Forests and Water: A State of the Art Review for Colorado

• Year: 2003
• Title: Forests and Water: A State-of-the-Art Review for Colorado
• Author: Colorado State University
• Description: Colorado State University 2003
• Publications - Doc Type: Other

1. Identify the forest management issues of primary
concern for water management in Colorado;
2. Summarize the state -of -the -art with respect to how
past and present forest management is affecting an-
nual water yields, low flows, and peak flows;
3. Determine the potential for altering current stream -
flow regimes through forest management;
4. Summarize the state -of -the -art with respect to the ef-
fects of forest management on water quality;
5. Assess the different risks to water quality posed by
forest management activities, including the no action
alternative;
6. Recommend areas where additional research is
needed and feasible.
The following chapters sequentially address each of
these objectives. Chapter 2 reviews how changes in
forest cover affect annual water yields, the size of peak
flows, and the size of low flows, respectively. Chapter 3
is a synthesis of the effects of forest management on wa-
ter quality and sediment yields. Chapter 4 summarizes
what is known about the historic changes in forest veg-
etation in Colorado and how these changes are affecting
the amount of runoff. Similarly, Chapter 5 assesses the
likely effects of past and future forest management ac-
tivities on water quality. Chapter 6 uses the information
from Chapters 2 -5 to identify current gaps in knowledge
and suggest priorities for future research.
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