Forests and Water Solutions to Future Problems in Pennsylvania

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Forests and WaterSolutions to Future Problems in
Pennsylvania

• Dr. David R. DeWalle
• Professor of Forest Hydrology
• School of Forest Resources
• Penn State
• Presentation at Seventh Goddard Forum
• Pennsylvanias Third Forest
• January 29-30, 2007
• Penn State

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Issues and Potential Solutions

• Loss of Forested Land Due to Development
• Conservation of Forest Buffer Zones
• Monitoring of Forest Land Hydrology

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Changes in Land Use in Sub-Basins of the
Delaware River Watershed1992-2001/2
Source Andrew Homsey, Instit. Public Admin.,
Water Resources Agency, Univ. Delaware
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Loss of Forest Land

• Are we protecting ag lands so effectively that we
  are forcing development onto forest lands?
• Identify forested areas and watersheds within
  counties of highest watershed value for
  protection of instream and downstream water uses.
• Provide incentive programs to preserve and keep
  such lands in forest land uses conservation
  easements or tax reductions
• Allow timber harvesting but with review of
  management plans following DCNR guidelines
• Extend protection to significant riparian forest
  areas that already exist

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Low Impact Development being used to control
stormwater from land development in many
parts of the US
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Low Impact Forest Development (LIFD)

• Take LID concepts and adapt to development of
  entirely forested watersheds
• Require that no changes can occur in either high
  and low flows or water quality after development
  rather than focus on just peak flows and water
  flow rates
• Require consideration of downstream impacts of
  the collective effects of all developments on a
  watershed

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Forested Buffer Zones Form and Function?
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Conservation of Forest Buffers

• Promote existing state and federal programs to
  create new forested buffers with financial
  assistance to landowners
• Allow forest management and grazing within
  buffers where appropriate, but fence streams
• Consider requirement of buffer establishment in
  critical zones with high instream or downstream
  water values
• Promote research on the establishment, function,
  and management of forested buffers to resolve
  unanswered questions.
• Periodically evaluate status of stream miles with
  forest buffers using GIS by major watersheds

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Stream Monitoring
Atmospheric deposition, Hg Insect and disease
outbreaks Fire Climate change
Baldwin Creek in SW PA
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Forest Specific Monitoring

• Existing flow and water quality monitoring
  (largely USGS) is generally focused on larger
  watersheds and mixed land uses without a specific
  focus on forest land.
• Need a system of monitoring stations on forested
  watersheds across state to assess long-term
  trends in health of watersheds. Follow example of
  PA DEP deposition monitoring sites across state.
• Continuous flow measurement and at least monthly
  water quality sampling would be needed.
• Watersheds in each of the major watershed
  planning regions in PA are recommended.