Timber harvest and forest treatments effect hydrology in various ways. Check out this paper that delves into this relationship and various methods researchers use to evaluate long-term impacts of these activities.
Evaluating the effects of timber harvest on hydrologically sensitive areas and hydrologic response
- Timber harvest effects vary with changing topography, climate, and harvest regimes.
- Thinning on low runoff probability areas cut peak flow up to 40% from clearcutting.
- Logging in areas of high runoff probability led to higher peak flows.
- Harvest in low runoff probability areas caused large peak flow in snowmelt events.
- Timber harvest planning can be improved based on hydrological response analysis.