Assessing Cumulative Effects and Restoration Potential in Forested Watersheds
Author | : |
Publisher | : |
Total Pages | : |
Release | : 2009 |
ISBN-10 | : OCLC:501332279 |
ISBN-13 | : |
Rating | : 4/5 (79 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: This dissertation provides a framework for analyzing cumulative effects as it applies to rural forested watersheds and developing restoration priorities. The Noyo and Big River watersheds, in central Mendocino County, are used as a case study for examining cumulative watershed effects. The study of cumulative effects is focused on the major issues of concern which are primarily related to water quality and wildlife habitat. Chapter 1 reviews the main environmental processes that are influenced by timber harvesting in coastal watersheds and establishes a framework for evaluating cumulative watershed effects (CWE). This provides the theoretical and conceptual basis for addressing cumulative effects across a range of spatial and temporal scales. In chapter 2 the CWE framework is applied to studying a range of environmental impacts that has occurred through timber harvesting in the Noyo and Big River watersheds. A series of GIS-based models are developed and used to conduct an assessment of the forests in these watersheds. In chapter 3, I developed a model to evaluate the recovery potential of watersheds based on the integration of existing disturbance (natural and management induced) and habitat factors. The results demonstrate that watersheds express a range of conditions and are different paths for recovery. In chapter 4, an evaluation of NSO habitat was conducted. The results suggest that habitat conditions are distinctly different among land ownership classes. Finally, chapter 5 provides a summary of research results and discusses there implication. In addition, in this final chapter I explore the changes in land ownership and the opportunities arising from new markets for carbon sequestration and the use of forest biomass as a source of renewable energy. The chapter concludes by speculating that minimizing management impacts and CWEs will require a broader view of sustainable forest management and one that provides landowners with financial incentives to maintain and enhance the environmental services and natural resources that their forests provide.