2011 Partnership Highlights
North Carolina Forestry Best Management Practices (BMPs)
Research study to quantify the effectiveness of forestry BMPs at preventing sedimentation
Forestry BMPs are practices designed to protect water quality during forestry operations on a site-specific basis. In many circumstances, BMPs are recognized by federal and state regulatory agencies as the primary method to prevent nonpoint source pollution from forestry activities. In North Carolina, BMPs are defined for forestry in the North Carolina Administrative Code as: “….a practice, or a combination of practices, that is determined to be an effective and practicable (including technological, economic, and institutional considerations) means of preventing or reducing the amount of pollution generated by nonpoint sources to a level compatible with water quality goals.”
Although BMPs are accepted as standard approaches to protect water quality during forestry operations, prior to this study, few attempts have quantified BMP effectiveness in small piedmont first order headwater watersheds. Preliminary findings suggest that BMPs are effective at preventing sedimentation. However, monitoring will continue through 2013 to quantify watershed hydrology dynamics, risks to water quality, and overall BMP effectiveness.
Contact: Johnny Boggs, biological scientist, johnny.boggs@usda.gov
