Riparian Zone Variability In the Foothills of Alberta                                                  Amy Nicoll


Abstract
Introduction
Data
Methods
Results
Discussion
Sources of error
References
Introduction

Importance of woody debris

In forested watersheds, streamside (or riparian) forests exert a lot of control over in-stream processes.  Dead wood that has fallen into streams - a.k.a. woody debris – can greatly modify stream structure, water flow, nutrient availability and aquatic habitat.  Wood can create pools and log steps and protect stream banks from erosion.  It dissipates energy during peak flows, which can help to prevent debris flows.  It influences the propagation of nutrient fluxes and food availability (in the form of leaf litter and other allochtonous(link: http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Allochthonous) organic material) through the stream netowrk.  Finally, it can directly provide aquatic habitat by creating pools, providing shelter, and initiating in-stream island formation.1,2,3
killwatershed
Source: Batten KillWatershed Alliance, 2009    http://www.battenkillalliance.org/images/photogallery/HighRes/TRF%202006/750.jpg

  
Wood is input primarily from the riparian zone.  The rate of input depends on forest type, successional stage, disturbance, and topography.  So, different environments support different kinds of wood regimes, or none at all.  Woody debris is abundant and important in streams of the Albertan foothills, where watersheds are densely forested.
 
Context

My master’s research focuses on how the function and fluvial transport of woody debris changes over the course of a small watershed in the Rocky Mountain foothills. To my knowledge, the data will be the most thorough and detailed dataset of its kind, and it will be the only field study of downstream change in woody debris in Canada.  A link to the full project proposal can be found here.  The results will characterize conditions in an old growth, undisturbed spruce forest with a low-gradient stream network.  In the managed and naturally variable foothills, will my results apply to much of the surrounding landscape?

The “landscape” for this project is defined by the boundaries of the Hinton Wood Products Forest Management Area (FMA), in which my thesis watershed is located.

core

watersheds

sites


Objectives

The purpose of this study is to explore riparian-stream terrain relationships, and to determine how representative my study sites are of the surrounding forests. 

Hypotheses

• The slope and roughness of the riparian forest floor is associated with slope and variability of the    streambed, and that terrain variability is greatest in headwater streams.

• Old growth Spruce stands will be common throughout the landscape, but will be more frequent in lower-elevation reaches and medium stream orders.

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Data