17. Logging Effects on the Aquatic Ecosystem: A
Case Study in the Carnation Creek Experimental
Watershed on Canada's West Coast
Eugene D. Hetherington
The Carnation Creek Experimental Watershed Project was initiated in
1970 to investigate the impacts of forest harvesting on vegetation, soil,
water, and fish in a typical coastal rainforest salmonid stream ecosystem.
A major emphasis was placed on the stream system and the production
of salmon. Monitoring of hydrometeorological parameters, vegetation
changes, and forestry activities provided necessary information for interpretation of fisheries and stream-related data. The project was originally
scheduled for completion in 1986, but was continued because of recognition that important changes in the stream channel and in fish populations are still occurring. In the context of climate change and the
extremely limited amount of information on streamflow, precipitation,
and fish life cycles in mountainous coastal watersheds , the relatively long
length of the Carnation Creek data record is becoming increasingly
valuable.
Study Area
Carnation Creek drains a 1000 ha mountainous watershed located on the
west coast of Vancouver Island , British Columbia, Canada, 49°N and
125°W (inset, Figure 17.1). The watershed lies in the transition area
between perhumid and seasonal temperate rainforests, having some tree
342
Case Study in the Carnation Creek Experimental
Watershed on Canada's West Coast
Eugene D. Hetherington
The Carnation Creek Experimental Watershed Project was initiated in
1970 to investigate the impacts of forest harvesting on vegetation, soil,
water, and fish in a typical coastal rainforest salmonid stream ecosystem.
A major emphasis was placed on the stream system and the production
of salmon. Monitoring of hydrometeorological parameters, vegetation
changes, and forestry activities provided necessary information for interpretation of fisheries and stream-related data. The project was originally
scheduled for completion in 1986, but was continued because of recognition that important changes in the stream channel and in fish populations are still occurring. In the context of climate change and the
extremely limited amount of information on streamflow, precipitation,
and fish life cycles in mountainous coastal watersheds , the relatively long
length of the Carnation Creek data record is becoming increasingly
valuable.
Study Area
Carnation Creek drains a 1000 ha mountainous watershed located on the
west coast of Vancouver Island , British Columbia, Canada, 49°N and
125°W (inset, Figure 17.1). The watershed lies in the transition area
between perhumid and seasonal temperate rainforests, having some tree
342