Pacific Southwest Research Station

Water is the single most important commodity produced from California's forests. In addition to providing irrigation and power, and serving domestic and industrial uses, water provides habitat for commercial and sport fishery and the basis for a multi-million-dollar recreation industry.

Maintaining healthy watersheds is a top priority for the Forest Service, which has the maintenance of water quality as one of its original legislative mandates. Long-term maintenance of water quality requires healthy forests, but certain land management activities may adversly affect water quality.

An important role of Station scientists is to consider cumulative effects resulting from such activities and to provide a level of understanding from which sound land management and restoration decisions can be made.

Collaborative Projects

CALFED - This product was developed by the Pacific Southwest Research Station, in cooperation with the Lassen National Forest, to introduce the CALFED watershed improvement program on the Lassen National Forest. The analysis and restoration program was initiated to expand and accelerate the Forest's efforts to protect and improve habitat for some of the last naturally reproducing populations of steelhead and spring-run Chinook salmon in the Sacramento River system. The program includes work in five watersheds, Antelope, Battle, Butte, Deer and Mill Creeks, all tributary to the Sacramento River.

Major Research Initiatives:

Caspar Creek Watershed Study: Since 1962, researchers have been studying the nature of hydrologic, erosion, and sedimentation impacts of logging operations on northern California watersheds. The Caspar Creek Experimental Watershed Study, located on the Jackson Demonstration State Forest near Fort Bragg, California, is a cooperative venture of the Redwood Sciences Laboratory and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Turbidity Threshold Sampling Study: Turbidity threshold sampling is an automated procedure for measuring turbidity and sampling suspended sediment. The data logger program employs turbidity to govern sample collection during each transport event. The Turbidity Threshold Sampling method is currently operating at 30 gaging sites in northern California, and at two sites in Arizona.

Fine Sediment in Pools: V* is a measure of the supply of excess fine sediment (sand and fine gravel) in gravel bed channels. The method was developed in 1990 as part of our work on the effects of sediment on channel form.

Research is being conducted by: