Effect on streamflow of four different forest practices in the Allegheny Mountains

After a 6-year calibration, four watersheds in the Fernow experimental forest in West Virginia were logged during 1957–1958. Practices ranged from a commercial clearcutting with ‘logger's choice’ skid roads to a light selection cutting with planned skid roads on moderate grades. For the most part, the treatments did not seriously disturb the forest floor. Annual flow increased up to 5 area-inches on the clearcut watershed the year after treatment. Increases fell into a logical pattern with volume cut. Most of the increase came in the growing season; from May to October 1959, increases were 3.0, 1.8, 1.4, and 0.3 area-inches for per-acre cuts of 8.5, 4.2, 3.7, and 1.7 thousand board feet, respectively. Low flows were augmented, especially for the two heavily cut watersheds. Effect on high flows was variable; on the clear-cut watershed some storm-period flows in the growing season were more than doubled, whereas some snow-melt flows were less than expected. Care in the logging operation was clearly reflected in water quality; maximum turbidities ranged from 56,000 ppm on the watershed having unplanned skid roads and no provision for drainage to 25 ppm on the watershed having carefully planned skid roads. Effects of treatment are diminishing with passage of time.