Forests have long been recognized as important sources of clean and abundant water. State and national forests were created early in this century to restore forest cover on seriously eroded lands, control annual flooding and improve the quantity and quality of water available for a rapidly growing nation. While water quality is an important benefit, traditional forest management has focused on the production of wood products. Increasing demands for wood and paper products has resulted in a corresponding increase in human intervention in natural forest processes and creates the potential for increased soil erosion. Best Management Practices (BMP’s) are management techniques used during timber harvest in order to minimize adverse impacts on forest processes and maintain water quality.
Many forest activities have the potential to impact soil and water resources. Fertilization, pest control and tree planting involve the application of organic and inorganic materials to the forest; woodland grazing results in soil erosion; and off-road vehicle use produces eroded and deeply rutted trails. However, the management activity that has the potential to cause the greatest impact on water quality is timber harvesting.
The removal of trees requires access by heavy equipment that disturbs the porous layer of organic material on the soil surface which normally intercepts, filters, and slowly releases precipitation. It is the construction and use of roads and trails that are the chief cause of forest soil erosion, not the removal of the tree canopy itself. The exposed mineral soil is readily displaced by rainfall, and can move directly to the watercourse thereby impacting water quality. As much as 800 tons of soil can be lost per acre of skid road from erosion, as compared to 100-200 pounds per acre in undisturbed woodland. A properly developed road and trail system can minimize the amount of exposed, highly erodible soil.
An effective approach to protecting soil and water resources has been the development of Best management practices (BMP’s). These practices are scientifically based, and encompass a set of planning and operational techniques used by foresters during silvicultural activities. An important consideration in the application of BMP’s is that streams are critical components of the forest ecosystem and the broader landscape; they must be protected. This protection is accomplished by planning the location and number of roads in order to reduce the transport of sediment to streams. The key design elements are locating the roads away from stream, minimizing stream crossings and providing for frequent water drainage.
Filter Strips are areas of undisturbed forest soil located adjacent to streams where road building is restricted. These areas trap sediment laden water from roads and trails and allow it to filter slowly into the soil.
Trees can be harvested with the filter strip as long as soil disturbance is minimized. In some special cases, tree cover is maintained for aesthetic purposes or to stabilize water temperature.
Most soil loss from harvesting occurs at stream crossings; places where truck roads or logging trails must cross the watercourse. Selecting the right place to cross and using management tools such as culverts, stone, and even bridges protect these sensitive areas. Keeping road grades moderate and changing grade frequently slow and divert runoff water and prevent it from entering the stream system.
When the harvest is completed, additional protective measures are used to preserve soil and water quality. Water bars are constructed with a crawler tractor to divert water off of the roads and onto undisturbed soil. The roads and decks are graded, seeded, and mulched. Access is then limited by constructing earthen mounds, brush piles, or gates.
As part of the Ohio Silvicultural Non Point Source Pollution Management Program, professional foresters from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry, educational institutions, and private industry, along with loggers and landowners, have developed a BMP Handbook. This handbook is a concise, technical guide for use in the field to plan and implement BMP’s. Several hundred loggers, foresters and landowners have participated in BMP training, using the handbook as the training manual. A noteworthy achievement of the BMP program has been the voluntary implementation of the practices by Ohio’s forest industry in response to the need for better soil and water conservation.
The Ohio Agricultural Pollution Abatement Law specifies water quality standards to be achieved during silvicultural activities, and delegates assessment of compliance and enforcement of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Soil and Water Conservation. Currently, any citizen can file a written compliant regarding the conduct of a silvicultural operation in relation to water quality issues. This complaint initiates a review by the local Soil and Water Conservation District. A field visit is made to assess compliance, and management recommendations are made to bring the job into compliance as required. Many professional foresters and logging companies now stipulate BMP’s as a part of the timber harvest contract.
A training and certification program for timber harvesting has been developed with the cooperation of the Ohio Forestry Association, Division of Forestry, and the forest industry. In order to expand the professional capabilities of field personnel involved in forest management and to safeguard forest resources, a voluntary training program which includes course work in BMP’s, harvesting safety, and first-aid has been delivered to over a thousand forest workers since 1991. Completion of the course work and recommendations by the Logging Standards Council of the Ohio Forestry Association makes individuals eligible for recognition as an Ohio Certified Logger.
The widespread application of BMP’s on forest land depends in large part on a partnership between landowners, foresters and loggers. The professionally trained foresters of Ohio must continue to inform landowners of the necessity of BMP’s in order to conserve soil and water resources, while at the same time working with loggers who must actually install the practices in the forest. Because much of the timber sold in Ohio is done so without the involvement of a forester, loggers must also work with landowners to promote the use of BMP’s. Landowners are ultimately responsible for the resources on their land. They need to stipulate the use of BMP’s in timber sale contracts and be willing to compensate the logger for the expense incurred when BMP’s are used to protect important forest resources.
The voluntary implementation of best management practices and sound forest management techniques has been in place since 1991. This approach has been widely accepted and implemented by the parties most directly affected: landowners, loggers and forester. Continued emphasis by foresters, application by loggers, and interest by landowners is required, however, in order for this approach to achieve the desired level of soils water protection. The Ohio Forestry Association is currently developing a re-certification training program to update training to reflect current forest management philosophies and prescriptions. Mandatory programs, while accomplishing the same protection, are much more expensive to taxpayers in the long run and less responsive to change.
Best management practices represent much more than clean water. They encourage and embrace land stewardship. With the involvement of professionally trained foresters, Ohio’s forest resource will continue to be thoughtfully managed in order to provide social, ecological, and economic benefits to the citizens of Ohio.
Peter R Woyar
Forestry Instructor
Hocking College
Nelsonville, Ohio
Chris Janney
Wood Procurement Manager
Mead Corporation
Chillicothe, Ohio
Eric R. Norland
Assistant Professor and State Extension Specialist,
Natural Resources
The Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio