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: (A) 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 [...]
Summary
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: (A) 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; (B) 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 (C) 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).