Table Of Content

S Flathead Basin 333.9115For«st Practices, Sfflte DOCUMENTS COLLECTION Fl7sr Water Quality and 1991 Fisheries CPrao0p9reramat1ve AUG 2 7 1991 Suirwary report MONTANA STATE LIBRARY IS15 E. 6th AVE. HELENA, MONTANA 59620 "ircnifiiii tiiilWffr Flathead Basin Forest Practices Water Qualityand Fisheries CooperativeProgram Summary Report June 1991 p. ,i;-^\ ^f- %%Jlm iXL. I '^ k ^i i AboutTmsReport ThisreportsummarizestheconclusionsandrecommendationsfromtheFinalReportrelatedto tenindividualstudiesconductedfortheFlatheadBasinForestPracticesAVaterQualityandFisheries Cooperative Program. The Cooperative Program was administered by a Coordinating Team representing the Montana Department of State Lands Forestry Division, the Flathead National Forest,PlumCreekTimberCompany,L.P.,theMontanaDepartmentofFish,WildlifeandParks, the Montana Department of Health and Environmental Sciences' Water Quality Bureau, the UniversityofMontana, andtheFlatheadBasinCommission. TheCooperativeProgram's specific objectives were (1) to document, evaluate, and monitor whether forest practices affect water quality and fisheries within the Flathead Basin, and (2) if detrimentalimpacts exist, toestablishaprocesstoutilizethisinformation todevelopcriteriaand administrativeproceduresforprotectingwaterqualityandfisheries. Thetenindividualstudiesincludedtheevaluationof:(1)specificpracticesatthesitelevel,(2) accumulation ofpracticesatthe watershedlevel, (3) general streamconditions, (4) waterquality variables relative to levels of management activity in small watersheds, (5) fish habitat and abundancerelativetostreamvariablesinfluencedbyforestpracticesatthewatershedlevel,(6)long- term changes in large-stream dynamics related to historical records ofnatural and man-related disturbances,and(7)changesinlakesedimentsrelativetohistoricalrecordsofnatural andman- relateddisturbances. Contributors — U.S.ForestService FlatheadNationalForest PlumCreekTimberCompany,L.P. MontanaDepartmentofStateLandsForestryDivision WaterQualityBureauoftheMontanaDepartmentofHealthandEnvironmentalSciences MontanaDepartmentofNaturalResourcesandConservation UniversityofMontana FlatheadLakeBiologicalStation SchoolofForestry MontanaForestandConservationExperimentStation — U.S.DepartmentofAgriculture Mclntire-StennisProgram MontanaDepartmentofFish,WildlifeandParks FlatheadBasinCommission MontanaEnvironmentalQualityCouncil MontanaChapteroftheAmericanFisheriesSociety Governor'sOffice, StateofMontana Flathead Basin Forest Practices Water Quality and Fisheries Cooperative Program Summary Report June 1991 pubushedby FlatheadBasinCommission 723FifthAvenueEast Kalispell,Montana 59901 Contents Introduction 1 GeneralDiscussion 3 SummaryofConclusions 4 , SummaryofRecommendations 10 ResponseofMajorForestLandManagers tothe"SummaryofRecommendations" 24 Appendixes A. MemorandumofUnderstanding 31 B. ParticipantsintheFlatheadBasinForestPractices/ WaterQualityandFisheriesProgram 37 FlatheadBasinCooperativeProgramSummaryReport Pagei Introduction Introduction riaveforestpracticesimpairedwaterqualityandfisher- ies In theFlatheadRiverBasin?AndIftheyhave, whatchangesIn forestmanagementshouldbemadeintheFlatheadBasinInorderto preventormitigatetheseeffects? Toaddressthesequestions,theDepartmentofStateLands, theFlatheadNationalForest,PlumCreekTimberCompany,L.P.,the DepartmentofFish,WildlifeandParks,theDepartmentofHealthand Environmental Sciences' Water Quality Bureau, the University of Montana,andtheFlatheadBasinCommissionestablishedthe"Flat- headBasinForestPractices/WaterQualityandFisheriesCooperative Program."They signeda"MemorandumofUnderstanding"inAu- gust of 1988. A Coordinating Team administered the Cooperative Program, scientific studyleadersdirectedeachspecificproject,and resource specialists from various organizations provided technical assistanceasneeded. TheCooperativeProgram'sspecificobjectiveswere (1) to document, evaluate, and monitor whether forestpractices affect water quality and fisheries within the Flathead Basin, and (2) if detrimentalImpactsexist,toestablishaprocesstoutilizethisinfor- mationtodevelopcriteriaandadministrativeproceduresforprotect- ingwaterqualityandfisheries. This cooperative program Included a variety ofstudies (modules). Some studies were conducted to obtain a betterunder- standing of the overall interactions among forest practices, water quality,andfisheries.Otherstudiesweredirectapproachestoevalu- ateandprovidenewinformationonmanagementpractices.Avariety of research methods were used, including historical analysis of existingdata,collectionofnewfielddata,fieldauditsofmanagement practices by teamsofexperts, formal summariesofexpertopinion, field assessment ofenvironmental conditions, experimental work, andevaluationofmodels. Eight study leaders developed ten individual studies. They conducted these studies during 1989 and 1990. They held a coordinationworkshopearlyin 1989todeveloplinkagesamongthe studies and to obtain external review from three watershed and fisheries scientists living in Idaho andWashington. A set ofstudy watershedswasselectedatthisworkshoptohelpintegrateasmanyof thefieldstudiesaspossible. ThetenIndividualstudiesincludedtheevaluationof: (1) specificpracticesatthesitelevel,(2)accumulationofpracticesatthe watershed level, (3) general stream conditions, (4) water quality variablesrelative to levels ofmanagement activity in small watersheds, (5) fish habitat and abundance relative to stream variables FlatheadBasinCooperativeProgramSummaryReport Page1 Introduction influencedby forestpractices atthe watershedlevel, (6) long-term changes in large-stream dynamics related to historical records of naturalandman-relateddisturbances, and (7) changes inlake sedi- mentsrelativetohistoricalrecordsofnaturalandman-relateddisturbances. Thestudieswereconductedincooperationwiththeland managers andresource management agencies. However, every at- tempt was made to have theresearchers maintain independence of analysis and interpretation ofresults. The organization of reports illustratesthisprocess.Thecompleteindividualmodulereportsstand aloneasscientificdocumentationoffindingsoftheindividualstudies. (These"stand-alone"reportsareavailablethroughtheHatheadBasin Commission,723FifthAvenueEast,Kalispell,Montana59901.)The study leaders summarized their reports for inclusion in the Final Report.Thenthestudyleadersindividuallydraftedconclusionsand recommendationsasabasisfordiscussionandinteraction. Thestudyteamleadersheldworkshopsduringthespring of1991 toreviewresultsandtodevelopaconsensussetofsummary conclusionsandrecommendationsforconsiderationbythecooperat- inglandmanagementorganizations.Thelandmanagementorganiza- tionsthendevelopedaformalresponsetotherecommendationsfor inclusionintheFinalReport.Followingfinaleditingandprinting,the Final Report will be presented at a summer workshop for public informationandresponse. ThisSummaryReportincludesthe"GeneralDiscussion," "SummaryofConclusions,""SummaryofRecommendations,""Re- sponseofMajorForestLandManagerstothe'SummaryofRecom- mendations,'""MemorandumofUnderstanding,"andlistof"Partici- pants in the Flathead Basin Forest Practices/Water Quality and FisheriesCooperativeProject." Page2 FlatheadBasinCooperativeProgramSummaryReport GeneralDiscussion General 1 he"SummaiyofConclusions"thatfollowsthissection isorganizedaccordingtothesamemajorheadingsasusedinthebody Discussion ofthereport.Withinthoseheadingswehaveeitherbroughtforward thespecificconclusionsfromindividualmodulesorcombinedthem whereappropriate. The"SummaryofRecommendations"representsacon- sensusofthestudyteamleadersrelatedtotheoriginalobjectivesof thecooperativeprogram.Totalagreementcouldnotbereachedonall items.Inthesecases,webowedtotheleadinvestigatorforthattopic. Weoriginallyplannedtopresenttherecommendationsinthe same formatas therestofthisreport, butitdidn'tworkwell formaking recommendations.Therefore,weorganizedtherecommendationsto start at the site where individual practices takeplace, move to the watershedlevelofcumulativeeffects,andthentothegeneralwater qualityandfisheriesconcerns. Thelandmanagerswhoarepartofthiscooperativewere thenaskedtorespondtothe"SummaryofRecommendations"with theintentionthattheirresponseswouldbepublishedaspartofthis document. Therecommendationsonmonitoringareofferedassug- gestions to be considered also in the Flathead Basin Cooperative MonitoringPlan. Asistrueinmanystudies,bythetimetheassignedwork iscompleted,itbecomesclearthatadditionalquestionswereraised during the conduct of the study. Several of these are listed as suggestedstudies. Some ofthe issues we addressed may require political decisions andaclearagreement amongmultiple landownersin the samewatershedastocompetingobjectivesandacceptabletradeoffs. Hopefully, we provided useful information to help make difficult decisionsregardingthebalancebetweencompetingandoftenover- lappingsocio-economicandsocio-environmentalconcerns. FlatheadBasinCooperativeProgramSummaryReport Page3 SummaryofConclusions Summary of 1 he following section represents a consensus of the studyteamleaderson the conclusions mostrelevant to the general Conclusions objectivesofthecooperativeprogram.Theyarearrangedinthesame generalorderasthepresentationofstudymodules. Historical Record, v^hangesinstreamflowandthetransportanddeposition Water Quality,and offinesedimentsoverthepast140yearswereevaluatedbyexamining Fisheries two sources ofhistorical records.' mean daily discharge at stream gaging sites and sediment accumulation on lake bottoms. These evaluationsindicatedthefollowingrelationshipsbetweenlake/stream measures and timber harvest, and otherland use activities. Source moduleforeachconclusionisidentifiedas: *A=ModuleA:AnAnalysisoftheEffectofTimberHarveston StreamflowQuantityandRegime: AnExaminationofHis- toricalRecords. *B =Module B: Evaluation ofHistorical SedimentDeposition RelatedtoLandUsethroughAnalysisofLakeSediments. HistoricalRecord Comparison of spring runoff regimes among major river drainagesintheHatheadbetween1940andpresentindicated thatdrainageshavingexperiencedextensivetimberharvest also have spring runoff occurring earlier in the year than similardrainageshavinglittletimberharvest. (*A) Itappearsthattimberharvestmayresultinahigherpeakin springdischargeduringabovenormalrunoffyears,butnotin majorfloodyears. (*A) Lakecoringanalysesindicatedthatpasthumanlanddistur- banceactivitiesincreasedfinesedimentdepositionupto10- foldinWhitefishLakeinthe 1930sand4-to5-foldinLake McDonaldbetween 1930and 1960. (*B) LakeMcDonald a. InitialroadconstructionandupgradingoftheGoingto the SunRoadfromLakeMcDonaldtothecontinental divideatLoganPassduringthe 1930sand 1940swere accompaniedbysubstantialincreasesinsedimentdepo- sitioninLakeMcDonald. (*B) b. Aftertheroadwaspavedintheearly1950sthesediment deposition rate in Lake McDonald returned to background levels and has remained at background levels overthelast25years. (*B) Page4 FlatheadBasinCooperativeProgramSummaryReport