Towards optimizing riparian buffer zones: Ecological and biogeochemical implications for forest management

Forest Ecology and Management

Volumn 334, Issue , 2014, Pages 74-84

  Kuglerová, Lenka ^a   Ågren, Anneli ^b   Jansson, Roland ^a   Laudon, Hjalmar ^b  

^a UMEÅ UNIVERSITY   (Sweden)

^b SWEDISH UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES   (Sweden)

Author keywords

Ecosystem functioning; Forestry management; Groundwater discharge; Riparian buffers; Riparian hotspots; Wetness mapping

Indexed keywords

AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS; BIODIVERSITY; BIOGEOCHEMISTRY; CHEMICAL ELEMENTS; FLOW OF WATER; FORESTRY; GROUNDWATER; PLANTS (BOTANY); SOIL MOISTURE; TIMBER; WETLANDS;

ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONING; FORESTRY MANAGEMENT; GROUND WATER DISCHARGE; HOTSPOTS; RIPARIAN BUFFERS;

RIVERS;

BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLE; BUFFER ZONE; DISCHARGE; ECOSYSTEM FUNCTION; FOREST MANAGEMENT; HOT SPOT; MANAGEMENT PRACTICE; OPTIMIZATION; RIPARIAN ZONE;

EID: 84907783830     PISSN: 03781127     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2014.08.033     Document Type: Review

References (99)

1. Andréassian V. Waters and forests: from historical controversy to scientific debate. J. Hydrol. 2004, 291:1-27.
2. Arp, P.A., 2009. High-resolution flow-channel and wet-areas maps: a tool for better forest operations planning. In: Alberta, S.F.M.N.U.o. (Ed.), SFM Network Research Note, Edmonton, AB, Canada, pp. 1-6.
3. Atkins M.L., Santos I.R., Ruiz-Halpern S., Maher D.T. Carbon dioxide dynamics driven by groundwater discharge in a coastal floodplain creek. J. Hydrol. 2013, 493:30-42.
4. Ågren A., Lidberg W., Strömgren M., Ogilvie J., Arp P. Evaluating digital terrain indices for soil wetness mapping - a Swedish case study. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discussions 2014, 11:4103-4129.
5. Bengtsson J., Nilsson S.G., Franc A., Menozzi P. Biodiversity, disturbances, ecosystem function and management of European forests. For. Ecol. Manage. 2000, 132:39-50.
6. Bishop K., Buffam I., Erlandsson M., Fölster J., Laudon H., Seibert J., Temnerud J. Aqua Incognita: the unknown headwaters. Hydrol. Process. 2008, 22:1239-1242.
7. Bishop K., Allan C., Bringmark L., Garcia E., Hellsten S., Högbom L., Johansson K., Lomander A., Meili M., Munthe J., Nilsson M., Porvari P., Skyllberg U., Sørensen R., Zetterberg T., Åkerblom S. The effects of forestry on Hg bioaccumulation in nemoral/boreal waters and recommendations for good silvicultural practice. Ambio 2009, 38:373-380.
8. Blinn C.R., Kilgore M.A. Riparian management practices - a summary of state guidelines. J. Forest. 2001, 99:11-17.
9. Boulton A.J., Hancock P.J. Rivers as groundwater-dependent ecosystems: a review of degrees of dependency, riverine processes and management implications. Aust. J. Bot. 2006, 54:133-144.
10. Broadmeadow S., Nisbet T.R. The effects of riparian forest management on the freshwater environment: a literature review of best management practice. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 2004, 8:286-305.
11. Burgin A., Lazar J.G., Groffman P.M., Gold A.J., Kellogg D.Q. Balancing nitrogen retention ecosystem services and greenhouse gas disservices at the landscape scale. Ecol. Eng. 2013, 56:26-35.
12. Buttle J.M. Rethinking the donut: the case for hydrologically relevant buffer zones. Hydrol. Process. 2002, 16:3093-3096.
13. Castelle A.J., Johnson A.W., Conolly C. Wetland and stream buffer size requirements-A review. J. Environ. Qual. 1994, 23:878-882.
14. Cory N., Buffam I., Laudon H., Köhler S., Bishop K. Landscape control of stream water aluminum in a boreal catchment during spring flood. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2006, 40:3494-3500.
15. Costa-Cabral M.C., Burges S.J. Digital elevation model networks (DEMON): a model of flow over hillslopes for computation of contributing and dispersal areas. Water Resource Res. 1994, 30:1681-1692.
16. Creed I.F., Sanford S.E., Beall F.D., Molot L.A., Dillon P.J. Cryptic wetlands: integrating hidden wetlands in regression models of the export of dissolved organic carbon from forested landscapes. Hydrol. Process. 2003, 17:3629-3648.
17. Creed I.F., Beall F.D., Clair T.A., Dillon P.J., Hesslein R.H. Predicting export of dissolved organic carbon from forested catchments in glaciated landscapes with shallow soils. Global Biogeochem. Cycles 2008, 22. 10.1029/2008gb003294.
18. Creed I.F., Sass G.Z., Wolniewicz M.B., Devito K.J. Incorporating hydrologic dynamics into buffer strip design on the sub-humid Boreal Plain of Alberta. For. Ecol. Manage. 2008, 256:1984-1994.
19. Dugdale S.J., Bergeron N.E., St-Hilaire A. Temporal variability of thermal refuges and water temperature patterns in and Atlantic salmon river. Remote Sens. Environ. 2013, 136:358-373.
20. Dynesius M., Hylander K., Nilsson C. High resilience of bryophyte assemblages in streamside compared to upland forests. Ecology 2009, 90:1042-1054.
21. Eglin T., Walter C., Nys C., Follain S., Forgeard F., Legout A., Squividant H. Influence of waterlogging on carbon stock variability at hillslope scale in a beech forest (Fougères forest-West France). Annals Forest Sci. 2008, 65:1-10.
22. Fairfield J., Leymarie P. Drainage networks from grid digital elevation models. Water Resource Res. 1991, 27:709-717.
23. Freeman T.G. Calculating catchment-area with divergent flow based on a regular grid. Comput. Geosci. 1991, 17:413-422.
24. Fries C., Carlsson M., Dahlin B., Lämås T., Sallnäs O. A review of conceptual landscape planning models for multiobjective forestry in Sweden. Can. J. For. Res. 1998, 28:159-167.
25. Futter M.N., Ring E., Högbom L., Entenmann S., Bishop K.H. Consequences of nitrate leaching following stem-only harvesting of Swedish forests are dependent on spatial scale. Environ. Pollut. 2010, 158:3552-3559.
26. Giesler R., Högberg M., Högberg P. Soil chemistry and plants in Fennoscandian boreal forest as exemplified by a local gradient. Ecology 1998, 79:119-137.
27. Gorsevski P.V., Boll J., Gomezdelcampo E., Brooks E.S. Dynamic riparian buffer widths from potential non-point source pollution areas in forested watersheds. For. Ecol. Manage. 2008, 256:664-673.
28. Grabs T., Bishop K., Laudon H., Lyon S.W., Seibert J. Riparian zone hydrology and soil water total organic carbon (TOC): implications for spatial variability and upscaling of lateral riparian TOC exports. Biogeosciences 2012, 9:3901-3916.
29. Gundersen P., Laurén A., Finér L., Ring E., Koivusalo H., Saetersdal M., Weslien J.O., Sigurdsson B.D., Högbom L., Laine J., Hansen K. Environmental services provided from riparian forests in the nordic countries. Ambio 2010, 39:555-566.
30. Hagan J.M., Pealer S., Whitman A.A. Do small headwater streams have a riparian zone defined by plant communities?. Can. J. Forest Res.- Revue Canadienne De Recherche Forestiere 2006, 36:2131-2140.
31. Harner M.J., Stanford J.A. Differences in cottonwood growth between a losing and a gaining reach of an alluvial floodplain. Ecology 2003, 84:1453-1458.
32. Hickey M.B.C., Doran B. A review of the efficiency of buffer strips for the maintenance and enhancement of riparian ecosystems. Water Qual. Res. J. Can. 2004, 39:311-317.
33. Hill A.R. Nitrate removal in stream riparian zones. J. Environ. Qual. 1996, 25:743-755.
34. Hjerdt K.N., McDonnell J.J., Seibert J., Rodhe A. A new topographic index to quantify downslope controls on local drainage. Water Resource Res. 2004, 40.
35. Hunt R.J., Strand M., Walker J.F. Measuring groundwater-surface water interaction and its effect on wetland stream benthic productivity, Trout Lake watershed, northern Wisconsin, USA. J. Hydrol. 2006, 320:370-384.
36. Hylander K., Jonsson B.G., Nilsson C. Evaluating buffer strips along boreal streams using bryophytes as indicators. Ecol. Appl. 2002, 12:797-806.
37. Jansson R., Laudon H., Johansson E., Augspurger C. The importance of groundwater discharge for plant species number in riparian zones. Ecology 2007, 88:131-139.
38. Jenson S.K., Domingue J.O. Extracting topographic structure from digital elevation data for geographic information-system analysis. Photogramm. Eng. Remote Sens. 1988, 54:1593-1600.
39. Klaminder J., Bindler R., Laudon H., Bishop K., Emteryd O., Renberg I. Flux rates of atmospheric lead pollution within soils of a small catchment in northern Sweden and their implications for future stream water quality. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2006, 40:4639-4645.
40. Kløve B., Ala-Aho P., Bertrand G., Boukalova Z., Ertürk A., Goldscheider N., Ilmonen J., Karakaya N., Kupfersberger H., Kvoerner J., Lundberg A., Mileusnić M., Moszczynska A., Muotka T., Preda E., Rossi P., Siergieiev D., Šimek J., Wachniew P., Angheluta V., Widerlund A. Groundwater dependent ecosystems. Part I: hydroecological status and trends. Environ. Sci. Policy 2011, 14:770-781.
41. Kopecký M., Čížková Š. Using topographic wetness index in vegetation ecology: does the algorithm matter?. Appl. Veg. Sci. 2010, 13:450-459.
42. Kreutzweiser D.P., Capell S.S. Fine sediment deposition in streams after selective forest harvesting without riparian buffers. Can. J. Forest Res.- Revue Canadienne De Recherche Forestiere 2001, 31:2134-2142.
43. Kreutzweiser D.P., Hazlett P.W., Gunn J.M. Logging impacts on the biogeochemistry of boreal forest soils and nutrient export to aquatic systems: a review. Environ. Rev. 2008, 16:157-179.
44. Kreutzweiser D.P., Sibley P.K., Richardson J.S., Gordon A.M. Introduction and a theoretical basis for using disturbance by forest management activities to sustain aquatic ecosystems. Freshwater Sci. 2012, 31:224-231.
45. Kuglerová L., Jansson R., Ågren A., Laudon H., Malm-Renöfält B. Groundwater discharge creates hotspots of riparian plant species richness in a boreal forest stream network. Ecology 2014, 95:715-725.
46. Kuglerová, L., Jansson, R., Sponseller, R.A., Laudon, H., Malm-Renöfält, B., 2014. Local and regional processes determine plant species richness in a river-network metacommunity. Ecology, in press,. http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/14-0552.1.
47. Laudon H., Berggren M., Ågren A., Buffam I., Bishop K., Grabs T., Jansson M., Köhler S. Patterns and dynamics of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in boreal streams: the role of processes, connectivity, and scaling. Ecosystems 2011, 14:880-893.
48. Laudon H., Sponseller R.A., Lucas R.W., Futter M.N., Egnell G., Bishop K., Ågren A., Ring E., Högberg P. Consequences of more intensive forestry for the sustainable management of forest soils and waters. Forests 2011, 2:243-260.
49. Laudon H., Buttle J., Carey S.K., McDonnell J., McGuire K., Seibert J., Shanley J., Soulsby C., Tetzlaff D. Cross-regional prediction of long-term trajectory of stream water DOC response to climate change. Geophys. Res. Lett. 2012, 39.
50. Lee P., Smyth C., Boutin S. Quantitative review of riparian buffer width guidelines from Canada and the United States. J. Environ. Manage. 2004, 70:165-180.
51. Lemly A.D. Modification of benthic insect communities in polluted streams: combined effects of sedimentation and nutrient enrichment. Hydrobiologia 1982, 87:229-245.
52. Lindsay J.B. A physically based model for calculating contributing area on hillslopes and along valley bottoms. Water Resource Res. 2003, 39.
53. Luke S.H., Luckai N.J., Burke J.M., Prepas E.E. Riparian areas in the Canadian boreal forest and linkages with water quality in streams. Environ. Rev. 2007, 15:79-97.
54. Löfgren S., Ring E., von Brömssen C., Sørensen R., Högbom L. Short-term effects of clear-cutting on the water chemistry of two boreal streams in northern Sweden: a paired catchment study. Ambio 2009, 38:347-356.
55. MacDonald R.L., Chen H.Y.H., Palik B.J., Prepas E.E. Influence of harvesting on understory vegetation along a boreal riparian-upland gradient. For. Ecol. Manage. 2014, 312:138-147.
56. Marczak L.B., Sakamaki T., Turvey S.L., Deguise I., Wood S.L.R., Richardson J.S. Are forested buffers an effective conservation strategy for riparian fauna? An assessment using meta-analysis. Ecol. Appl. 2010, 20:126-134.
57. McClain M.E., Boyer E.W., Dent C.L., Gergel S.E., Grimm N.B., Groffman P.M., Hart S.C., Harvey J.W., Johnston C.A., Mayorga E., McDowell W.H., Pinay G. Biogeochemical hot spots and hot moments at the interface of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Ecosystems 2003, 6:301-312.
58. McDonnell J.J. Where does water go when it rains? Moving beyond the variable source area concept of rainfall-runoff response. Hydrol. Process. 2003, 17:1869-1875.
59. Moore D.R., Spittlehouse D.L., Story A. Riparian microclimate and stream temperature response to forest harvesting: a review. JAWRA J. Am. Water Resources Assoc. 2005, 41:813-834.
60. Mosley E., Holmes S.B., Nol E. Songbird diversity and movement in upland and riparian habitats in the boreal mixedwood forest of northeastern Ontario. Can. J. Forest Res.- Revue Canadienne De Recherche Forestiere 2006, 36:1149-1164.
61. Murphy P.N.C., Ogilvie J., Connor K., Arpl P.A. Mapping wetlands: a comparison of two different approaches for New Brunswick. Can. Wetlands 2007, 27:846-854.
62. Murphy P.N.C., Ogilvie J., Castonguay M., Zhang C.-F., Meng F.-R., Arp P.A. Improving forest operations planning through high-resolution flow-channel and wet-areas mapping. The Forest. Chron. 2008, 84:568-574.
63. Murphy P.N.C., Ogilvie J., Meng F.R., White B., Bhatti J.S., Arp P.A. Modelling and mapping topographic variations in forest soils at high resolution: a case study. Ecol. Model. 2011, 222:2314-2332.
64. Naiman R.J., Décamps H. The ecology of interfaces: riparian zones. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 1997, 28:621-658.
65. Naylor B.J., Mackereth R.W., Kreutzweiser D.P., Sibley P.K. Merging END concepts with protection of fish habitat and water quality in new direction for riparian forests in Ontario: a case study of science guiding policy and practice. Freshwater Sci. 2012, 31:248-257.
66. Nilsson C. Conservation management of riparian communities. Ecological Principles of Nature Conservation 1992, 352-372. Springer, US. L. Hansson (Ed.).
67. Nilsson C., Berggren K. Alterations of riparian ecosystems caused by river regulation. Bioscience 2000, 50:783-792.
68. Nilsson C., Lepori F., Malmqvist B., Törnlund E., Hjerdt N., Helfield J.M., Palm D., Östergren J., Jansson R., Brännäs E., Lundqvist H. Forecasting environmental responses to restoration of rivers used as log floatways: an interdisciplinary challenge. Ecosystems 2005, 8:779-800.
69. Nilsson C., Brown R.L., Jansson R., Merritt D.M. The role of hydrochory in structuring riparian and wetland vegetation. Biol. Rev. 2010, 85:837-858.
70. Norrström A.C. Retention and chemistry of aluminum in groundwater discharge areas. Environ. Pollut. 1993, 81:269-275.
71. O'Callaghan J.F., Mark D.M. The extraction of drainage networks from digital elevation data. Comput. Vision Graphic Image Process. 1984, 28:323-344.
72. Olsson M.T., Erlandsson M., Lundin L., Nilsson T., Nilsson Å., Stendahl J. Organic carbon stocks in Swedish Podzol soils in relation to soil hydrology and other site characteristics. Silva Fennica 2009, 43:209-222.
73. Öquist M.G., Wallin M., Seibert J., Bishop K., Laudon H. Dissolved inorganic carbon export across the soil/stream interface and its fate in a boreal headwater stream. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2009, 43:7364-7369.
74. Pan Y.D., Birdsey R.A., Fang J.Y., Houghton R., Kauppi P.E., Kurz W.A., Phillips O.L., Shvidenko A., Lewis S.L., Canadell J.G., Ciais P., Jackson R.B., Pacala S.W., McGuire A.D., Piao S.L., Rautiainen A., Sitch S., Hayes D. A large and persistent carbon sink in the world's forests. Science 2011, 333:988-993.
75. Patten D.T. Riparian ecosystems of semi-arid North America: diversity and human impacts. Wetlands 1998, 18:498-512.
76. Power G., Brown R.S., Imhof J.G. Groundwater and fish - insights from northern North America. Hydrol. Process. 1999, 13:401-422.
77. Quinn P., Beven K., Chevallier P., Planchon O. The prediction of hillslope flow paths for distributed hydrological modelling using digital terrain models. Hydrol. Process. 1991, 5:59-79.
78. Richardson J.S., Naiman R.J., Bisson P.A. How did fixed-width buffers become standard practice for protecting freshwaters and their riparian areas from forest harvest practices?. Freshwater Sci. 2012, 31:232-238.
79. Rodhe A., Seibert J. Wetland occurrence in relation to topography: a test of topographic indices as moisture indicators. Agric. For. Meteorol. 1999, 98-9:325-340.
80. Sabo J.L., Sponseller R., Dixon M., Gade K., Harms T., Heffernan J., Jani A., Katz G., Soykan C., Watts J., Welter A. Riparian zones increase regional species richness by harboring different, not more, species. Ecology 2005, 86:56-62.
81. Sass G.Z., Wheatley M., Aldred D.A., Gould A.J., Creed I.F. Defining protected area boundaries based on vascular-plant species richness using hydrological information derived from archived satellite imagery. Biol. Conserv. 2012, 147:143-152.
82. Schelker J., Kuglerová L., Eklöf K., Bishop K., Laudon H. Hydrological effects of clear-cutting in a boreal forest - Snowpack dynamics, snowmelt and streamflow responses. J. Hydrol. 2013, 484:105-114.
83. Seibert J., McGlynn B.L. A new triangular multiple flow direction algorithm for computing upslope areas from gridded digital elevation models. Water Resource Res. 2007, 43.
84. Sheppard M.I., Thibault D.H., Milton G.M., Reid J.A.K., Smith P.A. Characterization of a suspected terrestrial deep groundwater discharge area on the Canadian Precambrian Shield. J. Contam. Hydrol. 1995, 18:59-84.
85. Sibley P.K., Kreutzweiser D.P., Naylor B.J., Richardson J.S., Gordon A.M. Emulation of natural disturbance (END) for riparian forest management: synthesis and recommendations. Freshwater Sci. 2012, 31:258-264.
86. Soulsby C., Youngson A.F., Moir H.J., Malcolm I.A. Fine sediment influence on salmonid spawning habitat in a lowland agricultural stream: a preliminary assessment. Sci. Total Environ. 2001, 265:295-307.
87. Spackman S.C., Hughes J.W. Assessment of minimum stream corridor width for biological conservation - Species richness and distribution along mid-order streams in Vermont, USA. Biol. Conserv. 1995, 71:325-332.
88. Swanson, F.J., Gregory, S., Sedell, J., Campbell, A., 1982. Land-water interactions: the riparian zone. In: Edmonds, R.L. (Ed.), Analysis of Coniferous Forest Ecosystems in the Western U.S. Hutchinson Ross, Stroudsberg, PA, pp. 267-291.
89. Sørensen R., Zinko U., Seibert J. On the calculation of the topographic wetness index: evaluation of different methods based on field observations. Hydrology Earth System Sci. 2006, 10:101-112.
90. Tarboton D.G. A new method for the determination of flow directions and upslope areas in grid digital elevation models. Water Resource Res. 1997, 33:309-319.
91. Toth J. A theoretical analysis of groundwater flow in small drainage basins. J. Geophys. Res. 1963, 68:4795.
92. Vidon P., Allan C., Burns D., Duval T.P., Gurwick N., Inamdar S., Lowrance R., Okay J., Scott D., Sebestyen S. Hot spots and hot moments in riparian zones: potential for improved water quality management1. JAWRA J. Am. Water Resources Assoc. 2010, 46:278-298.
93. Vidon P.G.F., Hill A.R. Landscape controls on the hydrology of stream riparian zones. J. Hydrol. 2004, 292:210-228.
94. 2 from streams - the dominant component of the carbon export through the aquatic conduit in a boreal landscape. Glob. Change Biol. 2013, 19:785-797.
95. Weiss, A.D., 2001. Topographic position and landforms analysis. In: Poster Presentation, ESRI Users Conference, San Diego, California, USA.
96. Wipfli M.S., Richardson J.S., Naiman R.J. Ecological linkages between headwaters and downstream ecosystems: transport of organic matter, invertebrates, and wood down headwater channels. J. Am. Water Resour. Assoc. 2007, 43:72-85.
97. Work T.T., Spence J.R., Volney W.J.A., Morgantini L.E., Innes J.L. Integrating biodiversity and forestry practices in western Canada. Forestry Chronicle 2003, 79:906-916.
98. Zimmer M.A., Bailey S.W., McGuire K.J., Bullen T.D. Fine scale variations of surface water chemistry in an ephemeral to perennial drainage network. Hydrol. Process. 2013, 27:3438-3451.
99. Zinko U., Dynesius M., Nilsson C., Seibert J. The role of soil pH in linking groundwater flow and plant species density in boreal forest landscapes. Ecography 2006, 29:515-524.