Watersheds Research Cooperative Newsletter

January 2009

Assessing the Response of Streams to Contemporary Forest Practices: A Conference on Paired Watershed Studies

The Watersheds Research Cooperative sponsored a regional conference on paired watershed studies on October 13 & 14, 2008. The conference was co-sponsored by the Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI) and the Department of Forest Engineering, Resources, and Management (FERM) of the College of Forestry at Oregon State University. Approximately 150 participants gathered to listen to the 22 presentations over the two-day conference held at the CH2MHill Alumni Center on the OSU campus.

The motivation for the conference was to hold a forum where the preliminary, post-treatment results from the first harvest entry in Hinkle Creek could be communicated to the cooperators as a body of work. The research results from Hinkle Creek were augmented with six synthesis talks on the state-of-the-knowledge regarding the environmental impacts of forest practices. There were additional presentations made on research directions for the Trask Paired Watershed Study, research approaches that synthesize results across all three of the WRC paired watershed studies, and approaches to watershed research outside of the WRC studies.

The keynote speaker for the conference was Dr. George Brown, Dean Emeritus for the College of Forestry, who addressed the role of long term paired watershed studies in forest watershed management research and policy. The state-of-the-knowledge synthesis presentations were given by; Sherri Johnson on stream temperature, George Ice on watershed hydrology, Jim Hall on fish, Jana Compton on stream chemistry, and Dede Olson on forest amphibians.

The preliminary results from the first harvest entry at Hinkle Creek were presented by; Arne Skaugset on stream temperature, Nic Zegre on watershed hydrology, Kermit Cromack on stream chemistry, Bob Gresswell on fish, Mike Adams on amphibians, and Bill Gerth on aquatic invertebrates. The preliminary results from two studies that synthesize research results from across the three watershed studies were given by Tyler Bax and Judy Li. Two research projects from the Trask watershed study with either a unique research topic or a different approach were presented by Linda Ashkenas on primary productivity in streams and Jason Dunham on fish. Mike Newton presented the preliminary results from his study on stream temperature and alternative strategies for buffer strips.

Jeremy Groom presented preliminary results from the Oregon Department of Forestry’s study on buffer strips and stream temperature (the RipStream study). Nicholas Som presented preliminary results from his work investigating different sampling schemes in stream networks. Bob Bilby presented preliminary findings from the Washington Intensively Monitored Watershed Study on the response of fish to stream enhancement. Pete Bisson reported results from the Riparian Ecosystem Management Study (REMS) in Washington and the environmental response to forest practices in headwater streams.
There are three products available from this conference. The first product is the conference workbook that was given to the participants of the conference. It consists of the program for the conference, a set of extended abstracts that describe the presentations, and a list of the cooperators of the WRC. This booklet is available as a pdf. The second product is the PowerPoint presentations for all of the speakers that used that format for their presentation. These presentations are also available as a pdf . Finally, you are encouraged to peruse the PowerPoint presentations and the accompanying extended abstracts. If you would desire further information for any aspect of a study or presentation, you are encouraged to contact the individual speaker. A list of speakers with their contact information is also available as a pdf.

Dr. Nicolas P. Zegre successfully defended his dissertation “Local and Downstream Effects of Contemporary Forest Harvesting on Streamflow and Sediment Yield” on November 19, 2008. Nic investigated the impact of timber harvest in the non-fish-bearing streams in the S. Fork Hinkle Creek on the hydrology and sediment yield of those watersheds. Nic was hired in 2003 as the Faculty Research Assistant for Hinkle Creek and was given the responsibility to get the flumes and stream gauging hardware installed and initiate data collection for the stream gauging installations. After investing six years with the Hinkle Creek Paired Watershed Study, Nic will move on to West Virginia University where he will begin the next stage of his career as an Assistant Professor of Forest Hydrology. To obtain a copy of the dissertation click on the title and to obtain a copy of the defense presentation, click here.

Heidi Vogel-Andersen successfully defended her thesis “Transferability of Models to Predict Selection of Cover by Coastal Cutthroat Trout in Small Streams in Western Oregon, USA” on November 7, 2008. Heidi investigated what coastal cutthroat trout use for cover in small, headwater watersheds in western Oregon and the degree that this information transferred across the three WRC paired watershed studies. Upon graduation, Heidi will go to work with the BLM on their AREMP (Aquatic and Riparian Effectiveness Monitoring Program) watershed monitoring program. To obtain a copy of the thesis click on the title and to obtain a copy of the defense presentation, click here.

If you wish to download all the documents referenced in this newsletter, click here (144mb).