Water quality effects of pine flatwoods silviculture

ABSTRACT: Three watersheds in the poorly drained pine flatwoods region of north central Florida were monitored for 6 years. Three silvicultural treatments were imposed during the second year: harvest with minimum disturbance and site preparation, harvest with maximum disturbance and site preparation, and an undisturbed control. The minimum treatment included manual shortwood harvesting, slash chopping, soil bedding, and machine planting. The maximum treatment included machine tree-length harvesting, slash burning, windrowing, soil bedding, and machine planting. There were small but significant increases in pH, suspended sediment, Ca, and K, proportional to the degree of disturbance during the treatment year. Only K and Ca levels remained significant during the first post-treatment year. Minimum-disturbance practices with protective stream management zones will minimize nonpoint-source pollution.