Modeling Summer Streamflow Responses for Contemporary Landscapes

Understanding effects of forest management on hydrology has been a focus of research for decades, but most of this research focus has relied on understanding the immediate effects of harvest on water quantity and has only examined these effects at the smallest watershed scales.

However, understanding dynamic hydrological responses to harvesting over time is essential for private and public forest management. Time since harvest, and therefore mean stand age in a watershed, is likely an important determinant because, immediately after harvest, annual and summer flow increases, while decades later summer flow deficits can occur. We will use private ownership stand composition data to model potential hydrological changes based on modeled evapotranspiration and actual stand age. We will explore how these relationships change at different watershed scales that represent a mosaic of stand ages.