Hydrologic Response to Conifer Removal from an Encroached Mountain Meadow

Oosbree, Van; Gregory, Fiona

doi:10.15368/theses.2015.60

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…To detect a change in hydrologic processes from restoration a before after control intervention (BACI) study design was used [13,14,33,34]. Measurements of soil moisture and groundwater depth were collected on the Marian Meadow and the Control Meadow approximately two years prior to restoration, starting September 2013 ( Figure 1).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrologic Response of Meadow Restoration the First Year Following Removal of Encroached Conifers

Surfleet

Sanford

VanOosbree

et al. 2019

Water

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This study examines the hydrologic response of a montane meadow the first winter following restoration by removal of encroached conifers. Hydrologic change was evaluated through statistical comparison of soil moisture and water table depths between the restored meadow, Marian Meadow, and a Control Meadow before and after restoration. Meadow water budgets and durations of water table depths during the growing season were evaluated. Electrical resistivity tomography profiles were collected to improve the spatial interpretation of subsurface water beyond well measurements. The first year following restoration Marian Meadow had a statistically significant increase in volumetric soil moisture content of 4% with depth to the water table decreasing on average by 0.15 m. The water budget for the meadows demonstrated that the hydrologic change following removal of encroached conifers was primarily due to a reduction of vegetation interception capture. Soil evapotranspiration rates in both the Control and Marian Meadows were relatively stable ranging from 268–288 mm/yr with the exception of the year following conifer removal in Marian Meadow with 318 mm/yr. The increase in soil evapotranspiration in the first post restoration year is attributed to loss of vegetation cover and higher proportions of bare soil created from the harvest operations. The duration of post-restoration water table depths during the growing season at Marian Meadow were less than or equal to 0.7 m and 0.3 m for 85 days and 50 days, respectively, indicating hydrologic conditions conducive to meadow vegetation.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrologic Response of Meadow Restoration the First Year Following Removal of Encroached Conifers

Surfleet

Sanford

VanOosbree

et al. 2019

Water

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“…A before-after-control-intervention (BACI) study design was used [10][11][12][13] to evaluate the hydrologic response of meadow restoration to remove encroached conifers and upslope forest thinning. Linear regression was used to develop pre-restoration and post-restoration relationships between Marian Meadow, the intervention, or treated site, and a Control Meadow (Figure 1).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrologic Response of a Montane Meadow from Conifer Removal and Upslope Forest Thinning

Surfleet

Fie

Jasbinsek

2020

Water

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This study evaluates the hydrologic response of restoration of a montane meadow by removal of encroached Pinus contorta and thinning of the adjacent forest. It is now a follow-up with four years of post-restoration data, on a previous analysis of a hydrologic response of the same meadow one year following restoration. A hydrologic change was evaluated through a statistical comparison of soil moisture and depth to groundwater between the restored Marian Meadow and a Control Meadow. Meadow water budgets and durations of water table depths during the growing season were evaluated. The four years following restoration of Marian Meadow had an increase in volumetric soil moisture during the wet season, but decreased soil moisture during the dry season. An average decrease in depth to groundwater of 0.15 m was found, which is consistent with the first-year post-restoration. The water budget confirms the first-year results that the hydrologic change following removal of encroached conifers was primarily due to a reduction of vegetation interception capture. There was no measurable difference in depth to groundwater or soil moisture following the upslope forest thinning likely due to the low level of forest removal with 2.8 m2/hectare reduction of the forest basal area. The cost of restoration to water gained was $0.69 USD/1000 L ($2.62 USD/1000 gal.).

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“…Plastic screen covered the holes to prevent soil particles from entering the well. Each groundwater well was capped to prevent precipitation from entering the well (Van Oosbree, 2015). A timeline of the water level instruments is displayed in Figure 6 and described in Table 5.…”

Section: Water Table Depth Sensorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Pre-restoration (2014-2015 and post restoration years (2016 WY, 2017 WY, and 2018 WY) soil moisture volumetric percentage (%) ANOVA using all soil moisture instruments…”

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confidence: 99%

Hydrologic Response to Conifer Removal and Upslope Harvest in an Encroached Montane Meadow

Fie¹

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Meadows are crucial components to larger river watersheds because of their unique hydrologic and ecological functions. Due to climate change, over grazing, and fire suppression, conifer encroachment into meadows has accelerated. In some western regions, nearly half of all meadow habitat has been loss due to conifer encroachment. Restoration of these hydrologic systems requires tree removal. Many studies exist that address the issue of conifer encroachment in montane meadows, however, few studies focus on the role that conifer removal plays on the encroaching meadow. Furthermore, few studies exist that document the hydrologic change from conifer removal and further restoration steps, if any, to take after the removal. The overall research goal is to understand the efficacy of removal of encroached conifers from an encroached meadow (Marian Meadow) for successful meadow restoration. The objectives of this study are to determine (i) quantify the meadow hydrology following removal of encroached conifers, (ii) determine if forest tree removal adjacent to the meadow influences the meadow's hydrology, and (iii) test three common revegetation techniques for a formerly encroached montane meadow. Marian Meadow is in Plumas County, CA at an elevation of 4,900 feet. This 45acre meadow enhancement project is part of a 2,046-acre timber harvest plan implemented by the Collins Pine Company. Soil moisture sensors at one foot below the ground and water table depth sensors at four feet below ground were installed in Marian Meadow and a control meadow in September 2013, with additional soil moisture sensors at three-foot depth installed August 2015. The removal of encroaching conifers from Marian Meadow occurred in June 2015. Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) was used to determine maximum water table depths and climatic variables were measured from a weather station as inputs for the water budget. A groundwater recession curve equation was used to model water table depths between water table depth sensor measurements and ERT measurements. A general linear model was used to determine any statistically significant difference in soil moisture and water table depths prior to and after conifer removal. Revegetation plots were installed at the start of the 2017 growing season to determine the establishment rate for three different techniques (BARE, WOOD, and EXISTING) and three different species of meadow plant. Technique BARE, which removes approximately 10 cm of top soil and disperses seed was statistically significant, yielding the highest population count. Another growing season data collection and control plot is required to draw further conclusions and recommendations. The water balance indicated that the majority of Marian Meadow and the Control Meadow's water storage can be attributed to precipitation and not upland sources. This hydrologic characteristic is common in dry meadows. The statistical analysis indicated that measured water table depths increased on average by 0.62 feet following conifer removal. The first year f...

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Hydrologic Response to Conifer Removal from an Encroached Mountain Meadow

Cited by 3 publications

References 42 publications

Hydrologic Response of Meadow Restoration the First Year Following Removal of Encroached Conifers

Hydrologic Response of Meadow Restoration the First Year Following Removal of Encroached Conifers

Hydrologic Response of a Montane Meadow from Conifer Removal and Upslope Forest Thinning

Hydrologic Response to Conifer Removal and Upslope Harvest in an Encroached Montane Meadow

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