Coastal Watershed Assessment Procedure Guidebook Cwap

A watershed assessment is required before any forest development plan is prepared for a community watershed in British Columbia. This guidebook is intended to provide direction to all professionals required to conduct watershed assessments, based on an assessment of the potential for cumulative hydrological effects from past and proposed forest harvesting and road building. It first describes the components of a watershed assessment, including formation of an advisory committee, compilation of existing information, field assessments, a hydrologist's report, and making forest development plan recommendations. Finally, administrative issues are discussed. Appendices include guidance on identification of watershed units, estimation of peak flow factors, sediment source surveys, and stream channel stability classification.

The watershed assessment procedure (WAP) is a tool to help forest managers understand the type and extent of current water-related problems that exist in a watershed and to recognize the possible hydrologic implications of proposed forestry-related development in that watershed. This guidebook explains how to complete a reconnaissance-level WAP analysis for coastal areas in British Columbia according to the provincial Forest Practices Code. The procedure includes compilation on a topographic base map of data relating to peak flow, surface erosion, riparian buffers, landslides, headwaters, and watershed characteristics, then converting the raw data into indicator scores and compiling the scores onto a watershed report card. The guide includes sample worksheet forms and instructions on how to summarize the results in five impact categories and how to produce a hazard index for each category. The appendices include definitions of erosion-prone areas and descriptions of forestry impacts on surface hydrology and erosion.

Landslide Risk Management comprises the proceedings of the International Conference on Landslide Risk Management, held in Vancouver, Canada, from May 31 to June 3, 2005. The first part of the book contains state-of-the-art and invited lectures, prepared by teams of authors selected for their experience in specific topics assigned to them by the JTC

Hydrological processes in forested watersheds are influenced by environmental, physiological, and biometric factors such as precipitation, radiation, temperature, species type, leaf area, and extent and structure of forest ecosystems. Over the past two centuries, forest coverage and forest structures have been impacted globally by anthropogenic activities, for example, forest harvesting, and conversion of forested landscapes for plantations and urbanization. In addition, since the industrial revolution, climate change has resulted in profound impacts on forest ecosystems due to higher carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration or CO2 fertilization, warmer temperatures, changes in frequency and intensity of extreme weather events and natural disturbances. As a result, hydrological processes in forested watersheds have been altered by these natural and anthropogenic factors and these changes are expected to accelerate due to future changing climatic conditions. Hence, understanding how various environmental, physiological, and physical drivers interactively influence hydrological and biogeochemical processes in forest ecosystems is critical for sustainable water supply in forested watersheds. About 21% of the global population depends on water sources that originate in forested catchments where forest coverage larger than 30%. Furthermore, there are knowledge gaps in our understanding of the mechanism of hydrological and hydrochemical cycles in forested watersheds. This Special Issue addresses these gaps in our knowledge and includes twelve papers in the following three major research themes in forest watershed areas.

Over the last two decades, hydrologists and geomorphologists have often discussed the need to document the history, scientific discoveries, and field expertise gained in watershed management in British Columbia. Several years ago, a group of watershed scientists from FORREX, academia, government, and the private sector gathered at the University of British Columbia to discuss the idea of a provincially relevant summary of hydrology, geomorphology, and watershed management. Through this meeting, the Compendium of Forest Hydrology and Geomorphology was born. As a synthesis document, the Compendium consolidates current scientific knowledge and operational experience into 19 chapters. To ensure reliable, relevant, and scientifically sound information, all chapters were extensively peer reviewed employing the standard double-blind protocol common to most scholarly journals. Chapters in the Compendium summarize the basic scientific information necessary to manage water resources in forested environments, explaining watershed processes and the effects of disturbances across different regions of the province. In short, the Compendium is about British Columbia and is primarily intended for a British Columbian audience, giving it a uniquely regional focus compared to other hydrology texts. At over 800 pages, the Compendium showcases the rich history of forest hydrology, geomorphology, and aquatic ecology research and practice in British Columbia and sets forth the foundation for the future by showing us how much more we have yet to learn.