Ecohydrological regulation of forest hillslope and catchment runoff

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Forested regions of the Rocky Mountains produce the vast majority regional water supplies in western Canada and the U.S. and potential impacts climate change on these water supplies is a major strategic concern across North America because of both projected changes in rainfall/snowfall and climate pressures on the health of these forests including increasing natural disturbances by wildfire, disease and insect attack, and storm damage. Accumulation and melting of deep mountain snowpacks is a key regulator of water supplies from this region and the potential interacting effects of both changing precipitation and forest health on hydrology of this region are currently highly uncertain. While much recent research is focused on understanding the factors regulating hydrologic sensitivity or resilience to climate change and impacts of land disturbance among regions, the hydrologic resilience to climate change and disturbance in the Rocky Mountain region is presently unclear. The objectives of this research are to improve understanding of how forest stand conditions (tree species, density, canopy structure) of forests respond to differences in climate and weather and collectively regulate the hydrology of this region to better understand and predict how water produced from this region may be affected as shifting climates cause (and are already causing) increased natural disturbances related to climate (wildfire, insect attack, etc.) or other changes in forest health. Specific studies will examine how different forest conditions present on cooler north facing, or warmer south facing slopes produce different hydrologic responses to rain and snow, and how these responses, in turn, produce differences in hydrologic sensitivity to climate change and land disturbance. This information is needed to develop strategies for the protection and management of these forests to help mitigate effects of climate change to help ensure security of important critical water supplies from this region.