United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Southern Research Station General Technical Report SRS–161 July 2012 Lafayette, Russell; Brooks, Maureen T.; Potyondy, John P.; Audin, Lisa; Krieger, Suzanne L.; Trettin, Carl C. Eds. 2012. Cumulative watershed effects of fuel management in the Eastern United States. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-161. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Research Station, 327 p. AbstrAct As a result of effective fire suppression activities over the last 75 years and a reduction in timber harvesting on the national forests, biomass has accumulated increasing the susceptibility of large and more severe wildfires. Reducing accumulated fuels is now a major management objective on the national forests. A combination of traditional silvicultural treatments such as prescribed fire and thinning and new innovations are needed to address the myriad of site conditions. Effective fuels management should improve the health of the watershed ensuring the sustainability of the goods and services that are derived from the landscape. However, since fuels management necessarily interacts with other land management considerations and often requires periodic treatments, assessing the cumulative effects can be daunting. This volume and a companion volume focusing on the Western United States (Elliott and others 2010) were designed to provide land managers with a synthesis of the science to support an assessment of the cumulative effects of fuels treatments on forested watersheds in the conterminous United States. This volume is organized to into three sections, an overview of the biophysiography of the Eastern United States, consideration of ecosystem components and how fuel treatments may affect specific processes or properties, and the third section synthesizes fuels management practices and effects in the major ecosystem types of the region. The findings provide a sound foundation for assessing the ecological effects of fuels management practices. By necessity much of the information is derived from the literature on silvicultural effects on ecosystem functions; however the authors have interpreted that work from the perspective of fuels management prescriptions. Similarly, fuels management prescriptions are evolving; accordingly, the intent is to convey the science in a way that it will be relevant to new approaches. These chapters are derived through a synthesis of well-founded research and experience, providing a much needed reference on the cumulative watershed effects of fuels management practices. Keywords: Biomass, cumulative watershed effects, environmental impact, forest fuels, fuel management, prescribed fire. Disclaimer: The use of trade or firm names in this publication is for reader informa- tion and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture of any product or service. July 2012 Southern Research Station 200 W.T. Weaver Blvd. Asheville, NC 28804 www.srs.fs.usda.gov Foreword This volume is the result of a major interdisciplinary effort to synthesize our understanding of the cumulative watershed effects of fuel management in eastern forests. It is intended primarily for national forest field personnel who must develop credible National Environmental Policy Act documents that contain the most current available knowledge of the direct, indirect, and cumulative effects of fuels treatments on a wide variety of resources, including watershed resources. It should also prove useful to land managers in forest industry and other private forest ownerships. Although the literature contains significant information on intense but localized effects of fire (primarily wildfire), vegetation management, and similar treatments, little information exists on less intense but extensive fuels treatment effects. To fill this knowledge gap, the Rocky Mountain Research Station (Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture) hosted a national workshop in April 2005 in Utah to assess the status of knowledge and outline research needs to fill knowledge gaps. All but four of the participants were from the West and little information addressing eastern knowledge and needs was presented. A second workshop to address eastern issues was held in July 2006 in Georgia. The workshop was a collaborative effort of the Stream Systems Technology Center, Rocky Mountain Research Station (John Potyondy), Southern Research Station (Carl Trettin), Eastern Region (Russ LaFayette), Southern Region (Suzanne Krieger), and State and Private Forestry (Maureen Brooks). This volume is a testament to what can be accomplished when National Forest Systems, Research and Development, and State and Private Forestry programs of the Forest Service pool their resources and work collaboratively to achieve a common goal. The resulting volume is the product of more than 25 authors and 62 reviewers including scientists from Forest Service Research Stations and several universities. Over a four-year period, authors drafted chapters that were peer-reviewed and edited. This synthesis is organized somewhat differently from its western counterpart.1 The eastern volume begins by providing background material for context and then discusses fuel management activities grouped by ecological divisions followed by the physical, chemical, and economic consequences of fuel treatments and methods for analyzing cumulative watershed effects. The other editors and I are grateful to all authors and reviewers for their considerable efforts and patience in the development of this volume. Special recognition is owed to Carl Trettin, Southern Research Station, and Russ LaFayette, Eastern Region, who advocated for an eastern volume and committed time and talent to make it a reality. We wish to also acknowledge Lisa Audin Duarte, with the support of Dr. Bill Elliot, who contributed greatly to this project. Lisa was one of the editors of the western volume and helped us organize the eastern volume for several years. And finally, Maureen Brooks kept the process on track after Lisa’s departure to a new assignment. As with all syntheses, new knowledge and new science will supersede the contents of this volume. Readers are encouraged to seek updated and locally derived information as needed. Readers are also encouraged to obtain a copy of the western volume for additional useful background perspectives on fuel management. My personal thanks go to all the authors, reviewers, my coeditors, and Southern Research Station publishing staff for the considerable effort necessary to develop and publish this synthesis. John P. Potyondy Program Manager Stream Systems Technology Center 1 Elliot, William J.; Miller, Ina Sue; Audin, Lisa. Eds. 2010. Cumulative watershed effects of fuel management in the Western United States. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-231. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 299 p. i Acknowledgments This volume represents the collective effort of many persons and organizations. In addition to those previously mentioned in the Foreword to this book, we would like to thank the Southern Research Station’s Science Delivery Group as led by Assistant Director Jennifer Plyler, and in particular the Group’s Technical Publications staff, with Gary Kuhlmann (Team Leader), Maureen Merriman, Donna Burnett, and Louise Wilde, for supporting the production and publication of this volume. We also appreciate Lee Moreland’s help in conducting the first round of technical editing, and Joyce VanDeWater for the cover design. ii contents Foreword i chApter1. Introduction to Synthesis of Current Science 1 Douglas F. Ryan, Russell LaFayette chApter2. Silviculture of Forests in the Eastern United States 7 Daniel C. Dey, John C. Brissette, Callie J. Schweitzer, James M. Guldin chApter3. Geographic Considerations for Fire Management 41 in the Eastern United States: Geomorphology and Topography, Soils, and Climate Barton D. Clinton, James M. Vose, Erika C. Cohen chApter4. The Human Context: Land Ownership, 68 Resource Uses, and Social Dynamics David N. Wear chApter5. The Hot Continental Division: Oak Forests, 82 Fire, and Ecosystem Management Frame Fuels Management Questions Susan L. Stout, Matthew B. Dickinson, Gregory J. Nowacki chApter6. Fuels Management in the Southern Appalachian 101 Mountains, Hot Continental Division Matthew J. Reilly, Thomas A. Waldrop, Joseph J. O’Brien chApter7. Fuel Management in the Subtropical 117 and Savanna Divisions Kenneth W. Outcalt chApter8. Fuels Management in the Subtropical 150 Mountains Division James M. Guldin chApter9. Ecology and Management of the Prairie Division 175 Roger C. Anderson chApter10. Cumulative Effects of Fuel Management 202 on the Soils of Eastern U.S. Watersheds Mac A. Callaham, Jr., D. Andrew Scott, Joseph J. O’Brien, John A. Stanturf iii chApter11. Water Yield and Hydrology 229 Pamela J. Edwards, Charles A. Troendle chApter12. Effects of Fire and Fuels Management 282 on Water Quality in Eastern North America R.K. Kolka chApter13. Economic Analysis of Fuel Treatments 294 D. Evan Mercer, Jeffrey P. Prestemon chApter14. Methods Used for Analyzing the Cumulative 308 Watershed Effects of Fuel Management on Sediment in the Eastern United States Daniel A. Marion, J. Alan Clingenpeel Appendix. Author Information 327 iv Chapter 1. Introduction to Synthesis of Current Science Douglas F. Ryan, Russell LaFayette Preparation of this report was commissioned to a group of scientists and land man- agers by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, for