies and implementation success of 

forestry BMPs between states. In order to assess the status of state forestry BMPs, a 

survey was sent to the most involved forestry BMP related organization in each U.S. state 

regarding their forestry BMP program. The survey included questions regarding agency 

involvement in monitoring forestry BMPs, recent BMP guidelines or revisions, rates of 

BMP compliance, sites evaluated for each BMP guideline, monitoring methods, and the 

nature of state BMP guidelines (whether non-regulatory, quasi-regulatory, or regulatory). 

Surveys were completed by all eastern states and results allowed evaluation of the status 

and implementation of state forestry BMPs. The eastern states consisted of twenty-five 

states and included: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, 

Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, 

New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South 

Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia. Twenty-one state 

organizations are currently or have previously monitored forestry BMPs. Eighteen state 

organizations have previously conducted effectiveness evaluations with eight states 

currently having ongoing studies. State BMP regulations consisted of six non-regulatory 

states, fourteen quasi-regulatory states, and five regulatory states. Sixteen state 

organizations have conducted BMP implementation studies. The mean eastern state BMP 

implementation rate is 91 percent. This study indicates that some states have reported 

BMP deficiencies for individual BMP categories, yet these states’ overall BMP 

compliance levels appear to be satisfactory. An example of this is for stream crossings, 

BMP implementation rates ranged from 67 percent to 98 percent. 
46 BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014

FOREST HARVESTING IN TENNESSEE: BMP IMPLEMENTATION RATES, 

DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILES AND COSTS ASSOCIATED 

WITH THE NON-REGULATORY PROGRAM

Presenter: Wayne Clatterbuck, University of Tennessee, 

Knoxville, TN (wclatterbuck@utk.edu)

Co-Authors: Wayne Clatterbuck, University of Tennessee, 

Knoxville, TN; David Arnold, John Kirksey and Mike Sherrill, 

Tennessee Dept. of Agriculture, Division of Forestry, Nashville, TN

An evaluation of forestry BMP implementation in Tennessee was conducted by the 

University of Tennessee, Dept. of Forestry, Wildlife & Fisheries and the Tennessee Dept. 

of Agriculture, Division of Forestry in 2010-2011. A total of 208 harvest sites were 

assessed for 52 variables categorized in five areas: Haul roads, skid trails, log landings, 

streamside management zones (SMZs) and stream crossings. BMP implementation rates 

were 90 percent statewide. Most of the water quality concerns were associated with 

stream crossings and skid trails. Demographic profiles were also collected for each 

harvest site in terms of whether TN Master Loggers, professional foresters, and a timber 

sale contract were used. Considering that Tennessee is a predominately hardwood state, 

85 percent (11 M acres), privately-owned, and without licensing of professional 

foresters, the costs of a non-regulatory water quality training program pertaining to forest 

harvests are presented. 
BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 47

THE FOREST SERVICE NATIONAL BMP PROGRAM –

ASSESSING THE FIRST YEAR OF MONITORING

Presenter: Pam Edwards, US Forest Service, Parsons, WV (pjedwards@fs.fed.us)

Co-Authors: Pam Edwards, US Forest Service, Parsons, WV

Liz Berger, US Forest Service, Washington, DC

In 2012, the USDA Forest Service initiated a formalized National BMP Program. BMP 

monitoring protocols were developed as part of the National BMP Program to provide a 

consistent and objective approach for monitoring BMP implementation and effectiveness 

on all national forests and grasslands for all land and resource management activities. 

These protocols support adaptive management, which is critical to refining BMPs and 

making adjustments at the project and programmatic scales. In 2013, each unit was 

assigned two activities or sites to monitor. Over 280 evaluations were completed, 

covering 41 different resource activities. Results from the first year of BMP monitoring 

will be shared, including the types and locations of monitored projects, initial monitoring 

costs, programmatic corrective actions needed, and the scoring system for BMP 

implementation and effectiveness. 
48 BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014

FOREST HARVESTING BMPs IN THE CHESAPEAKE BAY

Presenter and Author: Sally Claggett, US Forest Service, 

Annapolis, MD (sclaggett@fs.fed.us)

Forest harvest BMPs are getting a lot of attention in the Chesapeake Bay watershed 

because of their role in mitigating non-point source pollutants—namely sediment, 

nitrogen, and phosphorus. Forest harvest BMPs as a whole are being tracked, credited, 

and verified to various degrees in the six states in the Bay watershed. They are the only 

BMPs applied specifically to forest lands. This discussion will bring listeners up to date 

on how credit for these BMPs is attributed using the Chesapeake Bay model and what 

the current efforts are to assure that the assumptions around these credits are accurate.
BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 49

SESSION 7a

(8:00 – 9:00 AM)

WATERSHED SCALE RESEARCH

Monitoring the Effectiveness of Forestry Best Management Practice 

Implementation in the Flat Creek Watershed

Kristopher Brown, Virginia Tech

Texas Alto Watershed Study – Evaluating the Hydrologic Effects of Intensive 

Silviculture with BMPs and Other Land Uses on Water Resources

Matt McBroom, Stephen F. Austin State University

Assessing BMP Effectiveness in the Pacific Northwest: Value of Collaborative, 

Integrated Research Programs

Bob Bilby, Weyerhaeuser Company
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MONITORING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF FORESTRY BEST MANAGEMENT 

PRACTICE IMPLEMENTATION IN THE FLAT CREEK WATERSHED

Presenter and Author: Kristopher Brown, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA

(krisrb3@vt.edu)

Many freshwater streams on the Gulf coastal plain are characterized by low flow with 

high organic content and high temperatures during the summer season. Little is known 

about the effectiveness of forestry best management practices (BMPs) for protecting or

improving water quality in these systems, especially at a watershed or landscape level. 

Paired watershed and Before-After Control-Impact (BACI) designs were utilized to 

quantify site-specific and watershed-scale changes in streamflow, water quality, and 

macroinvertebrates for 27 months after clearcut harvesting with and without BMPs. 

Based on analyses of post-harvest baseflow, stormflow, and stage-discharge 

relationships, low-intensity clearcut harvesting adjacent to streams and with BMP 

implementation did not impact streamflow at the local or watershed scale. No increases in 

post-harvest TSS yield were observed during baseflow conditions. However, post-harvest 

TSS yield increased downstream of the site harvested without BMPs when high flows 

were included in the yield calculation. The results indicate that current Louisiana BMPs 

for timber harvesting are effective in mitigating sediment delivery to streams. 

Furthermore, the study found that natural conditions, such as an abundance of beaver and 

debris dams, as well as highly-intermittent streamflow, likely aided sediment reduction 

from BMP implementation through within-channel sediment storage. Dissolved oxygen 

concentrations were maintained at pre-harvest levels for sites that were harvested with 

BMPs. Dissolved oxygen concentrations greater than 5 mg L-1 appear, for the most part, 

to be an unattainable water quality standard for the subtropical, low-gradient, high 

organic matter containing streams typical of Louisiana. Current forestry BMPs seemed to 

be effective at minimizing changes to in-stream concentrations of nutrients (Carbon, 

Nitrogen, and Phosphorus). Any harvest-induced increases only occurred immediately 

downstream, and were short-lived. Results from the analysis of macroinvertebrates 

suggest that the incorporation of BMPs in forestry operations in low-gradient coastalplain streams is effective in minimizing significant negative impacts for most members of 

the benthic-macroinvertebrate community. The study showed that few groups (less than 

14% of total abundance) of taxa or functional feeding groups had negative associations 

with intensive silvicultural activities.

Key words: Headwater streams, Gulf of Mexico coastal plain, forest harvesting BMPs, 

water quality, benthic macroinvertebrates 
52 BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014

TEXAS ALTO WATERSHED STUDY – EVALUATING THE HYDROLOGIC 

EFFECTS OF INTENSIVE SILVICULTURE WITH BMPS AND

OTHER LAND USES ON WATER RESOURCES

Presenter and Author: Matthew McBroom, Stephen F. Austin State University,

Nacogdoches, TX (mcbroommatth@sfasu.edu)

The Alto Experimental Watersheds were first established in 1979 to determine the water 

quality impacts of clearcutting and mechanical site-preparation without Best 

Management Practices (BMPs). The water quality effects of contemporary silviculture 

with BMPs was evaluated beginning in 1999 when the watersheds were re-instrumented 

with clearcut and site-preparation treatments beginning in 2003. These watersheds were 

found to have highly variable losses of sediment and nutrients, with a pre-treatment 

tropical cyclone resulting in greater sediment losses than an entire year following 

clearcutting with no BMPs. With BMPs, sediment losses were over 5 times lower than 

rates observed in 1981, and post-clearcut sediment losses were statistically significant on 

only about half of the six clearcut with BMP watersheds. Results were only significant 

for the first year following treatment, with second year losses equaling the pre-treatment 

phase. Following fertilization, nitrogen and phosphorus losses were only a small fraction 

of the applied nutrient, with highest losses occurring in the first couple of months 

following application. Watersheds remained nutrient sinks. Similarly, herbicide 

concentrations peaked just after application and were orders of magnitude below levels 

found to be toxic to aquatic life. Concentrations fell below the detection level within six 

to nine months of application. Streamside management zones (SMZs) were found to be 

very effective in reducing water quality impacts. On another watershed, the SMZ was 

thinned according to state BMP guidelines and there were no statistically significant 

water quality impacts. The APEX model was used to predict SMZ width effectiveness, 

and it was concluded that the current Texas BMP requirements were protective of water 

resources even in wetter than average years.

The impacts of oil and natural gas development on surface water quality were also 

evaluated when a gas well pad was constructed in the middle of the stream channel on a 

control watershed with no effective BMP implementation by the drilling company. First 

year sediment losses were about 10 times greater than clearcutting and site preparation 

with no BMPs. Unlike with silviculture where water quality impacts did not extend past 

the first year following harvest, erosion rates from the well pad are remained elevated for 

about four years. 

In another phase of the study, the effects of woody biomass removals at time of clearcut 

harvest were simulated using the APEX model to determine effects on sediment loss. 

When current practices were compared with 60% logging slash removals, no significant 

increases in sediment loss were observed. 
BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 53

ASSESSING BMP EFFECTIVENESS IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST:

VALUE OF COLLABORATIVE, INTEGRATED RESEARCH PROGRAMS

Presenter and Author: Bob Bilby, Weyerhaeuser Company, Federal Way, WA 

(bob.bilby@weyerhaeuser.com)

BMPs for forestry in Washington and Oregon have evolved rapidly over the last two 

decades driven, in part, by the listing of numerous salmon populations under the 

Endangered Species Act. In the early 2000s, a series of integrated, matched-watershed 

research projects were established in Oregon to assess the effectiveness of contemporary 

BMPs for meeting water quality standards and protecting aquatic biota. These projects 

are coordinated through the Watershed Research Cooperative at Oregon State University. 

One of these projects, the Trask Watershed Study, is examining the response of stream 

ecosystems to harvest and reforestation of small watersheds using a range of buffering 

strategies. In addition, the study is designed to evaluate the extent to which any effects of 

forest management in the small watersheds are transferred downstream to fish-bearing 

reaches. The study was established in 2005, harvest treatments were applied in 2012 and 

data collection will extend through 2016. Preliminary results have indicated that harvest 

without stream buffers increases summer water temperature but no associated biological 

response has been detected and water temperature decreases rapidly below the harvest 

unit boundary. Management measures for roads appear to be very effective with very 

little sediment input occurring with construction or use. The results from this study will 

be useful in discussions about proposed changes to forest practice regulations but also 

will be useful in deliberations on water quality criteria. 
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BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 55

SESSION #7b

(9:00 – 10:00 AM)

BMPs, BIODIVERSITY AND DISTURBANCE

The Role and Function of Streamside Management Zones for Biodiversity 

Conservation on Forested Landscapes

Darren Miller, Weyerhaeuser Company 

Potential Effects of Forestry Operations and Associated BMPs on Stream and 

Riparian Species

Mike Aust, Virginia Tech

Use of Simple Suspended and Bed Sediment Metrics to Explain Biotic Index 

Variability and Relationships between Fish and Macroinvertebrate Assemblage 

Metrics in Georgia Piedmont Streams

Denise Carroll, Georgia Southern University

10:00 – 10:30 AM BREAK
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BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 57

THE ROLE AND FUNCTION OF STREAMSIDE MANAGEMENT ZONES FOR 

BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION ON FORESTED LANDSCAPES

Presenter: Darren Miller, Weyerhaeuser Company, Columbus, MS 

(darren.miller@weyerhaeuser.com)

Co-Authors: Darren Miller, Weyerhaeuser Company, Columbus, MS 

Jessica Homyack, Weyerhaeuser Company, Vanceboro, NC

T. Bently Wigley, NCASI, Clemson, SC

In the eastern United States, streamside management zones (SMZs) generally are 

composed of hardwoods or mixed-conifer-hardwood trees and are part of state forestry 

Best Management Practices to protect stream integrity and water quality. However, 

SMZs also contribute to conservation of biological diversity on forested landscapes. 

Herein, we discuss those contributions and highlight current issues that should be 

considered when developing plans for conservation of biodiversity in managed forest 

landscapes relative to SMZs. Past research demonstrates that SMZs protect aquatic 

habitat function; provide a mature forest component that can benefit aquatic, semiaquatic, and terrestrial species; provide important habitat elements such as mast 

production, den trees, and large snags and down wood; potentially serve as movement 

corridors for some species; provide edges with adjacent habitat types that may have both 

negative and positive implications that vary over time by species; and contribute to 

landscape-scale habitat heterogeneity. Key information gaps include how contributions of 

SMZs to conservation of aquatic and terrestrial vary with SMZ management (e.g., timber 

harvest within allowable BMP limits, SMZ width) and context (slope, aspect, adjacent 

stand structure); methods for shifting tree species composition (e.g., from pine- to 

hardwood-dominant) in SMZs without compromising integrity of SMZ function; and the 

role of SMZs in conservation of biodiversity from a landscape perspective. Examples of 

ongoing research to address some of these gaps will be presented.
58 BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014

POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF FORESTRY OPERATIONS AND 

ASSOCIATED BMPs ON STREAM AND RIPARIAN SPECIES

Presenter: Mike Aust, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA (waust@vt.edu)

Co-Authors: Brooke Warrington, Mike Aust, Chad Bolding 

and Mark Ford, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA

Andy Dolloff, US Forest Service, Blacksburg, VA

Forest operations that incorporate forestry best management practices (BMPs) are 

generally compatible with high-quality stream waters and managed forest stands have 

been shown to have similar diversity to natural stands of similar age. However, the USDI 

Fish and Wildlife Service provided notice of review for 374 riparian and aquatic species 

in the southeastern United States for potential listing as endangered species and 

specifically identified forest operations as having negative effects on a majority of the 

species (Federal Register 76 (187):59836-59862). The primary objective of this study 

was to survey the literature and, where possible, provide examples of the effects that 

forest operations and appropriate BMPs have on the 374 riparian and aquatic species. The 

secondary objective is to use related species and forest-operation research to predict 

potential effects on these species. Overall, we have found that the information between 

the species and forest operations appears limited. Some of the reasons for our overall 

conclusion are that many of the species are not found in areas where forest operations are 

common (e.g., salt marshes, caves), some of the species are so site restricted that they 

simply have little information regarding environmental consequences, and the negative 

effects of harvesting were often drawn from studies prior to the implementation of 

forestry BMPs. Although it was generally not possible to identify the specific effects of 

forestry BMPs on the individual species, our review typically indicated that BMPs such 

as streamside management zones that limit sediment and nutrient inputs, reduce thermal 

pollution, and protect the riparian ecosystem should provide some level of protection for 

most of the species. Also, BMPs that minimize the potential damming of small streams, 

such as temporary bridges, rather than culverts, should be beneficial. Our findings 

generally support the need for additional research regarding the specific effects of BMPs 

on stream and riparian biota. 
BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 59

USE OF SIMPLE SUSPENDED AND BED SEDIMENT METRICS TO 

EXPLAIN BIOTIC INDEX VARIABILITY AND RELATIONSHIPS 

BETWEEN FISH AND MACROINVERTEBRATE ASSEMBLAGE 

METRICS IN GEORGIA PIEDMONT STREAMS

Presenter: Denise Carroll, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 

(gdcarroll@georgiasouthern.edu)

Co-Authors: Denise Carroll, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 

Rhett Jackson, University of Georgia, Athens, GA

Stream geomorphology changes have accompanied shifting land use patterns of Georgia 

Piedmont watersheds during the past century. The resulting stream sedimentation and 

erosion, remnants of earlier agricultural land use and current urbanization, can have 

deleterious effects on resident biota. Acquiring inexpensive methods of measuring these 

impacts and having a better understanding of sedimentation-biota interactions can 

provide more accurate estimates of stream health, allowing for better engineering and 

management decisions. We sampled 42 streams to determine the relationship between 1) 

baseflow turbidity and biotic condition, 2) correlations between the percentage of fine 

bed sediment and biotic condition, and 3) linkages between fish and macroinvertebrate 

biotic indices. Our results indicate that easily measured sediment metrics did not correlate 

strongly to watershed land use, but did help explain biological conditions and should be 

included in descriptive models; conductivity and unit stream power are also important 

predictors of biotic health. There is enough dissimilarity in fish and macroinvertebrate 

responsiveness to landscape factors to suggest that both fish and macroinvertebrate 

populations should be sampled. Specific conductivity was an important parameter for 

both biotic assemblages, but fish indices were also highly correlated to stream power, 

whereas EPT taxa and number of taxa were most highly correlated to water clarity and 

suspended sediment. Good and excellent IBI scores were found only in watersheds with 

high percentages of forest cover and low percentages of developed lands. This 

information can provide managers with useful tools for making decisions about land use 

change. 
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BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 61

SESSION #8

(10:30 – 11:50 AM)

INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO ASSESSING

BMP EFFECTIVENESS

Road Sediment Models: Strengths and Necessary Improvements

Bob Danehy, NCASI

Nutrient Tracking Tool – A User-Friendly Tool for Calculating Nutrient Losses 

Under Various Agricultural and Forestry Management Practices

Ali Saleh, Tarleton State University

Can WEPP Estimate BMP Effectiveness from Experimental Forest Roads?

Kevin McGuire, Virginia Tech

A Holistic Risk-Based Approach for BMP Effectiveness at the Watershed Scale

Rob Slesak, Minnesota Forest Resources Council
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BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 63

ROAD SEDIMENT MODELS: 

STRENGTHS AND NECESSARY IMPROVEMENTS

Presenter: Bob Danehy, NCASI, Corvallis, OR (bdanehy@ncasi.org)

Co-Authors: R. Danehy, NCASI, Corvallis, OR

K. Dubé, Watershed GeoDynamics, Kirkland, WA

C. Luce and T. Black, USDA Forest Service, Boise, ID 

Managed forests require a road network engineered for heavy loads of equipment and 

products. Due to the extent of forest roads, directly measuring road surface erosion is 

impractical, leading to development of models. We test three models (WEPP, GRAIP and 

SEDMODL2) in watersheds across the US by comparing measured sediment production 

from road segments to model predictions. Best management practices (BMPs) reduce 

sediment from erosion of cutslopes, ditches, and road delivery to streams. Empirical 

models estimate erosion using relationships between erosion and erodibility and 

infiltration of underlying geology/soil, precipitation, road prism components, tread 

surfacing, cut/fill slope cover, ditch conditions, disturbance history, road drainage 

patterns and area, and interception of groundwater by cut slopes. Physically based models 

(e.g. WEPP) use equations governing the physics of surface erosion to calculate runoff, 

surface erosion, and transport. Results suggest models can predict percentages of 

improvement, but are fair to poor predictors of actual amounts of sediment generated on 

road surfaces unless calibrated. Better predictive capabilities of erosion variations due to 

climate and soil differences and better estimates of fractional sediment delivery from road 

segments would improve model utility for broad spatial scales and wider applications to 

road related water quality and biological concerns. 
64 BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014

NUTRIENT TRACKING TOOL* – A USER-FRIENDLY TOOL FOR 

CALCULATING NUTRIENT LOSSES UNDER VARIOUS

AGRICULTURAL AND FORESTRY MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

Presenter: Ali Saleh, Tarleton State University, Stephenville, TX (saleh@tarleton.edu)

Co-Authors: Ali Saleh, Edward Osei and Oscar Gallego, 

Tarleton State University, Stephenville, TX

The Nutrient Tracking Tool (NTT) is an enhanced version of Nitrogen Trading Tool, a 

user-friendly web-based computer program originally developed by the United States 

Department of Agriculture (USDA). NTT estimates nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) 

and sediment losses from fields managed under a variety of cropping patterns and 

management practices through its user-friendly web-based linkage to the Agricultural 

Policy Environmental eXtender (APEX). It also accesses USDA-NRCS’s Web Soil 

Survey to utilize their GIS interface for field, weather, and soy information. NTT 

provides producers, government officials, and other users with a fast and efficient method 

of estimating the nitrogen and phosphorus credits generated from implemented 

conservation practices at the farm-level for water quality trading, as well as other water 

quality and quantity programs. Recently, NTT has been modified to evaluate the effects 

of forestry, as compared to other land use including fallow and agricultural lands, on 

water quantity and quality. The information obtained from the tool can help producers to 

determine the most cost-effective conservation practice alternatives for their individual 

operations and provide them with more advantageous options in a water quality credit 

trading and similar programs. During this presentation NTT will be described and 

demonstrated. 

Key Words: Nutrient Tracking Tool, nitrogen, phosphorus, credits, forestry, farm, NTT, 

water quality trading, nutrient management, conservation practices

*Previously known as Nutrient Trading Tool.
BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 65

CAN WEPP ESTIMATE BMP EFFECTIVENESS

FROM EXPERIMENTAL FOREST ROADS?

Presenter: Kevin McGuire, Virginia Tech, 

Blacksburg, VA (kevin.mcguire@vt.edu)

Co-Authors: Kevin McGuire and Kristopher Brown, 

Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 

Forest roads at stream-crossings are a major source of sediment delivery to streams. As 

such, tools are needed to evaluate best management practice (BMP) efficacy in reducing 

erosion and to select appropriate BMPs for different road conditions. Developing this 

guidance from field experiments and monitoring of BMPs on roads is often an 

impractical option for managers because of cost, time, and heterogeneous road 

conditions. This has led to an increased interest in using models for evaluating BMP 

effectiveness. In particular, the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model has been 

used extensively as a tool for this purpose and is currently recommended by many forest 

management organizations. WEPP is physically-based and was designed to incorporate 

field observations and site level information for predicting sediment yield and runoff. In 

this study, WEPP was used to predict event-based sediment yield and runoff for rainfall 

simulation experiments on six reopened stream-crossing approaches that each underwent 

different intensities of BMP implementation (i.e., different proportions of gravel on the 

road surface above the stream-crossing). WEPP was calibrated for each of these streamcrossing approaches for three different BMP intensities using a Markov Chain Monte 

Carlo approach to explore parameter identifiability and prediction accuracy and 

uncertainty. The objectives of the study were to determine overall prediction performance 

of WEPP and its ability to distinguish between different BMP intensities. Our results 

suggest that in ideal conditions where the field site is well characterized and sediment 

yields are known, WEPP predictions are similar to field observations, but they are highly 

uncertain and different BMP levels cannot always be distinguished. This work has 

implications for the value in using such complex models to estimate erosion, sediment 

yield, and runoff differences from forest roads with different levels of BMPs. 
66 BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014

A HOLISTIC RISK-BASED APPROACH FOR BMP 

EFFECTIVENESS AT THE WATERSHED SCALE

Presenter: Rob Slesak, Minnesota Forest Resources Council, 

St. Paul, MN (raslesak@umn.edu)

Co-Authors: Rob Slesak, Minnesota Forest Resources Council, St. Paul, MN

Dick Rossman, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, St. Paul, MN

A wealth of information exists on the utility and effectiveness of water quality related 

best management practices during forest management activities such as harvesting. 

However, most of this information is derived from controlled experimental studies at the 

site scale, and there remains much uncertainty on their effectiveness across a range of 

operational conditions (e.g., equipment mix, localized weather, site factors) and at scales 

conducive to resource management. In particular, quantitative assessment of BMP 

effectiveness at the watershed scale remains elusive, creating challenges for sustainable 

forest resource management. Here we describe a new approach for BMP assessment at 

the watershed scale that incorporates site-level evaluation of BMP implementation and 

operational effectiveness with watershed-scale estimates of forest disturbance patterns 

that influence water quality. Site-level assessments are conducted with intensive field 

monitoring campaigns within a given watershed to quantify operational effectiveness of 

practices at reducing sediment delivery to streams and lakes under localized weather 

patterns. Watershed-scale forest disturbance patterns are quantified with time series 

stacks of Landsat imagery, and then summarized into spatial metrics related to water 

quality such as those related to the amount of recently cut forest and proximity to key 

water features. The site-level practices and watershed-scale disturbance information are 

then combined to conduct a relative risk assessment of water quality impacts arising from 

forest management activities at all forested watersheds. Information generated from the 

risk assessment will be used to tailor education and outreach efforts by watershed to 

improve operational effectiveness, and will also be used to guide strategic land use and 

management planning by governmental agencies and local watershed organizations. 

When coupled with water-quality monitoring programs over time, the data generated 

from such an approach has potential to be used to empirically identify threshold 

configurations of BMP implementation and forest disturbance that degrade water quality. 

This new approach moves beyond attempting to quantify water quality impacts of forest 

management activities at the watershed scale, and instead focuses on reducing the risk of 

any impact occurring under a unique set of watershed conditions that are continuously 

changing over time. 
BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 67

SESSION #9

(10:30 – 11:50 AM)

WOODY BIOMASS

Field Implementation and Effectiveness of Riparian Buffers in 

Forest Biofuel Operations

Jami Nettles, Weyerhaeuser Company

A Comparison of Best Management Practices (BMP) Implementation and 

Estimated Erosion Rates on Biomass and Conventional Harvesting Operations in 

the Piedmont of Virginia

Scott Barrett, Virginia Tech

Recommended Management Practices for Bioenergy Production

Rebecca Efroymson, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Sustainability Standards and Best Management Practices: Integrating Paradigms 

for Enhanced, Sustainable Forest Management 

James McCubbins, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
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BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 69

FIELD IMPLEMENTATION AND EFFECTIVENESS OF RIPARIAN

BUFFERS IN FOREST BIOFUEL OPERATIONS

Presenter and Author: Jami Nettles, Weyerhaeuser Company,

Columbus, MS (jami.nettles@weyerhaeuser.com)

Catchlight Energy, LLC, a Chevron|Weyerhaeuser Joint Venture, installed operationalscale forest biomass studies in the southeastern U.S. in 2009 and 2010, for evaluation as a 

potential bioenergy feedstock system. These consisted of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) 

for bioenergy interplanted in loblolly pine plantations grown for sawtimber. Optimum 

site selection, planting, cultivation, and harvest methods are generally unknown for forest 

biomass production, and these were studied at the plot and management tract scale. 

In addition to research on production methods, studies on the environmental effects of 

these practices were installed. Fourteen watersheds are instrumented in three locations, 

and a detailed analysis of the water quality and quantity effects of these practices is now 

becoming available. The watersheds have a range of treatments, from mid-rotation forest 

to switchgrass only, designed to represent possible intensities as well as specific 

practices. Two intercropped treatments are included – one co-planted with pine, and one 

planted in an existing plantation.

However, early sustainability indicators were needed. In 2010 a field survey was 

conducted in Mississippi and Alabama shortly after planting to estimate the sediment 

impact of these practices. Intercropped tracts were randomly selected from those with 

slope and soil characteristics indicated erosion potential and having streamside 

management zones (SMZs). The switchgrass rows closest to each SMZ perimeter were 

surveyed for sediment incursions. Location, estimated length, soil texture, sediment 

barriers, and stream connectivity were recorded for each sediment-incursion point. Each 

point was mapped and delivery potential determined. The widths of the original SMZs 

(for the pine plantation) and the secondary SMZs (additional protection for the more 

intensive practices) were determined, as well as the average travel length from sediment 

generation to stream. 

This presentation updates the field survey with sediment results from the watershed 

study, giving context to the treatment intensity. Sediment incursion sites are revisited and 

longer term effects of intensive forest biofuel practices discussed.
70 BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014

A COMPARISON OF BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES (BMP) 

IMPLEMENTATION AND ESTIMATED EROSION RATES ON

BIOMASS AND CONVENTIONAL HARVESTING

OPERATIONS IN THE PIEDMONT OF VIRGINIA

Presenter: Scott Barrett, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA (sbarrett@vt.edu)

Co-Authors: Scott Barrett, Mike Aust and Chad Bolding, 

Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA

Increased use of biomass for energy will likely result in greater utilization of logging 

residues from ongoing harvesting operations. Reduced levels of logging residues due to 

biomass harvesting could be considered a potential concern for BMP implementation and 

post-harvest erosion rates. Twenty operational clearcut harvests were evaluated in 

Virginia’s Piedmont. These harvests consisted of ten biomass and ten conventional 

clearcuts, with an average size of 39.9 acres. Sites were evaluated for Best Management 

Practices (BMP) implementation, potential erosion rates, and residual ground cover. 

BMP audits were conducted following the Virginia Department of Forestry auditing 

procedures and no significant differences were found for overall BMP implementation 

scores on biomass (85.2%) versus conventional harvest sites (81.3%) (p= 0.5930). 

Harvests were subdivided into operational areas and the Universal Soil Loss Equation 

(USLE) was applied to estimate potential erosion within each operational category on the 

20 sites. No significant differences were found for estimated erosion rates in any of the 

operational categories. Overall predicted erosion rates were relatively low for both 

biomass (0.7 tons ac-1yr

-1

) and conventional harvests (0.8 tons ac

-1

yr

-1

) (p=0.8282). 

Comparison of BMP audit scores and estimated erosion rates indicate BMP scores are a 

significant predictor of overall erosion rates (R2=0.7994, p < 0.001). 
BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 71

RECOMMENDED MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

FOR BIOENERGY PRODUCTION

Presenter: Rebecca Efroymson, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 

Oak Ridge, TN (efroymsonra@ornl.gov)

Co-Authors: Rebecca Efroymson and Virginia Dale, 

Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN

Developing and evaluating the effectiveness of best management practices (BMPs) 

depends on setting sustainability targets or objectives and measuring progress towards 

them. We have reviewed BMPs for bioenergy in the context of defined categories of 

environmental sustainability indicators. First we selected a practical set of 19 indicators 

that are applicable to most examples of bioenergy feedstock production, including 

harvesting of woody biomass from forests. Criteria for selection included measurability, 

sensitivity to stress, predictable response to stress, responsiveness to management 

actions, and having a suite that is integrative. Environmental sustainability indicators fall 

into 6 categories: soil quality, water quality and quantity, air quality, greenhouse gas 

emissions, biodiversity, and productivity. We reviewed existing forestry and agricultural 

BMPs and less standard management practices recommended in research studies for 

relevance to the categories of sustainability in the context of bioenergy. Bioenergy is 

different from traditional forestry activities in its supply chain, type of biomass feedstock, 

desirable feedstock characteristics, amount and type of biomass harvested and vehicle 

movement, and expectation of enhanced sustainability. Based on our synthesis, practices 

intended to reduce nutrients and sediment in runoff, as well as vegetated buffers and 

other riparian BMPs, apply to resources used for bioenergy. Guidelines related to 

biomass retention apply to soil quality and water quality, and some relate specifically to 

biodiversity. In most cases water quantity, air quality, and greenhouse gas emissions are 

not specifically addressed by BMPs for bioenergy or for forestry. Regarding tradeoffs, 

many of the same recommended management practices protect soil quality, water quality, 

and carbon sequestration. It is less clear how these practices relate to other aspects of 

sustainability. More research is needed to determine the effectiveness of BMPs developed 

for biomass retention and to determine how to adapt BMPs to areas where they are not 

already in use.
72 BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014

SUSTAINABILITY STANDARDS AND BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES:

INTEGRATING PARADIGMS FOR ENHANCED, 

SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT

Presenter and Author: James McCubbins, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign,

Urbana, IL (james.mccubbins@bus.illinois.edu)

As governments continue to spur increased forest-based biomass consumption through 

mandates and policy, voluntary standards have emerged to guide foresters towards 

sustainable practices to ensure productivity and longevity of managed forests. 

Concurrently, the Clean Water Act has motivated the development of forestry best 

management practices (BMPs) that focus primarily on maintaining water quality and 

secondarily upon soil and other forest concerns, depending upon the state. Many of the 

state BMPs were first published in the 1990s and have largely remained the same, with 

only minor updates. Since that time, however, science has continued to increase 

understanding about human interactions with forest ecosystems and their value as carbon 

sinks to mitigate carbon emissions into the atmosphere. The Biomass Market Access 

Standards (BMAS) group has begun benchmarking its biomass standard against existing 

forestry sustainability standards and state BMPs to identify ways in which each may 

inform the other. Our findings have indicated that state BMPs largely recommend 

specific harvesting practices to minimize impact to water quality that coincide well with 

portions of BMAS and forestry sustainability standards and could supply specific metrics 

and verifiable results for those standards. Alternatively, voluntary standards, provided by 

organizations such as BMAS, encourage much broader attention to forest-based biomass 

extraction than state BMPs. This enhanced perspective provides an excellent opportunity 

for state forestry BMPs to develop specific practices that will address challenges such as 

soil quality, air quality, socio-economic matters, and other areas. By integrating 

sustainability standards with specific recommended practices from state BMPs, both 

paradigms stand to gain clearer vision regarding long-term forest sustainability and 

productivity.
BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 73

POSTER PRESENTATIONS

Impacts of Natural Gas Development Compared with Silviculture on Surface Water 

Quality in East Texas, USA

Todd Thomas, Texas A&M Forest Service

Regional Efforts to Promote Forestry Best Management Practices: 

A Southern Success Story

Hughes Simpson Texas A&M Forest Service

Herbicides in Stream Water Following a Silvicultural Application According to 

Modern Best Management Practices

Jeff Louch, NCASI

Effectiveness of Streamside Management Zones for Maintaining Stream 

Temperatures in Northern Michigan

Brian Sugden, Plum Creek Timber Company

The Impact of BMPs on Logging Costs and Productivity in the Northeast

Matthew Kelly, State University of New York

Impact of Forest Harvest with Variable Streamside Management Zone 

Configurations on Hydrologic Response in Perennial Headwater Streams

in Eastern KY

Emma Witt, University of Minnesota

The Economic Costs and Environmental Benefits of Riparian Buffers: A Case Study 

of Small Streams in Maine

Ethel Wilkerson, Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences

Forest Harvest Equipment Movement and Sediment Delivery to Streams

Jeffrey Stringer, University of Kentucky
74 BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014

POSTER PRESENTATIONS

(continued)

Biological Impacts of Excessive Fine Sediment in Forested Streams

Bob Danehy, NCASI

Effects of Prescribed Burning on Large Wood Loading in South Carolina Coastal 

Plain Streams

Andy Dolloff, US Forest Service

Nutrient and Herbicide Concentrations and Export from Clearcuts and 

Site-Prepared Plantations: Dry Creek Paired Watershed Study 

Rhett Jackson, University of Georgia

Regional Efforts to Promote Forestry Best Management Practices: 

A Southern Success Story

John Colberg, Georgia Forestry Commission

Assessing the Effectiveness of Contemporary Forestry Best Management Practices 

(BMPs): Focus on Roads

Erik Schilling, NCASI
BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 75

IMPACTS OF NATURAL GAS DEVELOPMENT COMPARED WITH 

SILVICULTURE ON SURFACE WATER QUALITY IN EAST TEXAS, USA

Presenter: Todd Thomas, Texas A&M Forest Service, 

Lufkin, TX (tthomas@tfs.tamu.edu)

Co-Authors: Todd Thomas, Texas A&M Forest Service, Lufkin, TX 

Matthew McBroom and Yanli Zhang, 

Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, TX

Due to greater demands for hydrocarbons and improvements in drilling technology, 

development of oil and natural gas in some regions of the United States has increased 

dramatically. A 1.4 ha natural gas well pad was constructed in an intermittent stream 

channel at the Alto Experimental Watersheds in East Texas, USA (F1), while another 1.1 

ha well pad was offset about 15 m from a nearby intermittent stream (F2). V-notch weirs 

were constructed downstream of these well pads and stream sedimentation and water 

quality was measured. For the 2009 water year, about 11.76 cm, or almost 222% more 

runoff resulted from F1 than F2. Sediment yield was significantly greater at F1, with 

13,972 kg ha−1yr

−1

versus 714 kg ha−1yr

−1

at F2 on a per unit area disturbance basis for 

the 2009 water year. These losses were greater than was observed following forest 

clearcutting with best management practices (111–224 kg ha−1). Significantly greater 

nitrogen and phosphorus losses were measured at F1 than F2. While oil and gas 

development can degrade surface water quality, appropriate conservation practices like 

retaining streamside buffers can mitigate these impacts.
76 BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014

REGIONAL EFFORTS TO PROMOTE FORESTRY 

BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES: 

A SOUTHERN SUCCESS STORY

Presenter: Hughes Simpson, Texas A&M Forest Service, 

Lufkin, TX (hsimpson@tfs.tamu.edu)

Co-Authors: Hughes Simpson, Texas A&M Forest Service, Lufkin, TX

Tom Gerow, Joe Fox, and Wib Owen,

Southern Group of State Foresters, Water Resources Committee

The Southern Group of State Foresters (SGSF) has long recognized the connection 

between forests and clean water. In an effort to maintain this connection and provide 

leadership in the implementation of forestry BMPs, SGSF established the Water 

Resources Committee. 

This committee began as a task force in 1996 when charged to improve and maximize the 

integrity of forestry BMP implementation monitoring in the southeast. This 

“Framework”, released in 1997, outlined procedures that were statistically sound, 

objective, technically defensible, and provided results that could be comparable among 

the states. This was the first ever effort to develop a consistent, regional monitoring 

approach, and currently, all states are in conformance. 

In 2008, the committee published a regional BMP implementation monitoring report, 

documenting South-wide implementation at 87%. In an effort to assess the ongoing 

educational efforts and to measure progress since 2008, an updated report shows regionwide implementation is currently 90%. 

A major focus of this coordinated effort is to improve the level of service provided 

throughout the region. In 2003, SGSF established a BMP program review process to 

evaluate state programs and provide recommendations for improvement. An annual 

meeting has also been held since 2000 to coordinate efforts, provide training, and share 

ideas among the states to facilitate continual improvement. 

SGSF is a pioneer in water resource protection efforts, and has directed funding to 

support BMP effectiveness, load reduction modeling, and the importance of forests to 

water resources. This leadership will be critical as future demands are placed on our 

water resources. 

Summary

SGSF has a long history of water resource protection efforts, providing leadership in 

BMP implementation, improving state BMP programs, and standardizing an approach to 

consistently monitor implementation across the region. 
BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 77

HERBICIDES IN STREAM WATER FOLLOWING A 

SILVICULTURAL APPLICATION ACCORDING TO 

MODERN BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

Presenter: Jeff Louch, NCASI (jlouch@ncasi.org)

Co-Authors: Jeff Louch and Ginny Allen, NCASI, Corvallis, OR 

George Ice, NCASI, Corvallis, OR, Retired

Dissolved glyphosate, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), imazapyr, sulfometuron 

methyl, and metsulfuron methyl were measured in a small stream in the Oregon Coast 

Range both during and after application of herbicide(s) following a commercial timber 

harvest. The stream drained a small watershed, the upper portions of which were the 

harvest unit. Application rates were 681 g/ac glyphosate (a.e.), 85 g/ac imazapyr (a.e.), 

64 g/ac sulfometuron methyl (a.i.), and 17 g/ac metsulfuron methyl (a.i.), and all 

herbicides were applied by helicopter in a single tank mix. Baseflow and storm event 

samples were collected at three sites along the hydraulic gradient: NBH (at the 

fish/no-fish interface in the middle of the harvest unit), NBU (at the bottom of the harvest 

unit), and NBL (downstream of the harvest unit). AMPA, imazapyr, sulfometuron methyl 

and metsulfuron methyl were not detected in any sample at 15 ng/L, 600 ng/L, 500 ng/L 

and 1000 ng/L, respectively. However, a clear pulse of dissolved glyphosate manifested 

at the highest elevation site (NBH) during the application (baseflow conditions). This 

pulse maximized at ≈50 ng/L and persisted for two to three hours. An associated pulse 

was not detected (<20 ng/L) at downstream sites. Subsequent baseflow samples collected 

three days after treatment (DAT) showed ≈25 ng/L dissolved glyphosate at all three sites, 

and all sites were <20 ng/L dissolved glyphosate by 19 DAT. Samples collected during 

the first storm event (8 DAT) showed a clear pulse of dissolved glyphosate at NBU, but 

not at NBH or NBL. The maximum glyphosate concentration observed during this pulse 

at NBU was 115 ng/L, and the pulse persisted for about six hours. During the next storm 

event (10 DAT) a clear pulse of dissolved glyphosate manifested at NBH, but not at NBU 

or NBL. The maximum concentration observed was 42 ng/L, and this pulse persisted for 

about ten hours. Results from all subsequent storm events showed < 20 ng/L dissolved 

glyphosate at all three sites. A limited number of analyses on suspended sediment (SS) 

showed that SS held de minimis masses of glyphosate and AMPA following application. 

These results show that exposure of aquatic organisms to herbicides from silvicultural 

applications conforming to modern best management practices are short lived and of low 

concentration (<1 μg/L).
78 BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014

EFFECTIVENESS OF STREAMSIDE MANAGEMENT ZONES FOR 

MAINTAINING STREAM TEMPERATURES IN NORTHERN MICHIGAN

Presenter: Brian Sugden, Plum Creek Timber Company, 

Columbia Falls, MT (bsugden@plumcreek.com)

Co-Author: Brian Sugden, Plum Creek Timber Company, Columbia Falls, MT

Ray Ary, Plum Creek Timber Company, Greenville Junction, ME

An important function of Streamside Management Zones (SMZs) is maintaining stream 

temperatures for protection of cold-water species such as the eastern brook trout. SMZ 

temperature effectiveness studies have been conducted in many locations in the Pacific 

Northwest and New England. No similar studies have been completed in the Lake States 

region. We monitored three streamside timber harvests in the Upper Peninsula of 

Michigan, where stream temperatures were recorded every half-hour through the summer 

months. Data were collected before and after harvesting using the upstream monitoring 

location as a control by which downstream temperatures could be evaluated. Pre-harvest 

data were collected in 2011. Post-harvest data were collected in 2012 and 2013. We 

found that the 50 foot forested buffers retained post-harvest were effective at controlling 

adverse stream temperature changes. This is similar to results found in other regions of 

the US.
BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 79

THE IMPACT OF BMPs ON LOGGING COSTS AND 

PRODUCTIVITY IN THE NORTHEAST

Presenter: Matthew Kelly, State University of New York, 

Syracuse, NY (mckelly@syr.edu) 

Co-Authors: Matthew Kelly and René Germain, 

State University of New York, Syracuse, NY

Skilled loggers are important for protecting roads and water resources during and 

following timber harvest operations. These contractors incur high capital and operating 

costs, resulting in often slim profit margins. Profitability hinges, in part, on the costs and 

productivity of the harvest system (i.e. configuration of machines and operators). In the 

Northeast United States, harvest systems vary in complexity, ranging from a singleoperator conventional system, to a fully mechanized four- or five-man crew. Machine 

utilization, system productivity, and fixed and variable costs differ accordingly. An effort 

to estimate costs and productivity of various harvest systems commonly used throughout 

the Northeast is currently underway. Shift-level production data and machine rate 

calculations are being used to calculate per unit costs for timber harvest operations of 

varying terrain and system configurations. Special attention is given to measuring the 

time loggers spend on BMP implementation to determine how this set of activities 

impacts overall harvest productivity. BMP costs will be estimated using a combination of 

shift-level production data and detailed time study data. Preliminary results are presented 

here.
80 BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014

IMPACT OF FOREST HARVEST WITH VARIABLE STREAMSIDE 

MANAGEMENT ZONE CONFIGURATIONS ON HYDROLOGIC RESPONSE 

IN PERENNIAL HEADWATER STREAMS IN EASTERN KY

Presenter: Emma Witt, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN (witt0287@umn.edu)

Co-Authors: Emma Witt, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN

Christopher Barton and Jeffrey W. Stringer, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY

Alex Cherry, U.S. Geological Survey, Louisville, KY

Randall Kolka, USDA Forest Service, Grand Rapids, MN

Impacts from forest harvesting may include changes to storm response in headwater 

streams draining harvested areas. The objective of this research was to evaluate the 

impact of forest harvesting on eight hydrograph parameters and determine if streamside 

management zone (SMZ) characteristics impacted the response. Catchments were 

harvested using a two-age deferment method and one of three SMZ configurations that 

varied in SMZ width, canopy retention and use of improved ephemeral stream crossings. 

Each SMZ treatment was applied to two catchments, and two additional catchments were 

unharvested. Storm response was measured at the perennial outlet of each catchment 

before and after harvesting. Peak flow and total storm volume increased from pre-harvest 

to post-harvest, for two of the six treatment watersheds. SMZ configuration did not 

consistently impact storm response in the study watersheds following harvest. Changes in 

hydrograph timing were measured for one watershed, and only for fall time and rise time. 

Where significant changes were measured, the difference in storm response was small 

and was not expected to impact downstream flooding.
BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 81

THE ECONOMIC COSTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF RIPARIAN 

BUFFERS: A CASE STUDY OF SMALL STREAMS IN MAINE

Presenter: Ethel Wilkerson, Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences, 

Brunswick, ME (ewilkerson@manomet.org)

Co-Authors: Ethel Wilkerson, Manomet Center for 

Conservation Sciences, Brunswick, ME

Chris LeDoux, US Forest Service, Morgantown, WV

Research shows that retaining riparian buffers adjacent to water bodies can dramatically 

reduce the risk of forestry-related impacts to water quality. However, riparian areas are 

highly productive for timber and establishing buffers can reduce the volume of 

merchantable timber from a harvest causing economic losses for landowners. To 

understand the economic costs and environmental benefits of riparian buffers we 

compared the effectiveness of different riparian buffer widths for protecting physical, 

chemical, and biological attributes of streams with the economic costs of retaining these 

buffers. BMP effectiveness data came from a seven year study on 15 small streams in 

western Maine where we measured water temperature, riparian air temperature, water 

quality, nutrient concentrations, and periphyton and macroinvertebrate communities both 

before and after the timber harvest activities. Cost estimates for riparian buffers were 

calculated using ECOST, a modeling program that uses time studies and simulations to 

estimate logging costs and revenues for different stands. We estimated at our study sites 

(harvest size: 12 ha) that 11m wide buffers on both sides of the stream channel accounted 

for 5% of total timber revenue. Partial removal of timber within buffers (up to 40% 

removal of basal area) reduced the proportion of timber value retained within the buffer 

to 3%. In our study we found that streams with 11m wide partially harvested buffers did 

not show any post-harvest changes in water quality but exhibited small, short-term 

changes to water and riparian air temperatures and aquatic communities in the first year 

after the harvest. Treatments with 23m buffers had no detectable impacts to water 

resources, temperature or periphyton or macroinvebrate communities. We estimated that 

for a harvest 30-acres in size buffers 23m wide accounted for 11% of total timber 

revenue. Allowing for partial harvesting of buffers (up to 40% removal of basal area) 

reduced the proportion of timber value retained within the buffer to 7% without reducing 

the ability of the buffers protecting against changes in water quality parameters. 
82 BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014

FOREST HARVEST EQUIPMENT MOVEMENT AND 

SEDIMENT DELIVERY TO STREAMS

Presenter: Jeffrey Stringer, University of Kentucky, 

Lexington, KY (stringer@uky.edu)

Co-Authors: Daniel Bowker, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO

Jeffrey Stringer and Christopher Barton, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY

Streamside management zones (SMZs) have become important management techniques 

to prevent the introduction of sediment to stream networks. This study examined the 

current Kentucky best management practice (BMP) guidelines for SMZs by outfitting 

mobile forest harvest equipment with global positioning system (GPS) receivers, 

enabling modeling of equipment traffic and spatial analysis of stream sediment delivery. 

Three SMZ configurations were implemented during commercial timber harvest in order 

to determine where and why sediment was introduced to the stream network. Results 

indicate that increasing the SMZ buffer width leads to decreased sediment delivery, and 

that requiring an SMZ buffer with some canopy retention on ephemeral channels will 

lead to improvements in stream water quality. Care should be taken in the placement and 

construction of water control measures for skid trail retirement, as all documented harvest 

machine sediment sources were traceable to non-functioning water control structures. 

This study also suggests that tracked harvest equipment such as bulldozers and fellerbunchers may increase the chances of stream sediment delivery, while wheeled traffic by 

log skidders my decrease those chances. Finally, a northeasterly aspect of harvested areas 

was shown to be related to increased sediment delivery to streams, while surface 

roughness downslope from the skid trail system was shown to decrease sediment 

delivery.
BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 83

BIOLOGICAL IMPACTS OF EXCESSIVE FINE SEDIMENT

IN FORESTED STREAMS

Presenter: Bob Danehy, NCASI, Corvallis, OR (bdanehy@ncasi.org)

Co-Authors: Bob Danehy, NCASI, Corvallis, OR 

Christina Relyea, Flathead Community College, Kalispell, MT

Wayne Minshall, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID 

Yangdong Pan, Portland State University, Portland, OR

Forest roads are a significant stewardship challenge for forest managers. Since road 

network and stream network must intersect, each intersection is a potential source of 

sediment export to streams and higher density roading yields more intersections. There is 

a long history of forestry Best Management Practices (BMPs) to minimize sediment 

delivery, and recent research has shown when roads are properly installed and maintained 

BMPs are effective in minimizing sediment delivery from roads. To evaluate BMP 

success, one potential tool is biological monitoring. One advantage of biologic 

assessments compared to physical sampling approaches is biological communities can 

reflect a longer time interval and reveal past disturbances. 

We describe the underlying mechanisms of macroinvertebrate and periphyton community 

responses to both deposited and suspended fine sediment. In addition we present a Fine 

Sediment Biotic Index we developed for use in assessment of inorganic sediment impacts 

on benthic invertebrates. The index uses a subset of aquatic organisms that exhibit the 

greatest response (+/-) to inorganic sediment inputs. While regionally developed in the

Pacific Northwest, similar stressor specific tools can be developed elsewhere with the 

approach we employed. 
84 BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014

EFFECTS OF PRESCRIBED BURNING ON LARGE WOOD LOADING

IN SOUTH CAROLINA COASTAL PLAIN STREAMS

Presenter: Andy Dolloff, US Forest Service, Blacksburg, VA (adolloff@fs.fed.us)

Co-Authors: Andy Dolloff, Craig Roghair and Colin Krause, 

US Forest Service, Blacksburg, VA

Prescribed burning is the method of choice for many land managers who wish to 

influence the species composition, structure, and function of forested ecosystems. 

Despite the large body of knowledge of the effects of fire on many of the important 

attributes and functions of forest ecology, relatively little is known about the effects of 

repeated prescribed burns or wildfire on large wood (LW) loading in streams, particularly 

in the southeastern US . Large wood influences a wide variety of features and functions 

in stream channels including channel morphology, bank and bed erosion, and habitat

complexity for microbes, macroinvertebrates, and fish as well as a host of amphibians, 

reptiles, birds, and mammals. In 2013, we inventoried LW in 22 coastal plain stream 

reaches within South Carolina’s Francis Marion National Forest (FMNF). Sampled 

reaches ranged from 0.5 km to 1.4 km in length and flowed through land management 

areas with varying frequency of prescribed burning from 2006-2013; 0-2 = low, 3-4 = 

high burn frequency sites. Within each stream reach we recorded several LW attributes, 

including the location and size (length and diameter) of all dead and down pieces within 

the bankfull channel, the percent of total LW piece length with charring, and the 

orientation of each piece relative to the stream channel. Median LW load in low 

frequency burn reaches (84 pieces per km) was similar to that in high burn frequency 

sites (95 pieces per km). The size distribution, total volume, and orientation of LW also 

were similar between low and high frequency burn reaches. The prevalence of charring at 

high frequency burn sites ranged from 6% - 69% (average = 32%) compared with 0% -

18% (average = 2%) at low frequency burn sites. The lack of significant difference 

among LW attributes should not be interpreted to mean prescribed fire has no effect on 

LW recruitment or retention dynamics. Future research on LW and fire in coastal plain 

streams should focus on: 1) the abundance and distribution of LW in areas adjacent to 

stream channels, 2) the role of burn frequency and intensity on tree species recruitment to 

LW, 3) movement, decay, and disintegration of charred vs uncharred LW, and 4) the 

influence of LW in FMNF streams on fish species composition, distribution, and 

abundance.
BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 85

NUTRIENT AND HERBICIDE CONCENTRATIONS AND EXPORT 

FROM CLEARCUTS AND SITE-PREPARED PLANTATIONS:

DRY CREEK PAIRED WATERSHED STUDY

Presenter: Rhett Jackson, University of Georgia, Athens, GA

(rjackson@warnell.uga.edu)

Co-Authors: Rhett Jackson, Samantha Marchman, Lynsey Scarbrough, 

William Summer, Scott Terrell, David Jones, and Masato Miwa

Using paired watershed techniques, we quantified the effects of clearcutting and site 

preparation (without fertilization) on nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations and yields 

in small headwater streams in the upper Coastal Plain of southwest Georgia. We also 

monitored and characterized herbicide concentrations in streams following application. 

The Dry Creek study monitored two watershed pairs on the old International Paper 

Southlands Experimental Forest a total of five years: two years prior and one year 

following harvest, and two more years following site preparation and planting. The two 

treatment watersheds were clearcut and downstream portions of their SMZs were thinned 

in accordance with 1999 Georgia BMPs. Herbicide application, burning, and planting 

followed a year later. Previously published research revealed a large increase in water 

yield following harvest, with substantial differences in the magnitude of the effect across 

the two pairs. Nutrient concentrations were highly variable within and between 

monitoring periods, even in reference watersheds. Silvicultural activities did not affect 

phosphorus and ammonia concentrations; however, nitrate/nitrite and total nitrogen 

concentrations increased slightly in treatment watersheds following stand 

reestablishment. Annual nutrient export trends matched water yield trends. Nutrient 

yields increased after harvest largely as a result of increased water yields. Nutrient yield 

increases were minor, and streams exported only 4% to 20% of atmospheric nitrogen 

inputs. Nitrogen concentrations in treatment streams were dominated by inputs from an 

upstream agricultural area, and nitrate levels decreased rapidly going downstream 

through the forest watersheds due to either denitrification, sequestration, or dilution. 

Imazapyr, hexazinone, and sulfometuron methyl were detected following application, but 

concentrations were always below 8.3 ppb. Highest concentrations were found in the first 

stormflow event following herbicide application, and concentrations diminished rapidly 

in subsequent stormflow events. Our results suggest that mobility of these herbicides was 

low and, with proper application and BMP implementation, instream herbicide 

concentrations will be very low and diminish rapidly after the first storm event.
86 BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014

REGIONAL EFFORTS TO PROMOTE FORESTRY 

BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES: A SOUTHERN SUCCESS STORY

Presenter: John Colberg, Georgia Forestry Commission, 

Macon, GA (jcolberg@gfc.state.ga.us)

Co-Authors: John Colberg, Georgia Forestry Commission, Macon, GA 

Hughes Simpson, Tom Gerow, and Wib Owen, Southern Group of State Foresters, 

Water Resources Committee

The Southern Group of State Foresters (SGSF), made up of state forestry agencies from 

Virginia to Texas, has long recognized the connection between forests and clean water. In 

an effort to maintain this connection and provide leadership in the development, 

improvement, and implementation of forestry BMPs, SGSF established the Water 

Resources Committee. 

This committee began as a task force in 1996 when charged to improve and maximize the 

integrity of forestry BMP implementation monitoring in the southeast. The developed 

“Framework”, originally released in 1997 and updated in 2002, outlined procedures that 

were statistically sound, objective, technically defensible, and provided results that could 

be comparable among the states. This was the first ever effort to develop a consistent, 

regional monitoring approach, and currently, all Southern states are in conformance. 

In 2008, the committee published a regional BMP implementation monitoring report, 

documenting South-wide implementation at 87%. In an effort to assess the ongoing 

educational efforts and to measure progress since 2008, an updated report was published 

in September 2012, showing region-wide implementation had increased to 92%. 

A major focus of this coordinated effort is to improve the level of service provided 

throughout the region. In 2003, SGSF established a formal BMP program review process 

to evaluate state programs and provide recommendations for improvement. States were 

evaluated by their colleagues on nine established indicators of an effective program. 

These reviews have resulted in measurable improvement across the region, and may be 

the single most important thing the committee has done. 

Annual meetings have also been held since 2000 to coordinate efforts, provide internal 

training, and share ideas among the states to facilitate continual improvement. These 

meetings also provide a forum for committee members to collaborate with EPA, US 

Army Corps of Engineers, and other cooperators on water quality protection efforts in 

forested landscapes. As a result, the committee is routinely asked to provide guidance and 

technical assistance on policy issues related to forests and water. 

While working on continuously improving upon the southern region’s 30 year success 

story on forestry BMPs, SGSF is actively engaged in research, outreach, training, and 

partnerships to demonstrate how forests are compatible and beneficial to the sustainable 

supply of clean and low-cost public water sources. SGSF has been instrumental in 

developing and supporting the Southeastern Partnership for Forests and Water Quality, 
BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014 87

a coalition consisting of representatives from water utilities and the forest sector that 

recognize the importance of healthy, well managed forests to the Southeast’s water 

supply. 

SGSF is a pioneer in water resource protection efforts, and has directed funding to 

support BMP effectiveness monitoring, load reduction modeling, and the importance of 

forests to water resources. This leadership will be critical as future demands are placed on 

our water resources, along with increasing pressure on the South’s forestlands, the vast 

majority of which (almost 90%) is in private ownership. 

Summary

SGSF has a long history of water resource protection efforts, providing leadership in 

BMP development, improvement, and implementation, enhancing state BMP programs, 

establishing effective partnerships, and standardizing an approach to consistently monitor

implementation across the region. 
88 BMP Symposium Abstracts of Presentations and Posters, May 12-15, 2014

ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CONTEMPORARY FORESTRY

BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES (BMPs): FOCUS ON ROADS

Presenter: Erik Schilling, NCASI, Aubrey, TX (eschilling@ncasi.org)

Co-Authors: Erik Schilling, NCASI, Aubrey, TX

George Ice, NCASI, Corvallis, OR, Retired

There is a long history of research on the effects of forest management on water 

resources. Results have supported development and continuous improvement of best 

management practices (BMPs) for controlling effects of forestry operations on water 

quality and beneficial uses. This report summarizes research on the effectiveness of 

BMPs for forestry operations generally and forest roads in particular. It is clear that 

forestry practices have changed dramatically over the past several decades and that BMPs 

are effective in minimizing water quality impacts. Paired watershed studies have 

demonstrated that implementing a suite of contemporary BMPs reduces sediment loads to 

streams by 80% or more relative to uncontrolled forestry operations. With contemporary 

BMPs, effects of forestry operations on water quality are generally small compared to 

effects of natural disturbance and annual weather cycles. Specific BMPs for roads have 

been tested in controlled studies and proven effective by road inventories conducted by 

forestry agencies in several states. Those inventories show that road BMPs are being 

implemented at high rates and are effective in reducing risks to water quality; road 

drainage structures are being disconnected from streams; and poor road/stream crossings 

are being identified and corrected.