Standards Highlight 4: Air, Water, and Soil Protection
Best Management Practices and Water Quality
According to the U.S. Forest Service, private forested lands are essential for about two-thirds of our drinking water. Therefore, managing land with water quality in mind is critical. Following the passage of the Clean Air Act in the 1970s, most states developed best management practices (BMPs) to help landowners safeguard water quality by controlling pollution and other threats arising from forestry activities.
Standard 4: Air, Water, and Soil Protection provides the requirements and guidance to ensure that Tree Farmers are meeting or exceeding all applicable state BMPs. When meeting with landowners, take the opportunity to review your state’s BMPs and explain the ways in which landowners can protect rivers and streams.
Create riparian buffers. Buffers along stream banks are one of the best ways to protect a water source. Buffers filter sediment and pollutants from soil runoff and provide shade to keep water cool. They combat erosion by stabilizing banks and regulating stream flow, and they offer habitats to many plant and animal species.
Remove barriers to fish migration. Interrupting a stream’s flow with bridges and culverts can change stream conditions and prevent the migration of fish and other aquatic species.
Minimize runoff from forest roads. Most of the sediment from forested land is due to runoff from poorly designed and maintained forest roads. Roads should be regularly inspected and repaired by filling wet spots, grading to maintain proper drainage, and ensuring ditches and culverts are free of debris.
During inspections, particularly during and after timber harvest, ensure that the buffers have been adequately maintained, culverts and temporary stream crossings are clear, and there is no sediment runoff into nearby waterways.
In the event that a BMP violation has occurred, landowners must be committed to correcting inadvertent violations. A pattern of willful violation of relevant laws, regulations or ordinances is not acceptable. If there is evidence of past nonconformance, the landowner must show proof of a good-faith effort to remedy the nonconformance. If the matter is tied up in court, the landowner is only disqualified when a final adverse judgment is rendered and the landowner refuses to comply with the ruling
