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Contributions of Studies on Experimental Forests to Hydrology and Watershed Management

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USDA Forest Service Experimental Forests and Ranges

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Abstract

The link between healthy forests and watersheds and healthy streamflow and quality water is universally recognized. The major rivers of the USA originate in the forested mountains of the western and eastern USA and the glaciated regions of the Lake States and Great Plains and produce almost two-thirds of the nation’s clean water supply. Original logging and mismanagement of upstream forested watersheds often resulted in degradation of land and water resources and adversely impacted aquatic and human populations. During the 30-year period, between the 1930s and 1960s, experimental forests, ranges, and watersheds were established on national forests and adjacent lands to study the impacts of land conditions on water yield, stormflow, water quality, and nutrient cycling. While the impact of sustained timber production was an original research focus, current efforts include research on nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, climate change, fire effects, and the impacts of insects and diseases. The experimental forest network of long-term meteorological and biological records is invaluable for evaluations of potential climate change and its consequences on the forests and water resources. This chapter reviews hydrology and watershed management research at a sample of experimental forests and areas from throughout the USA. The chapter includes studies conducted in the forests near the Fort Valley Experimental Forest and on the Sierra Ancha Experimental Forest in Arizona, on the Fraser Experimental Forest in Colorado, and the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest in Oregon. In the East, research at the Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory in North Carolina, the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire, and the Marcell Experimental Forest in Minnesota is reviewed.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, 2324 East McDowell Rd., 85006-2496, Phoenix, AZ, USA

    Gerald J. Gottfried

  2. School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Peter F. Ffolliott

  3. Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA

    Kenneth N. Brooks

  4. Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, 1831 Hwy 169 East, 55744, Grand Rapids, MN, USA

    Randall K. Kolka

  5. Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, 333 Broadway Boulevard Southeast, 87102, Albuquerque, NM, USA

    Carol B. Raish

  6. Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, 2500 South Pine Knoll Drive, 86001, Flagstaff, AZ, USA

    Daniel G. Neary

Authors
  1. Gerald J. Gottfried
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  2. Peter F. Ffolliott
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  3. Kenneth N. Brooks
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  4. Randall K. Kolka
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  5. Carol B. Raish
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  6. Daniel G. Neary
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gerald J. Gottfried .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. USDA Forest Service, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Deborah C. Hayes

  2. Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Irvine, Pennsylvania, USA

    Susan L. Stout

  3. Northeastern Areas, USDA Forest Service, Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, USA

    Ralph H. Crawford

  4. USDA Forest Service, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Anne P. Hoover

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Gottfried, G., Ffolliott, P., Brooks, K., Kolka, R., Raish, C., Neary, D. (2014). Contributions of Studies on Experimental Forests to Hydrology and Watershed Management. In: Hayes, D., Stout, S., Crawford, R., Hoover, A. (eds) USDA Forest Service Experimental Forests and Ranges. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1818-4_14

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