Title
Sustainable Forest Management and Resource Conservation on Trust Lands in the Clark Fork River Basin
Abstract
The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) manages 598,000 acres of State Trust Lands in Montana’s Clark Fork basin, of which 534,000 acres are forested. These lands are held in trust to support public education and stewardship of Montana’s soil, water, and fisheries resources. Congruent with this mandate, and a multispecies Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP), DNRC develops forest management projects to maintain, protect and restore water quality, riparian function, and fisheries habitat. Of paramount importance, forest management projects include improving road systems and associated road-stream crossing structures to eliminate or reduce sediment delivery to stream networks. Many forest management projects contribute directly or indirectly to invasive fish management, fish habitat connectivity improvements, and channel and vegetation restoration. Effective monitoring of these activities provides a necessary and important adaptive feedback loop. Such monitoring includes, but is not limited to: in-situ turbidity monitoring, Best Management Practices (BMPs) application and effectiveness monitoring, fish habitat inventory, and riparian condition inventories. This poster presentation will provide insight into the dynamic nature of DNRC’s Forest Management program within the many major subbasins of the Clark Fork watershed in Montana.
Start Date
24-4-2015 12:00 PM
End Date
24-4-2015 2:00 PM
Document Type
Poster
Sustainable Forest Management and Resource Conservation on Trust Lands in the Clark Fork River Basin
The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) manages 598,000 acres of State Trust Lands in Montana’s Clark Fork basin, of which 534,000 acres are forested. These lands are held in trust to support public education and stewardship of Montana’s soil, water, and fisheries resources. Congruent with this mandate, and a multispecies Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP), DNRC develops forest management projects to maintain, protect and restore water quality, riparian function, and fisheries habitat. Of paramount importance, forest management projects include improving road systems and associated road-stream crossing structures to eliminate or reduce sediment delivery to stream networks. Many forest management projects contribute directly or indirectly to invasive fish management, fish habitat connectivity improvements, and channel and vegetation restoration. Effective monitoring of these activities provides a necessary and important adaptive feedback loop. Such monitoring includes, but is not limited to: in-situ turbidity monitoring, Best Management Practices (BMPs) application and effectiveness monitoring, fish habitat inventory, and riparian condition inventories. This poster presentation will provide insight into the dynamic nature of DNRC’s Forest Management program within the many major subbasins of the Clark Fork watershed in Montana.