Pacific Southwest Research Station
FORES S~wvrc~,
U.S. DEPARTMENT
OF AGR~CULTUW
Caspar Creek Experiments Watersheds
backs Ieadiw dawn ta~lthe North Fark of
Cjrasps Creak, Smai% h m broad, munded
fidgetow, the rmtE desmn& slow s&ap wliey
wlika to an incised stream go%@deep within a
m h w d kres*
smndad, now repiam e&eioaed $a@ts#
whose @ o s e s u m p smnd a klf m s y h e
and up m 10 feat (3 meters) across. Only in
From Scienc-I...
Major Themes
Caspt C ~ e Experimnml
k
W a ~ ~ s h ~ and
d aher aspa?iced m e m h & &at
and downstmam
Temperate, rain-dominated forests are
important sources of both water and wmd,
and they respond to forest management in
ways that cannot be predicted from studies
in other environments.
Cumulative watershed effects are pmny
understood, yet they cause most of the
downstream impacts from fa
management activities.
Research Results
Clearcuts, flooding, a
increased streamflow by decreasing rainfall
interception and transpiration, and Tnc
streamflow increased gully erosion.
Legacy effects: The effects t
from earlier logging increased the sensitivity
of watersheds to modern I
Recovery times: Increased sediment h&
took longer to recover
the increased streamffow that m w d
erosion because sediment saumes, an
triggered, take decades IDheal.
Woody debris, sediment stQm
stream habitat: Woody debris
by a windstorm improved salmon hiab
storing more spawning gravel and c
deep pools.
,
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~:$.,y:,
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mw
was designed to m e s m the
of
whdan
wmnt of &e dmbr W J ~ B
mmawd b
a
n &rn@om &e
didm, Mnarnw*
. Monfmrtng -darn
ries recod flow ww
One
pemnt
80 prcem
ofth
iinK~ffncmw In s r a m a;a;dlmam,while
Incmm. Incmms in peak S @ W ~ O Wdue
to bwt mnapy loss and mtemh;hadsoil
cornpction wem dewmd dudag aaumn
mms, and m
k flaws peaked WOS~~BF
!*a,
led pjr% @writ-f calhm of =me
i * m .
A Convemtion with TO^ usle
Q Haw da t%qw Creek 6tudiw bidp fie#$
eadil!m;a& wmwkdve
~Recpzc~adplaaieflmtt
CmulFative @REG&h v e
for fbr~st
m g e n , mguhtum,
TO Manaig,ement
,
Lam-scale, long-term studies: Caspar Creek stu*
~esoltsare widely qquted because they provide
information at a scale relevant to today's concemz
I/
Cumulative watershed effects: Management
activities can be more easily planned to improve
forest health and maintain public safety if the
muses of cumulative impacts are understood.
yet: t h q aftbe hard m
Me for Caramjab North
1
Managing increased peakflows: By understanding
hav loggjng affects peak streamflows, foresters cdy. i;
plan management to help avoid downstream
:
,
,,',ic~:i:~Y~f~&,~b;.;$
p
,''ii'bd$
knpa~tsfrom flooding.
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'I
fl th%
If*
6
6
,a
3$$6ji
$;
Water quality monitoring: The automated ;!ij6$pb
monitorin$ methods developed at Caspar Creek
are now being used waely by forest managers.
msarchers, and reguhtory agencies.
1'
, , 1 /,,
ift~actiom:physical and M O Wproces$&aff&#
C~
,$ d ? ~ , $ > ~
&ch a&&r,and both bust be understood if we #$~JJ
ta undernand how w@r&ds are influenced by ::'zj
Fisheries mtoration: Farests can be ma&igdd tb"'
a
pmtmt and restare fish habitat by influehdpg
/ '
mnoR sediment, and woody debris.
,
M w : New fwmt mwfhm ckascut blocks h NO&
Fork B#/
>
W G r aFk
m&swnd hovv I
m~tkes;
the ~
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Science Team Profile
Thomas E. Lisle, Pk,
170
' 0 Bayview Drive
Arcata, CA 9552f-6013
Phone: 707-825-2930
e-mail: tIisl&fs.fed, us
WW. f'.fed,ttsIp5;w/
The science team bas
19893 and Rokst
were team leadem
I
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0
0.6
1 1 . 5
2
What's Next?
&me& R.R, ;Wi3;Ellr?$, RE,;DaMm, TR.:H&ak, 8,,
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fin-147,