Using Best Management Practice Monitoring as a Measure of Forest Resource Sustainability

Jeffery L. Vowell (Presenter), Florida Division of Forestry

           

Best Management Practice (BMP) monitoring was conducted to determine compliance levels, and to evaluate the effectiveness of Florida’s BMPs during intensive forestry operations.  Compliance monitoring sites were randomly selected and evaluated for BMP implementation.  Compliance for 199 individual sites ranged from 57% to 100% and averaged 96%.  Effectiveness monitoring sites were selected in major eco-regions and in association with a stream adjacent to intensive silviculture.  A stream bioassessment was conducted at each site before silviculture treatments, to determine a pre-treatment Stream Condition Index (SCI).  Sampling for the bioassessment was conducted at points along each stream, above and below the treatment area, to establish reference and test conditions. Treatments of clearcut harvesting, intensive mechanical site preparation, machine planting, and chemical applications were then completed at each site during which all applicable BMPs were adhered to.  Post-treatment bioassessments were conducted following the treatments, and the sites were re-sampled at the same points.  No significant differences in SCI values were observed between the reference and test portions of the streams that could be attributed to the treatments using BMPs.  The monitoring results showed that BMP compliance was generally high, and that BMPs were effective in sustaining forest water resource values.

Workshop VII: Aquatic Ecosystems

Online presentation

Sustaining
Southern
Forests

a conference sponsored by the Southern Forest Resource Assessment