Technical Bulletin No. 0337: Research and Field Investigation on the Impact of Southern Forestry Management Practices on Receiving Water Quality and Utility

The construction of forest roads is a vital component in the management of your forestlands. Yet, these same roads which are necessary for protection, management, and harvesting the forest are considered a major contributor to man-caused sediment loads. Anderson et al state that "Logging roads and their unprotected cuts and fills are a primary source of sediment from forested watersheds."  As forest and resource managers, you are charged with dual responsibilities of extracting timber and managing the forest, while at the same time maintaining water quality. This workshop will, hopefully, be the first step in a project which will refine the decision making tools you have available. As a prelude to this effort, I want to discuss three important questions dealing with forest roads and water quality. First, the question has been raised as to whether sediment is really a pollutant in Southern streams? Second, with forest roads? Third, are there perceived or real problems is there data available to show conclusively that industry road protection measures are adequate?