Audit procedures and implementation rates for forest water quality Best Management Practices in the 13 southeastern states

Abstract

Forestry Best Management Practices (BMPs) were established to protect water quality by minimizing nonpoint source pollutants associated with forest operations. Research has shown that appropriate application of BMPs provides effective mitigation of erosion and sedimentation. State forestry agencies are primarily responsible for recommending which BMPs to implement and monitoring their use. Few studies have compared BMP programs, audits, and prescriptions among states and physiographic regions. To address these questions, audit questionnaires were obtained from the 13 member states of the Southern Group of State Foresters to evaluate six forest operational categories: stream crossings, decks, skid trails, haul roads, harvest areas, and overall implementation. These audits were used to assess BMP implementation at 116 harvest sites across 12 states (excluding Kentucky) and three physiographic regions (Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain) in the southeastern United States. Overall implementation was highest in the Coastal Plain, followed by the Piedmont, and lastly the Mountains. We found that skid trail implementation in the Mountains (76.1%) was significantly lower than in both the Piedmont (86.0%) (<i>p</i>-value = 0.0028) and Coastal Plain (85.2%) (<i>p</i>-value = 0.0065) regions. Mountain stream crossing implementation (83.9%) was also significantly lower (<i>p</i>-value = 0.0459) than in the Coastal Plain (92.3%). Findings suggest that additional BMP focus in the Mountain region is needed for constructing and closing out skid trails and stream crossings to enhance water quality protection efforts. The mean overall BMP implementation rate was approximately 90.1% for the southeastern region. The regional BMP implementation rates were also calculated for each feature as follows: decks (92.7%), harvest areas (95.6%), haul roads (91.9%), skid trails (82.9%), and stream crossings (88.2%). Mean BMP implementation rates using each of the 13 state audits were compared. Florida (93.5%) and Kentucky (92.9%) audits produced the highest overall scores, while Virginia (88.3%), Alabama (88.3%), and Tennessee (87.8%) audits provided more stringent evaluations. Implementation rates for the 13 state audits were highly variable for both the stream crossings and skid trails, indicating substantial differences in assessments of these categories. Results from this study (1) provide insight into the current state of BMPs, (2) identify areas where BMPs have the most potential to improve, and (3) demonstrate that BMPs are being implemented at relatively high rates in the southeast. A combined audit among individual states with similar physiographic provinces, operating systems and conditions, and topography could be created so that stronger inferences can be made concerning BMP implementation among states.