Impacts of Forest Disturbance on Hydrology in Large Watersheds

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The impact of forest disturbance on hydrology has long been an important research topic, but the majority of this research has been conducted on small watersheds (<100km2) with rare examination of large ones (>1000km2). It is commonly accepted that the results from small watersheds are difficult to extrapolate to large watersheds. Large watershed studies are constrained by the difficulty of conducting paired-watershed experiments, and by insufficient data, landscape complexity and lack of accepted methodologies. However, growing demand for information at large spatial scales to support forest and watershed management highlights a critical need for the research of large watersheds. With the support from my NSERC Discovery Grant (2005-2012), we have successfully developed a research method for separating relative contribution of forest disturbance and climate variability to hydrology in large watersheds, and the applications of the method have been published on the high-impact journals (e.g., Water Resources Research). The objectives of my new research (2013-2018) include: (1) application of our methodology in 10-15 more large watersheds to assess cumulative effects of forest disturbance (mainly wildfire and timber harvesting) on hydrology; (2) quantification of the effects of mountain pine beetle infestation on hydrology in several severely-infected watersheds; and (3) examination of how watershed properties, forest disturbance and climate change interactively influence hydrology using an integrated analysis. My long-term goal is to establish a world-class research program on eco-hydrology research in large watersheds. Availability of numerous large watersheds (35-40) with excellent data in the British Columbia interior provides an exceptional opportunity to achieve my goal.