| Abstract/Description or Keywords |
Forest harvesting and natural disturbance can have significant influences on watershed processes, particularly in relation to the timing and magnitude of streamflow and water quality. There is increasing need for spatially explicit modelling tools that can be used to predict the cumulative effects of harvesting, disturbance, and regeneration processes at multiple spatial scales and through time, especially as a result of the recent and ongoing outbreak of mountain pine beetle. This project’s overall objective was to conduct detailed monitoring of watershed processes to provide a basis for the rigorous testing of existing and newly developed modelling tools that could be used to assess the effects of forest harvesting and disturbance. These tools could then be incorporated into a broader decision-support system that could aid with decisions about managing forest cover in watersheds following tree mortality caused by the mountain pine beetle. • The existing infrastructure involves a nested network of 13 gauging stations along the main channel that measure stream discharge, stream temperature and electrical conductivity. • Weather stations at different elevations and aspects record air temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, precipitation, incoming solar radiation and snow depth. • Groundwater dynamics and soil moisture are monitored at 60 sites located according to a stratified random sampling design. Bedload transport is measured at several bedload traps installed along the main channel and in several tributaries. In addition, channel morphology has been mapped. |
