Streamside Management Zones Compromised by Stream Crossings,Legacy Gullies,and Over‐Harvest in the Piedmont

Streamside management zone (SMZ) breakthroughs were identified and characterized to determine frequency and potential causes, in order to provide enhanced guidance for future water quality protection. Ten kilometers of SMZs were carefully examined for partial or complete breakthroughs. With partial breakthroughs the SMZ trapped sediment before it reached the stream, while complete breakthroughs appeared to have allowed sediment to have passed through with minimal restriction. A total of 41 breakthroughs occurred (33 complete, 8 partial) across 16 sites, averaging 1 complete breakthrough per 0.3 km of SMZ length. The most common complete breakthroughs were caused by stream crossings (42%), reactivation of legacy agricultural gullies (27%), and harvest related soil disturbances near/within SMZs (24%). Pearson correlations of site characteristics at breakthroughs indicated no strong relationships between breakthrough sites, representing the variable nature of these unique circumstances. Stream crossings are an intentional breakthrough for access purposes, but resulting environmental impacts can be reduced with best management practice implementation. Current recommendations for SMZs tend to work in most situations, yet further research is needed to identify causal factors and quantify breakthrough severity.     

Lichen Conservation in Heavily Managed Boreal Forests

Lichens are an important component of the boreal forest, where they are long lived, tend to accumulate in older stands, and are a major food source for the threatened woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou). To be fully sustainable, silvicultural practices in the boreal forest must include the conservation of ecological integrity. Dominant forest management practices, however, have short‐term negative effects on lichen diversity, particularly the application of herbicides. To better understand the long‐term effects of forest management, we examined lichen regeneration in 35 mixed black spruce (Picea mariana) and jack pine (Pinus banksiana) forest stands across northern Ontario to determine recovery following logging and postharvest silvicultural practices. Our forest stands were 25–40 years old and had undergone 3 common sivilcultural treatments that included harvested and planted; harvested, planted, and treated with N‐[phosphonomethyl] glycine (glyphosate); and harvested, planted, and treated with 2,4‐dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4‐D). Forest stands with herbicide treatments had lower lichen biomass and higher beta and gamma diversity than planted stands that were not treated chemically or control stands. In northwestern Ontario, planted stands that were not treated chemically had significantly greater (p < 0.05) alpha diversity than stands treated with herbicides or control stands. Our results show that common silvicultural practices do not emulate natural disturbances caused by wildfires in the boreal forest for the lichen community. We suggest a reduction in the amount of chemical application be considered in areas where lichen biomass is likely to be high and where the recovery of woodland caribou is an objective. Conservación de Líquenes en Bosques Boreales Manejados Intensivamente     

“三北”地区沙棘种植地带划分与对策

中国“三北”地区不同生态气候地带,需要布设不同适宜性的沙棘品种,并严格按照适地适树的原则,因地制宜,方能达到预期的生态经济效果。“三北”沙棘种植地区,主要包括黄土高原南部半湿润森林草原气候生态经济型沙棘种植地带、黄土高原中部半干旱草原气候生态经济型沙棘种植地带、黄土高原北部干旱荒漠草原气候生态型沙棘种植地带、冀北辽西半干旱半湿润草原气候生态经济型沙棘种植地带、东北北部冷湿草原气候经济型沙棘种植地带(简称“五带”)。每一地带基本上都有各自适宜的自然种源区及良种繁育中心(基地、站、点)。沙棘“五带”种植地带划分方案的实质,是防止引种工作中的一窝蜂现象,实现科学规划,精心种植。在保证沙棘引种区域化的前提下,要注意培育沙棘优良品种、防止病虫害蔓延和通过产品打入国际市场来拉动国内沙棘种植的步伐。     

HARVEST INFLUENCES ON FLOODWATER PROPERTIES IN A FORESTED FLOODPLAIN1

ABSTRACT: Floodplain forests directly influence water quality by serving as sinks, sources, or transformers of nutrients. Increases in the demand for timber raise the question of how silvicultural disturbance may affect this function. The objective of this research was to compare biogeochemical relationships between undisturbed vs. disturbed conditions in a floodplain forest. A randomized complete block design consisting of three blocks and two treatments (partial harvest and undisturbed) was installed on the Flint River floodplain, Georgia. The partial cut was conducted during September-October 1993. Automated water samplers were situated to sample during flood events as sheet flow entered and exited treatment plots during the 1994, 1995 and 1996 flood seasons. Prevs. post-contact comparisons indicated that the undisturbed floodplain has minimal influence on water chemistry at this scale of measurement. Although the partial harvest on an 8-ha scale had minimal effect upon sheetfiow water chemistry for three years following harvest, the data suggest that harvests may stimulate a minor increase in Ca and K sink activity.     

黄土高原沟壑区沙棘人工混交林改土效应研究

为了解沙棘人工混交林的改土效应,实验采用国家标准森林分析方法进行研究,结果表明:沙棘人工混交林增强了土壤稳定性,改善了土壤理化性质,具有良好的改土效应。土壤的水稳性团聚体比油松纯林提高了20.8%,而表征土壤团聚体稳定程度的破坏率却比油松纯林低40.76%;土壤容重和坚实度分别较油松林低5.9%和15.1%,孔隙度和通气度分别高12.16%和16.9%,持水量和含水量高13.6%和5.9%;有机质、全N、P2O5、速效P、速效K较油松纯林分别增长了10.5%、22.6%、20.2%、25.4%和12.6%;林内蛋白酶、蔗糖酶、过氧化氢酶、多酚氧化酶分别比纯林平均提高了17.5%、89.6%、2.9%、39.1%;沙棘-油松混交林改土效果优于沙棘-侧柏混交林;随着林龄增加,改土效果越佳。     

保留带与造林带的小气候和水分比较研究

比较分析了保留带与造林带的小气候和水分效应结果显示：①保留带的日均温比造林带低0．6～2．6℃，每天13：00时两带温差最大；保留带的月均温比造林带低0．5～2．2℃，两带6～8月的月均温差最大．②保留带的日均温度比造林带高10～15％，每天13：00时两带湿度相差最大；保留带的月均湿度比造林带高8．3～15．5％，两带6～8月的月均湿度相差最大．③造林带的光明强度是保留带的30～50倍，是未砍带的43～58倍．保留带和造林带不同位点的光照强度随一天中时刻的变化而发生更替．④保留带灌丛对降雨的拦截率为22．61％～64．15％．⑤保留带与造林带和未砍带土壤的自然含水率差异主要出现在0～10cm的表土层，且雨季的差异大十旱季的差异在雨季，保留带土壤的含水宰大于造林带的含水率，在旱季则相反．     

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.