Windows into the forest: extending long-term small-watershed research

Interactions among forests, forestry, and water remain a critical aspect of Forest Service land stewardship. Small, experimental watershed studies managed by Forest Service Research and Development have a long history of advancing science and management and have resulted in a rich collection of long-term data. Early work addressed effects of forestry practices in particular forest types and hydrologic regimes. Revegetation of experimentally treated watersheds and new questions and tools of science and management are leading to new uses of the long-term records for science, management, and education at local to regional and broader scales. Critical contemporary issues include how vegetation controls the magnitude and pace of a watershed’s response to natural disturbances and management activities. New approaches for both statistical analysis and public access to longterm data from 35 Forest Service and other ecological sites nationally will foster further innovation. This Science Finding concerns new lessons about the increasing value of these long-term studies and about new ways to make the data publicly available.

Citation

Duncan, Sally; Swanson, Fred; Henshaw, Don. 2004. Windows into the forest: extending long-term small-watershed research. Science Finding 62. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 5 p

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