Riparian and wetland ecosystems of the Ashley National Forest: An assessment of current conditions in relation to natural range of variation

Abstract

We conducted this assessment to provide information on the current conditions of riparian and wetland ecosystems in reference to their natural range of variation on the Ashley National Forest during Forest Plan revision. We determined that riparian and wetland ecosystems have experienced numerous stressors that have influenced their current conditions, including reduced beaver activity, altered flow regimes, dams and diversions, livestock and wild ungulate grazing, and climate change. Some ecosystem characteristics, particularly channel and floodplain dynamics, appear to be more resistant to stressors with the majority of units classified as trending toward or within their natural range of variation. Changes to groundwater and surface water dynamics, as well as resistance to invasive and encroaching species, have been impacted the most by stressors, particularly in the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area. Our results have been incorporated in the Forest Plan and will continue to be useful to resource managers and planners during efforts to restore and/or maintain riparian and wetland ecosystems on the Ashley National Forest.

Development of Riparian and Groundwater-Dependent Ecosystem Assessments for National Forests in the Western U.S.

“…Using NWI data and aerial imagery from multiple sources (e.g., National Agricultural Imagery Program, high resolution World Imagery from Environmental systems Research Institute, etc. ), CNHP staff locate wetlands that are potential fens, hand-draw the best estimate of fen boundary, and rank them as likely fens, possible fens, and low confidence fens based on the number of fen-like characteristics they observe [32][33][34][35][36][37].…”

“…We integrate widespread, well-documented national or international data with local field data that may have been collected irregularly through space or time but remain valuable as the only available existing information capturing on-the-ground conditions. We use this information to determine whether evidence exists that ecological integrity has been compromised and have published a series of general technical reports summarizing our findings for each National Forest [13][14][15][16][17]. National Forest staff have identified these reports as effective and have used them to directly inform forest planning and management actions on several National Forests.…”