Setting the Landscape Context for Paired Watershed Studies in Western Oregon
Abstract
Paired watershed studies provide valuable scientific understanding of the effects
of disturbance on aquatic resources. Recently, the Watersheds Research Cooperative
(WRC) in western Oregon initiated three paired watershed studies in order to investigate
the effects of contemporary timber management practices on aquatic ecosystems. I
use geographic information system (GIS) tools, combined with principal components
and cluster analyses, to develop a landscape classification of forested headwater
basins in order to support these paired watershed studies. Spatial and statistical
analyses were applied to landform, geologic texture, forest cover, and climate variables
that describe the biophysical and climatic setting of forested headwater catchments
(300 – 58,000 km2) in western Oregon. Cluster analysis isolated 5 groups that account
for major differences in environmental conditions across the landscape, but have a
large ratio of among to within group dissimilarity. The first and second principal
component axes correlate most strongly to differences in slope and elevation, and
the percent coniferous tree cover and past harvest, respectively.
Ultimately, results from clustering and principal components analysis are combined
to identify areas on the landscape that are best represented by WRC study sites.
Results show that the WRC sites are environmentally similar to the majority of forested
areas in western Oregon, with notable exceptions. These results provide a landscape
context for interpreting and extrapolating the findings of paired watershed studies
and are useful for prioritizing site locations for future paired watershed studies
in the region. Partners including the Bureau of Land Management, Oregon Department
of Forestry, and private landowners will use this information to better understand
the broader implications of contemporary timber harvest techniques on watershed processes
and aquatic biota.
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/489Citation
Bax, Tyler (2008). Setting the Landscape Context for Paired Watershed Studies in Western Oregon. Master's project, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/489.Collections
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