Ecologically-based forest planning and management for aquatic ecosystems in the Duck Mountains, Manitoba

Abstract

Current forest management guidelines require the extensive use of stand level approaches to minimize impacts on aquatic ecosystems. As forest management practices in Canada evolve from a sustained yield, timber-based focus to a more sustainable approach, the need has been recognized for the addition of landscape or watershed-based management strategies to address the cumulative effects of management practices on aquatic systems. Additional concerns expressed by regulatory agencies have resulted in the need to restrict cumulative harvest rates and monitor harvest levels for a forest management operation in Manitoba. Present riparian management practices and watershed analysis procedures are reviewed for the operations of Louisiana-Pacific Canada in Manitoba. Requirements are outlined for multi-scale indicators and research to support the development of a watershed-based planning approach for use in forest management planning and monitoring. The development of this watershed-based approach is linked to the Forest Watershed and Riparian Disturbance (FORWARD) project. Key words: riparian management, watershed management, natural disturbance, forest harvest.