The overall project goal is to understand and model the watershed impacts of forest restoration actions (thinning, prescribed fire) and climate change on the hydrologic function, particularly with respect to (1) changes in soil moisture and water yield during snowmelt, (2) inter-annual and directional changes in stream water quality, and (3) the resulting impacts on watershed management for wildlife species threatened by disturbance and climate change.
Specifically, we will:
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use known relationships of forest structure on snow-water equivalent (SWE) values and processes of sublimation (ablation), infiltration and run-off in the Jemez Mountains of northern New Mexico to model forest-stand restoration prescriptions, with the goal of maximizing soil moisture and stream water yield;
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identify forest management strategies that optimize the timing of stream flow (spring run-off versus summer baseflow) to balance water yield augmentation with maintaining water quality parameters such as temperature and dissolved oxygen which are susceptible to impairment during low flow periods; and
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incorporate these model results into conservation management plans for fisheries (including the Rio Grande chub, sucker and cutthroat trout), riparian restoration actions (replanting of riparian woody shrubs and trees, stream geomorphology reconstructions), and terrestrial wildlife species threatened by long-term changes in habitat and climate (e.g., the Jemez Mountains Salamander, New Mexico Meadow Jumping Mouse).
FY2013The overall project goal is to understand and model the watershed impacts of forest restoration actions (thinning, prescribed fire) and climate change on the hydrologic function, particularly with respect to (1) changes in soil moisture and water yield during snowmelt, (2) inter-annual and directional changes in stream water quality, and (3) the resulting impacts on watershed management for wildlife species threatened by disturbance and climate change.
Specifically, we will:
-
use known relationships of forest structure on snow-water equivalent (SWE) values and processes of sublimation (ablation), infiltration and run-off in the Jemez Mountains of northern New Mexico to model forest-stand restoration prescriptions, with the goal of maximizing soil moisture and stream water yield;
-
identify forest management strategies that optimize the timing of stream flow (spring run-off versus summer baseflow) to balance water yield augmentation with maintaining water quality parameters such as temperature and dissolved oxygen which are susceptible to impairment during low flow periods; and
-
incorporate these model results into conservation management plans for fisheries (including the Rio Grande chub, sucker and cutthroat trout), riparian restoration actions (replanting of riparian woody shrubs and trees, stream geomorphology reconstructions), and terrestrial wildlife species threatened by long-term changes in habitat and climate (e.g., the Jemez Mountains Salamander, New Mexico Meadow Jumping Mouse).
