| Research & Monitoring Projects |
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| Overview |
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All of the projects below were designed to determine, through scientifically valid study designs, if the Forest Practices Act and rules are effective at protecting natural resources and what the levels of compliance are on private forest land.
There is a monitoring program strategy that guides the overall monitoring program, as well as technical reports, executive summaries, and protocols for most of the projects.
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| Chemicals/Pesticides |
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Aerial Pesticide Application Monitoring
Aerial pesticide application was monitored during the fall of 1997 and the spring of 1999. The final report, which was published in March 2000, found that the Forest Practice Rules as currently written, are appropriate for protecting water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, and riparian vegetation.
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| Compliance Monitoring |
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Compliance and implementation monitoring ask the questions: Did we do what we said we would do? And: Did we comply with state laws? The objectives of compliance and implementation monitoring are to assess whether the activities or rules were carried out as intended. The following reports detail results of compliance monitoring studies. These studies evaluated whether laws, rules and strategies were complied with and whether voluntary measures were implemented.
Best Management Planning Compliance Monitoring Project (BMPCMP)
The Best Management Practices Compliance Monitoring Project (BMPCMP) was designed to identify the level of forest operations in compliance with the Forest Practice Rules. The results of the project will drive future rulemaking and revision processes.
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| Fish Passage/Stream Crossing |
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Juvenile Fish Passage/Stream Crossing
The Juvenile Fish Passage/Stream Crossing Project was designed to look at ways in which the Forest Practice Rules and guidance are being implemented at stream crossings. The goal of this project, as with all monitoring projects, is to determine if there is a need to clarify rules, provide more education and training, or if the rules and guidance are sufficient in protecting our natural resources.
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| Forest Roads |
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| Landslides |
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Landslides can contribute a significant amount of sediment to streams and can adversely affect fish habitat. Therefore, any widespread practice such as timber harvesting or road building that might alter the natural rate and natural magnitude of landslide occurrence is important from a forest management perspective.
Storm Impacts & Landslides of 1996
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| Oregon Headwaters Research |
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Oregon Headwaters Research Cooperative (OHRC)
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| Oregon Plan |
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"Restoring our native fish populations and the aquatic systems that support them to productive and sustainable levels that will provide substantial environmental, cultural, and economic benefits."
This is the mission of the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds, an initiative all Oregonians can join to help restore healthy watersheds that support the economy and quality of life of Oregon. Agriculture, forestry, recreation, fisheries, and industry all need healthy watersheds, along with every person and community in Oregon. The Plan has a strong focus on salmon because they have such great cultural, economic and recreational importance to Oregonians - and because they are important indicators of watershed health. (more...)
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| Riparian Function & Structure |
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Harvest Effects on Riparian Function & Structure
The purpose of the riparian function study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the 1994 Oregon Department of Forestry’s Forest Practices Stream Rules. The particular focus was on rules designed to address riparian forest stands along fish-bearing streams. The purpose of the vegetation retention rules is to maintain and promote desired future riparian stand conditions that will provide ample shade, an abundance of large wood to the channel, bank stability, snags, nutrient input and nutrient uptake. Under the 1994 stream rules, riparian stands can be managed to the extent that these goals can be met.
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| RipStream |
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Riparian Function and Stream Temperature (RipStream) Study
The objective of this study is to evaluate effectiveness of forest practices rules and State Forest management strategies in protecting stream temperature and promoting riparian structure that provides necessary functions for the protection of fish and wildlife habitat. The project is evaluating both privately and state-owned forestland. On privately owned forestland, riparian management areas are being managed under forest practice rules as described in the Forest Practices Act. On state-owned forestland, riparian management areas are being managed using riparian and aquatic strategies as described in the Northwest State Forests Management Plan. This project is evaluating stream temperature and riparian condition two years before and five years after harvesting. Field work began in 2002 and is expected to be completed by 2010.
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| Shade Quality |
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Shade Quality Study
DEQ has identified stream temperature as one of the water quality standards that is not being met for streams in both eastern and western Oregon. Furthermore, the Oregon Plan identifies the need for action plans that will support recovery of water quality. This Best Management Practices (BMP) monitoring project supports both DEQ concerns and goals in the Oregon Plan by focusing on the relationship between riparian stand characteristics and shade because of its link with stream temperature.
This project was implemented in basins within the north coast and northeastern regions of Oregon. Data were collected, with the help of a fish-eye lens, on both harvested stream reaches and those with no recent history of harvest. One goal of this project was to determine the range of shade levels provided over streams under varying forest management scenarios. A second goal was to investigate possible links between site and stand characteristics and shade.
- FPMP Technical Report #13 (pdf) - Shade Conditions Over Forested Streams in the Blue Mtn and Coast Range Georegions of Oregon, August 2001
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| Stream Temperature |
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The Forest Practices Monitoring Program has been collecting data on stream temperature since 1994. Since then our focus has narrowed to 11 sites, four basin level study sites and seven reach level study sites. This is a long-term monitoring project to best describe the overall trend in stream temperatures. The goal of this project is to determine if Forest Practices Rules are sufficient in keeping stream temperatures at or below an acceptable level.
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| Other References |
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