RESEARCH ARTICLE
Summer stream temperature changes following forest harvest in the headwaters of the Trask River watershed, Oregon Coast Range
Maryanne Reiter,
Sherri L. Johnson,
Jessica Homyack,
Jay E. Jones,
Peter L. James,
Maryanne Reiter
Strategy and Technology, Weyerhaeuser Company, Settle, WA
The Lead Author has retiredSearch for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Sherri L. Johnson
Pacific Northwest Research Station, US Forest Service, Corvallis, OR
Correspondence
Sherri L. Johnson, Pacific Northwest Research Station, US Forest Service.
Email: sherri.johnson2@usda.gov
Search for more papers by this authorJessica Homyack
Strategy and Technology, Weyerhaeuser Company, Settle, WA
Search for more papers by this authorJay E. Jones
Strategy and Technology, Weyerhaeuser Company, Settle, WA
Search for more papers by this authorPeter L. James
Strategy and Technology, Weyerhaeuser Company, Settle, WA
Search for more papers by this authorMaryanne Reiter,
Sherri L. Johnson,
Jessica Homyack,
Jay E. Jones,
Peter L. James,
Maryanne Reiter
Strategy and Technology, Weyerhaeuser Company, Settle, WA
The Lead Author has retiredSearch for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Sherri L. Johnson
Pacific Northwest Research Station, US Forest Service, Corvallis, OR
Correspondence
Sherri L. Johnson, Pacific Northwest Research Station, US Forest Service.
Email: sherri.johnson2@usda.gov
Search for more papers by this authorJessica Homyack
Strategy and Technology, Weyerhaeuser Company, Settle, WA
Search for more papers by this authorJay E. Jones
Strategy and Technology, Weyerhaeuser Company, Settle, WA
Search for more papers by this authorPeter L. James
Strategy and Technology, Weyerhaeuser Company, Settle, WA
Search for more papers by this authorThis article has been contributed to by US Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.
Abstract
The Trask River Watershed Study in the northern Oregon Coast Range was designed to examine physical, chemical, and biological effects of contemporary forest management practices on aquatic ecosystems. We measured stream temperature for 11 summers in 15 small watersheds, eight of which were harvested in 2012. Three riparian buffer treatments, which varied by landowner, were implemented. Using half-hourly data, we characterized summer water temperature distributions with five percentiles: 5th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 95th. Each percentile was analysed as a separate response variable using a linear mixed model. After harvest, streams without overstory buffer requirements showed shifts in all the percentiles of the temperature distribution; the largest increase (3.6°C) occurred at the 95th percentile. Sites with narrow riparian buffers showed little to no change. We also calculated changes in duration of thermal exposure above 15°C and 16°C for two species of native stream amphibians; these temperatures occurred 4.7% and 1.3% of the time postharvest in the sites clearcut with no buffer. Analysis of distributions of summer temperatures preharvest and postharvest enabled us to more fully characterize site-to-site variability and responses to forest management.
Supporting Information
| Filename | Description |
|---|---|
| eco2178-sup-0001-Table.docxWord 2007 document , 22.5 KB |
Table SA1. Percentiles of stream temperatures July 1- August 31 for all study watersheds. Mean 5th, 50th, 95th percentile temperatures (°C) for time periods before (2006-2011) and after (2013-2016) harvest; change in temperature metric indicated. ALL is all sites, REF is reference and TRT is the treated (harvested) sites. |
Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.
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