Bioassessment of silvicultural impacts in streams and wetlands of the Eastern United States

Hutchens, John J.; Batzer, Darold P.; Reese, Elizabeth G.

doi:10.1023/b:wafo.0000012827.95431.b8

Cited by 23 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 89 publications

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“…Another contributing factor to the lack of a regional logging signal is that stream macroinvertebrates recover relatively quickly from forest harvest. In a literature review of logging effects in eastern U.S. streams, Hutchens, Batzer & Reese (2004) report that many of the obvious effects of logging on stream biota are relatively short-lived (<5 years). If this is the case, then at any one point in time, only a small portion of the landscape will have been affected by clear-cut within 5 years, providing a reduced disturbance gradient from which to detect a regional signal.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Macroinvertebrate community response to natural and forest harvest gradients in western Oregon headwater streams

Herlihy

Gerth

et al. 2005

Freshwater Biology

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1. To examine the effects of forest harvest practices on headwater stream macroinvertebrates, we compiled a 167 site database with macroinvertebrate, fish, physical habitat and catchment land cover data from the three forested ecoregions in western Oregon. For our analysis, headwater streams were defined by catchment areas <10 km 2 and perennial water during summer low flows. Almost all sites in the database were selected using a randomised survey design, constituting a representative sample of headwater streams in these ecoregions. 2. Macroinvertebrate taxonomic and functional feeding group composition were very similar among the three ecoregions in the study area (Coast Range, Cascades and Klamath Mountains). On average, 55% of the individuals at each site were in the orders Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera or Trichoptera. Dipteran taxa (mostly chironomids) accounted for another 34%. At almost all sites, non-insects made up <10% of the macroinvertebrate assemblage. Almost half (49%) of the assemblages were collectors; remaining individuals were about evenly divided among scrapers, shredders and predators. 3. There were 189 different macroinvertebrate taxa at the 167 sites with richness at individual sites ranging from 7 to 71 taxa. Ordination by non-metric multidimensional scaling revealed a strong association between % Ephemeroptera, especially Baetis, and site scores along the first axis. This axis was also strongly related to % coarse substratum and fast water habitat. The second axis was strongly related to % intolerant individuals, site slope and altitude. No strong relationships were evident between any ordination axis and either logging activity, presence/absence of fish, catchment size or ecoregion. 4. Based on macroinvertebrate index of biotic integrity (IBI) scores, 62% of the sites had no impairment, 31% of the sites had slight impairment and only 6% of the sites had moderate or severe impairment. IBI scores were not strongly related to forest harvest history. All four severely impaired sites and five of the seven sites with moderate impairment were lower altitude, shallower slope stream reaches located in the Coast Range with evidence of agricultural activity in their catchment or riparian zone. % sand + fine substratum was the environmental variable most strongly related to macroinvertebrate IBI.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Macroinvertebrate community response to natural and forest harvest gradients in western Oregon headwater streams

Herlihy

Gerth

et al. 2005

Freshwater Biology

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“…Additional research at these sites may determine whether the patterns we observed were real or spurious. This study only measured two postharvest years; Hutchens et al (2004) cautioned that longer-term studies are needed to evaluate subtler effects. However, Stone and Wallace (1998) reported increasing similarity over time between clear-cut streams and reference streams in North Carolina in a 16-year study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Effects of Silviculture Using Best Management Practices on Stream Macroinvertebrate Communities in Three Ecoregions of Arkansas, USA

McCord

Grippo

Eagle³

2007

Water Air Soil Pollut

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We examined aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblages in six Arkansas low-order streams across three ecoregions. Samples were taken at locations above and below silviculture sites using Best Management Practices (BMPs) and were compared in winter and spring for 1 year prior to logging and 2 years after treatments. Implementation at all sites scored between 89 and 100% in compliance assessments using state BMP guidelines. Deficiencies were generally limited to engineering controls designed to prevent soil erosion; however, no clear evidence of sedimentation was observed in any of the study streams. Water quality variables were similar between sites upstream and downstream of the harvests in all survey periods. Analysis of variance did not indicate reduced taxonomic richness that could clearly be attributed to silviculture operations, but did reveal several significant differences in relative abundance variables that could be associated with negative impacts, primarily at a single site. Euclidean distance indicated that macroinvertebrate assemblage similarity between reference and treatment stations decreased after treatments at two additional study sites. At most sites, however, there was not an assemblage shift from organisms using coarse particulate organic matter as the primary food source to those using fine particulate organic matter downstream of the harvests. Our results indicated that BMPs were moderately to strongly effective in protecting water quality and biological integrity in five of the six study streams.

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“…Conceivably, semi-aquatic bryophytes may provide the most appropriate indices for anthropogenic change in many ecosystems since they are located at the terrestrial-aquatic interface, and are therefore influenced by changes occurring in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Timber harvest effects that may prove detrimental to bryophyte health include increased erosion and sediment, altered stream flow regimes, microclimate (including light availability and air and stream temperature) and nutrient regimes [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]. Given bryophyte sensitivity to disturbance, forest management including clearcutting or thinning (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bryophyte mass to stem length ratio: A potential metric for eco-physiological response to land use

Hubbart

Kellner²

2013

OJE

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Methods of analysis are needed that quantitatively characterize the response of organisms to anthropogenic disturbance. Herein a method is presented that characterizes bryophyte morphological variability in response to timber harvest treatments (clearcut and partial cut). Samples (n = 6196) of the semi-aquatic bryophyte Brachythecium frigidum were collected from clearcut, partial cut and full forest stream reaches between August 2003 and October 2005 and analyzed to obtain mass to stem length ratios (M:SL). Results show that relative to a full forest (i.e. full canopy cover condition), average M:SL ratios were reduced approximately 18% in the partial cut and 37% in the clearcut, indicating a decrease in biomass per unit stem length with increasing harvest intensities. Increased light intensities and higher air temperatures resulting from decreased canopy cover in the harvest treatments corresponded to lower M:SL ratios (0.31 and 0.24 for the partial cut and clearcut, respectively). Results quantify the morphological response of B. frigidum to habitat perturbation, thereby validating the method as a useful assessment of anthropogenic disturbance in post-timber harvest environments. Additional work should be conducted to test the method in other physiographic regions and to isolate bryophyte response to alterations of distinct environmental variables.

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Bioassessment of silvicultural impacts in streams and wetlands of the Eastern United States

Cited by 23 publications

References 89 publications

Macroinvertebrate community response to natural and forest harvest gradients in western Oregon headwater streams

Macroinvertebrate community response to natural and forest harvest gradients in western Oregon headwater streams

Effects of Silviculture Using Best Management Practices on Stream Macroinvertebrate Communities in Three Ecoregions of Arkansas, USA

Bryophyte mass to stem length ratio: A potential metric for eco-physiological response to land use

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