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The Effects of Postfire Salvage Logging on Aquatic Ecosystems in the American West

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The Effects of Postfire Salvage Logging on Aquatic Ecosystems in the American West Forum The Effects of Postfire Salvage Logging on Aquatic Ecosystems in the American West JAMES R. KARR, JONATHAN J. RHODES, G. WAYNE MINSHALL, F. RICHARD HAUER, ROBERT L. BESCHTA, CHRISTOPHER A. FRISSELL, AND DAVID A. PERRY Recent changes in the forest policies, regulations, and laws affecting public lands encourage postfire salvage logging, an activity that all too often delays or prevents recovery. In contrast, the 10 recommendations proposed here can improve the condition of watersheds and aquatic ecosystems. Keywords: aquatic ecosystems, postfire salvage logging, public land management, salmonids, western forests hroughout the American West, a century of road hold moisture (Jenny 1980), with implications for soil bio- Tbuilding, logging, grazing, and other human activities has ta, plant growth (Rose et al. 2001, Brown et al. 2003), and degraded stream environments, causing significant losses of stream flow (Waring and Schlesinger 1985). Logging and associated roads carry a high risk of spreading nonindige- aquatic biodiversity and severe contractions in the range and nous, weedy species (CWWR 1996, Beschta et al. 2004). abundance of sensitive aquatic species, including native salmonid fishes (Rieman et al. 2003). Compounding these • Increased runoff and erosion alter river hydrology by increasing the frequency and magnitude of erosive high problems, federal land management has worsened ecological flows and raising sediment loads. These changes alter the degradation, rather than conserving or restoring forest eco- character of river channels and harm aquatic species rang- systems (Leopold 1937, Langston 1995, Hirt 1996). Land ing from invertebrates to fishes (Waters 1995). managers’ focus on commodity extraction—sharpened by re- • Construction and reconstruction of roads and landings cent changes in forest policy, regulations, and laws that en- (sites to which trees are brought, stacked, and loaded onto courage salvage logging after fires—perpetuates this trend and trucks) often accompany postfire salvage logging. These its harmful impacts. Here we focus on the effects of such post- activities damage soils, destroy or alter vegetation, and fire salvage logging on public lands and aquatic ecosystems. accelerate the runoff and erosion harmful to aquatic systems (figure 1). To curb ecological damage from postfire salvage logging, we urge the adoption of 10 recommendations based on decades • By altering the character and condition of forest vegeta- of ecological research. tion, salvage logging after a fire changes forest fuels and can increase the severity of subsequent fires (CWWR 1996, Although often done in the name of postfire restoration, Odion et al. 2004). salvage logging typically delays or prevents natural recovery in several important ways (Beschta et al. 1995, 2004, Lindenmayer et al. 2004). These impacts tend to have a multi- James R. Karr (e-mail: [email protected]) is a professor in the School plier effect, because fire-affected ecosystems are sensitive to of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences and the Department of Biology, University of further disturbances. Washington, Seattle, WA 98195. Jonathan J. Rhodes is a senior hydrologist • Postfire salvage logging generally damages soils by com- at Planeto Azul Hydrologic Consultants, Portland, OR 97293. G. Wayne pacting them, by removing vital organic material, and by Minshall is a professor emeritus in the Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho increasing the amount and duration of topsoil erosion and State University, Pocatello, ID 83209. F. Richard Hauer is a professor at the runoff (Kattleman 1996), which in turn harms aquatic Flathead Lake Biological Station, Division of Biological Sciences, University ecosystems. The potential for damage to soil and water of Montana, Polson, MT 59860. Robert L. Beschta is a professor emeritus in resources is especially severe when ground-based machin- ery is used. the Department of Forest Engineering, and David A. Perry is a professor emeritus in the Department of Forest Science, at Oregon State University, • Postfire salvage logging has numerous ecological ramifica- Corvallis, OR 97331 (Perry’s current address is PO Box 8, Kapa‘au, HI tions. The removal of burned trees that provide shade may hamper tree regeneration, especially on high-elevation or 96755). Christopher A. Frissell is a watershed ecologist and fishery biologist dry sites (Perry et al. 1989). The loss of future soil organic at the Pacific Rivers Council, Polson, MT 59860. © 2004 American Institute matter is likely to translate into soils that are less able to of Biological Sciences. November 2004 / Vol. 54 No. 11 • BioScience 1029 Forum flow of economic benefits to human communities that depend on aquatic resources (Beschta et al. 2004). The impacts of fire, and of salvage logging and its associated activities, vary in severity from site to site, depending on a site’s natural conditions and on its his- tory of human use. Fires burn in a mosaic of intensi- ties; most areas burn at moderate to low intensity. High-severity burns place the most stress on water- sheds and aquatic systems. By themselves, the effects of fire create few problems for aquatic populations that have access to high-quality stream environments (Gresswell 1999); fire even provides benefits, such as pulsed additions of spawning gravel and wood. But where a history of environmental degradation and fragmentation of aquatic populations already exists, fire can threaten certain species, and salvage logging adds another layer of stress. The effects of postfire salvage logging are especially significant on steep slopes, in erosion-prone soils, on severely burned sites (where the impacts listed above can be particularly pronounced), and in riparian and roadless areas. Riparian areas affect aquatic environ- ments more than remoter uplands do; they influence water quality, physical habitat, and the abundance of aquatic species (Gregory et al. 1991, Naiman et al. 1998). Logging, landings, and roads in riparian zones degrade aquatic environments by lessening the amount of large wood in streams, elevating water temperature, altering near-stream hydrology, and increasing sedi- mentation. Roadless areas comprise some of the least disturbed living systems and are therefore especially im- portant to the restoration of watersheds and fresh- water systems. Consequently, logging activities in these Figure 1. Postfire recovery and salvage logging in the areas undermine the conservation and restoration of aquatic Malheur National Forest, Oregon. After a 1996 fire, vege- ecosystems (FEMAT 1993, Henjum et al. 1994) even as they tation along an old road was recovering naturally in 1998 increase the risk of extirpation for already imperiled, frag- (top). In 1999, road reconstruction and salvage logging mented, and sensitive populations. on the same slopes (bottom) reversed this recovery, in- creasing soil erosion and surface runoff into a tributary Avoiding damage from salvage that supports steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), logging: Ten recommendations a salmonid listed as threatened at the time under the En- Continued postfire salvage logging ignores many threats to dangered Species Act. Such increases in sediment delivery aquatic resources, virtually guaranteeing trajectories toward lower the survival rates of steelhead and other aquatic unsustainable ecosystems. Halting this deterioration should species. Photographs: Jonathan J. Rhodes. be a policy priority. To protect streams, wetlands, and asso- ciated watersheds and to foster their restoration, we offer • Postfire salvage logging undermines the effectiveness of the following 10 policy recommendations. other costly postfire rehabilitation efforts, most of which are aimed at reducing soil erosion and runoff (Robichaud Allow natural recovery to occur on its own, or intervene only et al. 2000). in ways that promote natural recovery. Many interventions In short, by adding another stressor to burned watersheds, in postfire landscapes delay or prevent recovery by adding to postfire salvage logging worsens degraded aquatic condi- fires’ short-term effects. Allowing unimpeded natural recov- tions accumulated from a century of human activity (CWWR ery of burned landscapes is typically more cost-effective and 1996, NRC 1996, 2002, McIntosh et al. 2000). The additional often results in more rapid recovery than postfire salvage damage impedes the recovery and restoration of aquatic logging (Kauffman et al. 1997). Natural recovery is particu- systems, lowers water quality, shrinks the distribution and larly important on public lands, which, despite widespread abundance of native aquatic species, and compromises the degradation, are still in better condition than many private 1030 BioScience • November 2004 / Vol. 54 No. 11 Forum lands. Today public lands represent the best starting point for Protect ecologically sensitive areas. Riparian and roadless restoring aquatic systems. In Oregon, for example, 14 of 25 areas, regions with steep slopes, and watersheds with sensi- at-risk fish species or subspecies live in watersheds within the tive or imperiled aquatic species should not be salvage logged. boundaries or immediately downstream of national forests Impacts in riparian and roadless areas influence areas with the (Henjum et al. 1994). highest regional biodiversity, including rare and endangered Any intervention should aim to reduce the effects of past species; they also have wide repercussions that spread across and present human disturbances, rather than focus
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