Clearcuts and Stream Temperature Why we need a new rule

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Clearcuts and Stream Temperature Why we need a
new rule

• A presentation by CWP, RRRAUL and GRIN
• What effects does clearcutting have? CDF
  management says it mitigates all cumulative
  effects away. These pictures will show sediment,
  upslope biodiversity, and temperature effects of
  clearcutting. Are all these mitigated away?

Are there EVER any Cumulative Impacts? What about
microclimates?
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Microclimate is the climate of the lower two
meters of the atmosphere and the upper 0.5 to 1
meter of the soil. Vegetation has considerable
influence on microclimate. Other important
considerations are aspect (compass direction) and
inclination. A microclimate typically extends
over meters to hectometers. Typically,
microclimate temperatures are measured at 1.5
meters and/or at 0.5 meters above the ground,
humidity is measured at 0.5 meters above the
ground, and wind speed is determined at 1-2
meters above the ground. Microclimate
considerations are important for studies of
vegetation ecology and population dynamics of
plants and animals. (Source Stoutjesdijk, Ph.
and J. J. Barkman, 1992, Microclimate, Vegetation
and Fauna, Opulus Press AB, Knivsta, Sweden)
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It is felt that these levels of harvesting will
not create significant adverse cumulative impacts
to these watersheds.
Quotes from the planning document
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Volcanoes in California?
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Silt March, 2003
This is improvement?
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"The NCWQCB was consulted as to the data behind
the 303d listing, but it is apparent that at the
time the listing was made data proving there were
significant impacts did not exist... It is not
clear that aggradation does exist" 1-02-174 SON,
Huckleberry THP, 2002
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""After having studied the information that is
available a conclusion can be made that the 303d
listing for the Gualala River was not based on
scientific evidence that the river is actually
impaired for sediment. The 303d listing was
largely based on anecdotal evidence such as 'the
swimsming hole by the big blue rock is no longer
there.'" 1-02-174 SON, Huckleberry THP, 2002
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"...the FPRs, including their implementation
('the THP process') do not ensure protection of
anadromous salmonid populations.
The primary deficiency is the lack of a watershed
analysis capable of assessing cumulative
effects." (SRP, 1999).
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FPRs 300 feet separation all directions until
report of stocking.
300 feet ???
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CLEARCUT ADJACENCY RULE (913.1 33.1 53.1) With
the existing rule, there is a colloquial saying ,
4 makes 3 go away," that is 913. 4 makes 913.3
inoperable. The effect of that is that a
clearcut unit may be butted up against another as
soon as the trees in the first unit are five feet
tall OR five years old. And the effect of THAT
(including other provisions of that rule re
separation etc.,) is that hill slopes above
rivers and creeks may be peppered with blocks,
with trees anywhere from zero to five years old .
Trees moderate air flow and air temperature--but
not much when five feet tall, or smaller, and
none when clearcut.
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Science now tells us that AIR temperature is the
single most influential element governing WATER
temperature. We cannot influence sun spots and
major climate events and conditions, so it
behooves us to work doubly hard at controlling
those elements over which we do have control. So
I am proposing a rule that would substitute 25
years for 5 years of age for the trees in the
clearcut blocks, and 25 feet for 5 feet tall,
before a unit within 300 feet in any direction
may be harvested using the clearcut or other
even-aged regeneration method. In addition to
cooling air temperature, so vital for amphibians
and the water temperature for threatened and
endangered fish, this rule would reduce erosion
and slow down habitat loss. -- Helen Libeu
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Bartholow (1989).
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Factors That Influence Water Temperature
California's Forest Practice Rules recognize the
need to maintain riparian trees in order to
provide direct shade and prevent elevation of
water temperature. Bartholow (1989), however,
found that air temperature above the stream
surface was the greatest factor in increasing
water temperatures followed in importance by
relative humidity and shade, respectively (see
graph below). Bartholow's (1989) work was based
on field data from hundreds of locations
throughout the West used to develop the SNTEMP
stream temperature model. While many previous
works considered direct solar radiation to be the
dominant mechanism for warming streams (Brown,
1980 as cited in Spence et al., 1998), most of
the recent scientific literature considers air
temperature over the stream to be the most
influential factor . Poole and Berman (1999) also
recognize the relationship between increasing air
flow over the stream and water temperature
elevation . Brosofske et al (1997) found that
upslope soil temperatures were also a predictor
of water temperature. Source Kris Gualala
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The following is an excerpt from the introduction
to Essig (1998), The Dilemma of Applying Uniform
Temperature Criteria in a Diverse Environment An
Issue Analysis "Bartholow (1989) describes the
physical factors affecting stream temperatures as
used in the Instream Water Temperature Model
(SNTEMP) (Theurer and others 1984), and reports
the results of a sensitivity analysis of the
SNTEMP. When predicting mean daily water
temperature, air temperature is the most
sensitive input variable. Relative humidity is
the next most sensitive input variable,
accounting for less than half as much change in
stream temperature. Percent shade follows a close
third to relative humidity. When predicting
maximum daily water temperature, air temperature
is just as important, but percent shade, which
affects diurnal range, overtakes relative
humidity as the second most sensitive variable.
For both measures, stream flow is the fourth most
sensitive variable and 'water temperature is very
sensitive to changes in air temperature when
stream flow is low'."
Source Kris Gualala
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Who we are

• Helen Libeu and CWP Citizens for Watershed
  Protection
• GRIN Gualala River Improvement
  Networkhttp//www.gualala.net
• RRRAUL Russian River Residents Against Unsafe
  Logginghttp//www.rrraul.org