Juniper removal may not increase overall Klamath River Basin water yields

Kuhn, T. J.; Tate, Kenneth W.; Cao, David; George, Melvin R.

doi:10.3733/ca.v061n04p166

Cited by 12 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Such changes affect local water budgets and influence water yields (Petersen and Stringham, 2008;Huxman et al, 2005;Farley et al, 2005). However, complicated feedbacks make effects at larger scales highly uncertain and often overwhelmed by climatic and physical characteristics (Peel, 2009;Kuhn et al, 2007). Our rainfall-runoff ratio of 8 % is essentially identical to early estimates of 7 % for the area (Tanner, 1937).…”

Section: Rainfall and Runoff Trendssupporting

confidence: 69%

Contrasting watershed-scale trends in runoff and sediment yield complicate rangeland water resources planning

Berg

Marcantonio

McAlister

et al. 2016

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. Rangelands cover a large portion of the earth's land surface and are undergoing dramatic landscape changes. At the same time, these ecosystems face increasing expectations to meet growing water supply needs. To address major gaps in our understanding of rangeland hydrologic function, we investigated historical watershed-scale runoff and sediment yield in a dynamic landscape in central Texas, USA. We quantified the relationship between precipitation and runoff and analyzed reservoir sediment cores dated using cesium-137 and lead-210 radioisotopes. Local rainfall and streamflow showed no directional trend over a period of 85 years, resulting in a rainfall-runoff ratio that has been resilient to watershed changes. Reservoir sedimentation rates generally were higher before 1963, but have been much lower and very stable since that time. Our findings suggest that (1) rangeland water yields may be stable over long periods despite dramatic landscape changes while (2) these same landscape changes influence sediment yields that impact downstream reservoir storage. Relying on rangelands to meet water needs demands an understanding of how these dynamic landscapes function and a quantification of the physical processes at work.

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Section: Rainfall and Runoff Trendssupporting

confidence: 69%

Contrasting watershed-scale trends in runoff and sediment yield complicate rangeland water resources planning

Berg

Marcantonio

McAlister

et al. 2016

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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“…With regards to water management, there is increasing evidence that in water-limited environments total ET is more dependent on input precipitation than on type of vegetation cover (Zhang et al, 2001;Wilcox, 2002;Kuhn et al, 2007), as long as rooting depth and storage capacity of the soil are not different (Seyfried and Wilcox, 2006). Therefore, replacement of vegetation cover using plants with lower interception losses could greatly affect the productivity of the landscape, as interception losses affect the amount of water that reaches the ground to refill the soil and will be available for transpiration.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decreased rainfall interception balances increased transpiration in exotic ponderosa pine plantations compared with native cypress stands in Patagonia, Argentina

et al. 2011

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Exotic ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Doug. ex. Laws) is being planted for timber production in the natural distribution area of cordilleran cypress [Austrocedrus chilensis (D. Don) Pic. Serm. et Bizzarri] in the forest-steppe ecotone at the base of the Andes Mountains in northwest Patagonia. Our previous studies showed that transpiration of ponderosa pine plantations was between 33% and 64% greater than that of cordilleran cypress under similar growing conditions. Although transpiration is typically the largest term in evapotranspiration (ET) in closed-canopy forests, evaporative losses of rainfall intercepted by the canopy (I L ) can also account for a large proportion of ET in forest ecosystems. The objective of this case study was to assess differences in I L between exotic ponderosa pine plantations and cordilleran cypress stands, as well as the combined effect of I L and transpiration. Net and gross precipitation were measured using arrays of manual rain gauges and tipping buckets with troughs in four forest stands of ponderosa pine and cordilleran cypress at two densities each. Additionally, water storage capacity of cut branches was measured in the laboratory. Annual estimates of I L were calculated using the Gash model (Gash, 1979) for two consecutive years with markedly different spring and summer precipitation. In cordilleran cypress stands, I L ranged from 35% to 44% of gross precipitation, whereas I L ranged from 17% to 22% of gross precipitation in pine plantations. Total annual I L fully offset the differences of spring and summer transpiration between ponderosa pine plantations and cordilleran cypress stands of similar densities.

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“…Finally, there is some interest in managing for juniper expansion because the 'novel' juniper-dominated ecosystem has high potential for increased carbon sequestration. For some, the increased carbon sequestration benefit outweighs the cost of decreased evapotranspiration (Kuhn et al 2007;Bendevis et al 2010). Choosing the optimal approach will require consideration of the social, ecological, and economic conditions and resources, as well as the temporal and spatial scales of novel ecosystems.…”

Section: Determining Best Management Practicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In these cases, limited resources could be used more effectively elsewhere, and/or the expected net effect of the species is null. For example, nightcrawler earthworms (Lumbricus terrestris) are found Invasive juniper in Eastern Oregon (Kuhn et al 2007, Bendevis et al 2010 Restore native sagebrush habitat with increased fire or harvesting of juniper to increase water yield. (Owens 2008) No action.…”

Section: Tolerating Novel Ecosystemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

What is Novel About Novel Ecosystems: Managing Change in an Ever-Changing World

Truitt

Granek

Duveneck

et al. 2015

Environmental Management

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Influenced by natural climatic, geological, and evolutionary changes, landscapes and the ecosystems within are continuously changing. In addition to these natural pressures, anthropogenic drivers have increasingly influenced ecosystems. Whether affected by natural or anthropogenic processes, ecosystems, ecological communities, and ecosystem functioning are dynamic and can lead to "novel" or "emerging" ecosystems. Current literature identifies several definitions of these ecosystems but lacks an unambiguous definition and framework for categorizing what constitutes a novel ecosystem and for informing decisions around best management practices. Here we explore the various definitions used for novel ecosystems, present an unambiguous definition, and propose a framework for identifying the most appropriate management option. We identify and discuss three approaches for managing novel ecosystems: managing against, tolerating, and managing for these systems, and we provide real-world examples of each approach. We suggest that this framework will allow managers to make thoughtful decisions about which strategy is most appropriate for each unique situation, to determine whether the strategy is working, and to facilitate decision-making when it is time to modify the management approach.

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Juniper removal may not increase overall Klamath River Basin water yields

Cited by 12 publications

References 17 publications

Contrasting watershed-scale trends in runoff and sediment yield complicate rangeland water resources planning

Contrasting watershed-scale trends in runoff and sediment yield complicate rangeland water resources planning

Decreased rainfall interception balances increased transpiration in exotic ponderosa pine plantations compared with native cypress stands in Patagonia, Argentina

What is Novel About Novel Ecosystems: Managing Change in an Ever-Changing World

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