Potentially available LWD metrics for assessing riparian forest function

摘要

Models for in stream large woody debris are typically ecologically oriented, past looking, and cumulative, incorporating myriad highly variable input and output processes to estimate amount of large woody debris. Including these processes, while important from an ecological perspective, may not be an effective strategy from management or regulatory perspectives, as their inclusion introduces modeling uncertainties, and subsequently, management or regulatory uncertainties. Assuming that the current and future states are of primary importance within management and regulatory contexts and that in stream large woody debris originates within forests adjacent to streams, an individual tree bootstrap simulation system supporting multi-zone riparian forestmanagement was developed and used to compute a distribution of metrics for potentially available large woody debris. The metrics are demonstrated by identifying a reference condition and then assessing several riparian management scenarios. Finally, thepotentially available large woody debris metrics are shown to be equivalent to a class of ecologically oriented models that are in active use.