Same streams in a different forest? Investigations of forest harvest legacies and future trajectories across 30 years of stream habitat monitoring on the Tongass National Forest, Alaska.

ABSTRACT: The effects of timber harvest practices and climate change have altered forest ecosystems in southeast Alaska. However, quantification of patterns and trends in stream habitats associated with these forests is limited owing to a paucity of data available in remote watersheds. Here, we analyzed a 30-year dataset from southeast Alaska's Tongass National Forest to understand how these factors shape stream habitats. First, we examined differences between broad management classes (i.e., harvested and non-harvested) that have been used to guide stream channel restoration goals. Second, we assessed associations between intrinsic landscape characteristics, watershed management, and timber harvest legacies on aquatic habitat metrics. And third, we examined trends in stream habitat metrics over the

SUBMITTER: Moore J MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11236125 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature