Technology transfer from small watersheds to managed watersheds in the Canadian Boreal Forest: application of watershed disturbance models to an industrial landscape

我们建议开发一个流程，使流域内的水文要素可以嵌入林业使用的预测和规划工具中，也可以在加拿大所有地区的能源部门、林业和其他土地使用者的综合资源管理背景下联合使用。我们的目标是将FORWARD I项目期间为一级流域开发的水文建模框架应用于行业相关规模，即我们在西部北方平原（天鹅山，阿尔伯塔）和中部北方盾牌（传统森林，安大略西北部）运营的行业合作伙伴的区域和次区域分析和森林管理领域。在此过程中，我们将开发一个适当的混合模型，从现有的框架，结合确定性和随机方法的方面。我们将利用现有的广泛的实地基础设施和完善的协议，收集输入数据的天气，土壤，土壤微生物群落，地下水，湿地，植被，河岸和水生生物指标，径流和水质从一至四阶流域。项目成果将使我们的行业合作伙伴能够确定流域的最佳土地扰动水平，并根据平衡土地扰动与水质值的协议，规划长达200年的综合土地管理活动。此外，这项工作将有助于减少数据需求，明智的监测，所有流域情景的系统学习能力，以及更好的收获后总生物量预测。它将把河岸植被的连通性和完整性与湿地联系起来，纳入基于格局和进程的规划，认识到这些流域特征在减缓损失和在自然变异范围内维持与这些地点有关的植物群和动物群方面的重要性。

We propose to develop a process whereby hydrologic elements within watersheds can be embedded in forecast and planning tools used by the Forest Industry and can also be used jointly in an Integrated Resource Management context by the Energy Sector, Forest Industry and other land users throughout all areas in Canada. Our goal is to apply the hydrologic modelling framework developed for first-order watersheds during the FORWARD I project to the industry-relevant scale, namely regional and sub-regional analysis and forest management areas of our Industry Partners operating in the western Boreal Plain (Swan Hills, Alberta) and the central Boreal Shield (Legacy Forest, northwestern Ontario). During this process, we will develop an appropriate hybrid model from the existing framework, incorporating aspects of both deterministic and stochastic approaches. We will use existing extensive field infrastructure and refined protocols to collect input data on weather, soils, soil microbial communities, groundwater, wetlands, vegetation, riparian and aquatic bioindicators, streamflow and water quality from first- through fourth-order watersheds. Project outcomes will permit our Industry Partners to determine the optimal land disturbance levels by watershed and plan their Integrated Land Management activities for up to a 200-year horizon, based on protocols that balance land disturbance with water quality values. In addition, this work will facilitate fewer data needs, judicious monitoring, system learning capability for all watershed scenarios, and better post-harvest total biomass predictions. It will link riparian vegetation connectivity and integrity and wetlands into planning based on patterns and processes, recognizing the importance of these watershed features in moderating losses and maintaining, within the range of natural variation, the flora and fauna associated with these sites.