Near-Term Effects of Repeated-Thinning with Riparian Buffers on Headwater Stream Vertebrates and Habitats in Oregon, USA

We examined the effects of a second-thinning harvest with alternative riparian buffer management approaches on headwater stream habitats and associated vertebrates in western Oregon, USA. Our analyses showed that stream reaches were generally distinguished primarily by average width and depth, along...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Forests 2014-11, Vol.5 (11), p.2703-2729
Main Authors: Olson, Deanna H, Burton, Julia I
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
amphibians
Biodiversity
Caudata
Dicamptodon
Dicamptodon tenebrosus
Ecosystems
Forest management
Habitats
Harvest
Pacific Northwest
Plethodon
Plethodon dunni
Reptiles & amphibians
Rhyacotriton
Riparian buffers
salamanders
Timber
timber harvest
Water quality
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Summary:We examined the effects of a second-thinning harvest with alternative riparian buffer management approaches on headwater stream habitats and associated vertebrates in western Oregon, USA. Our analyses showed that stream reaches were generally distinguished primarily by average width and depth, along with the percentage of the dry reach length, and secondarily, by the volume of down wood. In the first year post-harvest, we observed no effects of buffer treatment on stream habitat attributes after moderate levels of thinning. One of two "thin-through" riparian treatments showed stronger trends for enlarged stream channels, likely due to harvest disturbances. The effects of buffer treatments on salamanders varied among species and with habitat structure. Densities of Plethodon dunni and Rhyacotriton species increased post-harvest in the moderate-density thinning with no-entry buffers in wider streams with more pools and narrower streams with more down wood, respectively. However, Rhyacotriton densities decreased along streams with the narrowest buffer, 6 m, and P. dunni and Dicamptodon tenebrosus densities decreased in thin-through buffers. Our study supports the use of a 15-m or wider buffer to retain sensitive headwater stream amphibians.
ISSN:1999-4907
1999-4907
DOI:10.3390/f5112703