Response to Water Protection Rule changes in the Oregon Forest Practices Act : landowner/operator opinions and streamside conditions

Graduation date: 1997This study assessed implementation of the 1994 Water Protection Rules in the Oregon Forest Practices Act from the perspective of Rule users and post-harvest riparian conditions. A 1993 evaluation found that under the previous rules over half of riparian conifers were removed during harvest, prompting concerns about future sources of desirable instream woody debris. Twenty-four harvest sites throughout Oregon were assessed for riparian conditions after harvest, focusing on potential contribution of future large woody debris to streams relative to conditions at similar sites under prior rules. Industry foresters, logging operators, and nonindustrial private forest owners who had filed harvest notifications in Fall 1994 were sent questionnaires to determine the level of\ud support for the Rules and related concerns. Return rate was 67 percent of 848 sent,\ud yielding 403 usable surveys from people who had harvested. Personal interviews during\ud visits to harvested sites supplemented the survey results. Most (61%) generally or strongly supported the Water Protection Rules, while 26 percent generally or strongly opposed the Rules. Of choices listed in the survey, those factors that most affected support, or lack of it, were: 1) flexibility of rules, 2) whether rules were backed by good science, and 3) lack of compensation or incentives. For nonindustrial owners, whether the rules take better care of the land (stewardship) was also an important factor. The policy options considered most effective for influencing private forest management were more favorable tax policies and compensation. Riparian condition measurements were compared to results from the 1993 Oregon Department of Forestry Riparian Rule Effectiveness Study. Significantly more\ud conifers were left under the 1994 Rules than previously: 75% of preharvest conifers/l000 feet of stream was left in 1995 versus 35% in 1993 (p<0.01), and 68% of initial conifer basal acre (ft²/acre) was left in 1995 versus 27% in 1993 (p<0.01). For the 1995 data, an average of 50 percent of trees could fall directly into the stream, contributing debris over 8 inches diameter and 5 feet long. The number of snags left in\ud the riparian areas in Western Oregon was higher in 1995 (p