This is especially true for the Sierra Nevada region. While conducting a literature search for the effects of watershed restoration, we found that hundreds of studies exist which demonstrate that a management practice degrades water quality and watersheds. For example, many studies focus on an eroding forest roads and link them with sediment input to waterways. These studies are valuable in linking detrimental practices with a cost to society, but lack proactive treatments to correct the problem. In other words, the studies simply point out a problem and its probable cause.
Scientific data showing the effect of the watershed restoration treatments is sparse.
Unfortunately, much watershed restoration has gone unmonitored due to funding problems. Studies that demonstrate successful treatment by using scientific data are needed. While some studies focus on watershed mitigation, few give hard data that show a desirable change. Research that can take this data and translate it into economical sense is also needed. However, hundreds of watershed projects have taken place in the Sierra Nevada with the objective of creating positive change, both ecologically and economically.