A biological assessment of best management practice effectiveness during intensive silviculture and forest chemical application

A multi-year study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of Florida's Best Management Practices (BMPs) for protecting aquatic ecosystems during intensive forestry operations and forest chemical applications. Five silviculture sites adjacent to stream systems were selected for study from major eco-regions of the state. Replicate stream bioassessments, using a multimetric approach (the Stream Condition Index), were conducted as part of a `before-after, control-impact' (BACI) study design. Bioassessment stations were established above and below the treatment area to determine pre-treatment reference and test conditions. Silviculture treatments of clearcut harvesting, intensive mechanical site preparation and machine planting were then completed, during which all applicable BMPs were adhered to. In addition, two sites received an herbicide application and one site was fertilized. Following the treatments, the sites were re-sampled at the same points both one year, and two years after the first bioassessment. No significant differences in the SCI were observed between the reference and test portions of the streams that could be attributed to the silviculture operations using BMPs. Hence, the study showed that BMPs provided protection to adjacent stream ecosystems, even during intensive silviculture and forest chemical applications.     

Costs of forestry best management practices in the south: A review

In response to federal and state clean water laws, forestry best management practices (BMPs) have been developed and implemented to prevent nonpoint source water pollution. Ellefson and Miles (1985) found that estimated BMP costs in the Midwest could amount to more than half of the net returns on national forest timber sales. Henly et al. (1988) found that government costs to implement forest practice rules ranged from as little as $100,000 per year in Idaho and Nevada to more than $4 million annually in California. A review of studies in the South indicates that estimated BMP costs have increased over time. Lickwar et al. (1992) estimated Southeast average costs of $12.45 per acre, $2.34 per MBF, or 2.87% of gross stumpage values based on 1987 BMPs and prices. Woodman and Cubbage (1994) estimated Georgia average BMP costs of $24.33 per acre or $3.02 per MBF for forest industry lands and $41.65 per acre or $5.39 per MBF for NIPF lands. For Virginia, Shaffer et al. (1998) estimated median BMP costs of $18.90 per acre. These moderate cost increases could be attributed to a higher level of standards in the revision of each state BMP guidelines manual, as well as moderate price inflation. BMPs such as better road construction, water bars, culverts, and broad-based dips have been most expensive so far. To date streamside zones have not been very expensive because the rules allow most of the valuable residual tees to be harvested as long as heavy equipment does not operate near the streams. However, this limitation may become much more difficult and costly – as indicated by Kluender et al. (2000) – as fewer chainsaw fellers and cable skidders are available. Stricter BMPs, such as those already adopted to implement forest certification standards in the South or those used to protect salmon habitat in the West, could prompt more expensive southern BMPs for landowners and state agencies in the future.     

Effect of forest harvesting best management practices on coarse woody debris distribution in stream and riparian zones in three Appalachian watersheds

The distribution of coarse woody debris (CWD) was analyzed in three Appalachian watersheds in eastern Kentucky, eighteen years after harvest. The three watersheds included an unharvested control (Control), a second watershed with best management practices (BMPs) applied that included a 15.2 m unharvested zone near the stream (BMP watershed), and a third watershed that was harvested without strict BMPs with harvesting occurring up to the stream edge and slash left within the stream and riparian zones (No BMP watershed). We assessed the CWD occurring both within the riparian zone and stream in the three watersheds. Within both stream and riparian zones, the BMP and No BMP watersheds contained more CWD biomass than in the Control, however, the No BMP watershed CWD was in a more advanced state of decay than in either the BMP or Control watersheds. Nitrogen content in CWD was also greater in the No BMP watershed because of the more advanced state of the decay. The CWD present in the Control is the result of natural forest processes such as death and self-pruning. The CWD in the No BMP watershed is a result of the slash left behind after the harvest since little opportunity exists for new recruitment of CWD from the surrounding area. From our decay class data, it is apparent that at least some of the CWD in the BMP watershed has occurred since harvest, and, based on our biomass data, at a much greater rate of recruitment than in the Control watershed. We hypothesize that the harvest outside of the riparian zone in the BMP watershed may have led to greater windthrow and/or slumping than in the Control watershed. As such, our data suggest that riparian zones of 15.2 m may not be effective in maintaining the short-term integrity of the CWD pool within steep gradient Appalachian systems.     

Forestry best management practices for timber harvesting and site preparation in the eastern United States: An overview of water quality and productivity research during the past 20 years (1982–2002)

Forestry Best Management Practices (BMPs) were developed to protect water quality. In the eastern US, those BMPs were often expanded to include maintenance of site productivity. Generally, BMPs recommend the use of pre-harvest planning and careful design for construction of roads and other activities that expose bare soil, minimizing trafficking and areas of bare soil, maintaining streamside management zones, ensuring rapid revegetation following harvesting, minimizing soil disturbance, and ameliorating severe trafficking with site preparation. This review of peer-reviewed research from the past 20 years examined the effects of forest harvesting and site preparation on water quality and site productivity in the eastern US. The review was subdivided into areas having relatively similar physiography and land management (New England, Lake States, Appalachian Plateau, Ridge and Valley, Blue Ridge, Piedmont, Atlantic Coastal Plain, Gulf Coastal Plain, and Ouachitas-Ozarks). In general, data from steeper physiographic regions indicated that forest harvesting and site preparation can increase erosion, sediment and nutrient losses to streams. However, the quantities introduced into streams tended to be relatively low, generally below the values that are considered acceptable for alternative land uses. Also most research indicated that water quality recovers within two to five years following forest operation disturbances, particularly if BMPs are employed. Research from the less mountainous and often more poorly drained Lake States and Coastal Plain regions indicated that soil compaction and rutting may or may not cause site productivity effects, depending on soil types, natural ameliorative properties and site preparation. Overall, the research supports the forestry BMPs recommended in the eastern states.     

An assessment of Mississippi's nonindustrial private forest landowners knowledge of forestry BMP's

This study examined the knowledge levels of Mississippi Non Industrial Private Forest (NIPF) landowners. Data were collected by passing out surveys to participants in Best Management Practices (BMP) educational programs held in conjunction with County Forestry Association (CFA) meetings across Mississippi. Ten CFA's participated in this study. Educational program participants were asked to fill out a survey with several demographic and BMP questions prior to the educational program. Results show that BMP program participants owned an average of 113 hectares, whereas the average Mississippi NIPF landowner owns 20 hectares. Responses to BMP related questions show that Mississippi NIPF landowners have a low level of knowledge concerning BMP's. This situation is likely similar to other states in the Southeastern United States. It can be assumed that county forestry association members are more active and informed about managing their forest land. Therefore, these results may overestimate the BMP knowledge level all landowners in Mississippi.Improved educational programs for NIPF landowners, along with better communication between foresters, loggers, and NIPF landowners are needed if BMP's are to be implemented effectively in Mississippi and across the southern region.     

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

Bioassessment is a useful tool to determine the impact of logging practices on the biological integrity of streams and wetlands. Measuring biota directly has an intuitive appeal for impact assessment, and biota can be superior indicators to physical or chemical characteristics because they can reflect cumulative impacts over time. Logging can affect stream and wetland biota by increasing sedimentation rates, altering hydrologic, thermal, and chemical regimes, and changing the base of food webs. Biotic impacts of logging on streams compared to wetlands probably differ, and in this paper we review some of those differences. In streams, invertebrates, fishes, amphibians, algae, and macrophytes have been used as indicators of logging impacts. In wetlands, bioassessment is just beginning to be used, and plants and birds are the most promising indicator taxa. Various best management practices (BMPs) have been developed to reduce the impacts of logging on stream and wetland biota, and we review quantitative studies that have evaluated the efficacy of some of these techniques in streams and wetlands in the eastern United States. Remarkably few studies that address the overall efficacy of BMPs in limiting biotic changes in streams and wetlands after BMP implementation have been published in scientific journals, although some work exists in reports or is unpublished. We review these works, and compile conclusions about BMP efficacy for biota from this body of research.     

浅谈我国火电厂水务管理——技术创新化,管理现代化

通过对国内外火电厂用水指标的对照比较,指出我国火电厂水务管理中存在的主要问题.从水务管理技术创新和水务管理的科学化、现代化两个方面进行了分析与讨论,重点介绍了火电厂膜法水处理技术的优势所在,以提高我国火电厂水务管理的整体水平,促进电力工业和环境保护的持续发展.     

Programs assessing implementation and effectiveness of state forest practice rules and BMPs in the West

The major forest nonpoint source control programs in the West are largely regulatory, either under forest practices acts (California, Idaho, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington) or a streamside management act (Montana). These programs and the specific rules they enforce continue to undergo intensive scrutiny. Still, the questions are the same for these regulatory programs as for states that base nonpoint source control on voluntary BMPs (Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming). Are the rules or BMPs being applied, and are they effective in reducing nonpoint source pollution to levels that protect beneficial uses of water? The level of debate about forestry in the West has resulted in detailed monitoring and research to answer these questions. In the past, state agencies have assumed levels of BMP compliance based on the percent of operations without enforcement actions. These estimates are being replaced by statistically valid and reproducible monitoring of forest practices rules and BMP compliance levels. BMP effectiveness is being assessed using both qualitative and quantitative methods. This can involve field assessments, process-based research, and control watershed studies. Some trend monitoring is also beginning. With the regional implementation rate for forestry BMPs at about 94% and rising, it is likely that effectiveness testing will continue to be a priority and consume the majority of assessment resources for this region.     

Encouraging the application of sustainable timber harvesting practices: A review of policy tool use and effectiveness in the eastern United States

States use a variety of approaches to encourage landowners and loggers to apply ecologically-sustainable timber harvesting practices, the latter generically referred to as timber harvesting guidelines. A survey of 37 state forestry agency administrators in the eastern U.S. (defined as a contiguous region with the northwest and southwest borders being North Dakota and Texas, respectively) was conducted in 2000 to assess the extent and nature of state guideline programs and the various methods by which states encourage their use. The study found states in the eastern U.S. use a variety of policy tools to promote guideline use, with certain policy tools more common for certain target audiences (e.g., loggers) as well as the types of resources (e.g., wildlife habitat) addressed by the guidelines. Eighty-three percent of the programs directed at encouraging forest landowners in the eastern U.S. to use the timber harvesting practices identified in their state guidebooks are technical assistance, educational, or cost-share programs. Technical assistance and education programs are the most common policy tools used to assist loggers in applying sustainable harvesting practices. Technical assistance and cost-share programs consistently rank among the most effective policy tools for encouraging loggers and landowners to apply the guidelines. Comparing the level of program investment to perceived benefits, assistance programs and education programs rank most efficient landowner programs, whereas premium prices for products and preferential access to contracts are the two most efficient programs directed at loggers. The paper concludes with an assessment of emerging trends and additional information needs associated with encouraging the application of sustainable timber harvesting practices.     

Evolution of solid waste management in Malaysia: impacts and implications of the solid waste bill, 2007

Solid waste generation and its implications for people and the environment are global issues. The complexity of the waste composition and the ever-increasing percapita waste generation is a challenge for waste managers, particularly in developing countries. Thus, the need to have a clear policy on waste management and legislation to realize that policy is imperative. Malaysia is developing rapidly and problems such as the waste generation associated with development and industrialization are evident. The Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Bill, which was approved in August 2007 after a 10-year delay, is envisaged to have serious consequences in waste management practices and implementation in Malaysia. This article explores the main features of this all-encompassing bill and its impacts on the waste management scenario in Malaysia. In addition, a comparative evaluation is also discussed to explore the policies/legislation of selected countries vis-àvis the Malaysian bill.