Laserfiche WebLink
water yield when stand harveat wae eimulated. We entered the greatest basal <br />area predicted for the first five decadee. <br />Area Cut - For IINIMPACTFD, we entered "zero". For IMPACTfiD, we entered 100 <br />acres. Because the intent was to estimate the unit water yield per acre <br />harvested, it was important that the entire stand be harvested. Fsntering a <br />value for AREA C[7T that is smaller than the stand AREA will reduce the <br />predicted water yield proportionately. <br />BA in Cut - For IINIMPACTfiD, we entered the same baeal area as in BA, aee <br />above. For INPACTFD, we entered zero. Entering a value greater than zero <br />allows the user to use the WRSNSS procedure to estimate the effects of partial <br />harvests. As discussed above, we used the method suggested by Troendle to <br />estimate the water yield of partial harvest based on the predicted water yield <br />of clearcuts. <br />Roughness Height - The model is insensitive to this, if Wind Speed is set to <br />zero as suggested. Default value is set to 1, we left it at that. <br />Windward Width - As discussed above, windward width of clearcut units affecta <br />snow deposition and snow scour. Because we manually adjusted precipitation is <br />adjusted as discussed above, windward width was set to zero to turn off the <br />models adjustment of precipitation. <br />Block Area - If, and only if, WINDWARD WIDTH is entered as zero, the program <br />takes the value entered into BLOCK AREA, assumes a rectangular opening and <br />calculates the length of one side. This value is automatically entered into <br />WINDWARD WIDTH. We set this to zero in order to turn off the models <br />adjustments to precipitation. <br />That ends input into the program. The result is a list of water yield increase <br />values. Three values were produced for every timber regime modeled by FVS, one <br />for each aspect (North, South, and East-West). The three values were reduced <br />to one by weighting them by the area occupied by a timber type on each aspect. <br />The result was a mean weighted unit water yield for clearcuts expressed in <br />terms of acre feet per acre harvested. Yields from shelterwood or other <br />partial harvest treatments were calculated by determining the percentage basal <br />area removal for each step in the shelterwood harvest (as compared to the basal <br />area before the first treatment) and multiplying the clearcut unit water yield <br />by the percent basal area removal to reduce the water yield accordingly. <br />Results from FORPLAN provided the average annual acres harvested for each <br />vegetation regime by each treatment type for each decade. Multiplying the unit <br />water yield increase for each vegetation regime and treatment type (eg. <br />clearcut, lst_step shelterwood, 2nd step shelterwood, etc.) by the average <br />annual acres harvested for each regime and treatment produced an average annual <br />water yield increase for each decade. Summing water yield increases for each <br />vegetation regime and treatment produced a total average annual water yield <br />increase for the decade. <br />Increases in water yield produced by vegetation management persist for many <br />years after the initial treatment as trees regenerate and grow. The water <br />yield declines as the trees grow. To account for persistence in water yield <br />increase, we used the linear 80 year recovezy curve suggested by Troendle and