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Harvesting Best Management Practices Evaluation
Best Management Practices are required in Maryland to provide sediment and erosion control during forestry operations. The Forest
Watershed Management Program provides technical assistance in helping evaluate BMPs, including offering periodic training to logging operators. Past
studies have included a Forestry BMP Implementation study in 1995 and a Forestry BMP Effectiveness study in 2000. Current evaluations include
participation in the development of a regional assessment protocol for the Northeastern Area of the US, which focuses on pathways and mechanisms
of sediment delivery during forest harvesting operations.
The Forestry BMP Implementation Study in 1995 was funded by an EPA Clean Water Act Section 319 grant, and evaluated conditions found on 99 harvest
sites from 1993 to 1994. Harvest sites were between 10 and 350 acres and had water bodies present. Interdiscplinary teams were used to evaluate the
sites in five categories: haul roads/skid trails, stream crossings, stream management zones, landings/log decks, and soil stabilization. Implementation rates
averaged 82%, with the highest compliance occurring with BMPs for landings and log decks (figure). Regionally, the Lower Coastal Plain, a gently sloped
area on the Eastern Shore, had the highest rates of compliance, with 89% implementation. The Upper Coastal Plain, an area in Southern Maryland with
greater slopes, had a lower implementation rating of 75%. The Piedmont area, with rolling hills extending from Cecil County to Frederick County, averaged
86% implementation, while the Mountains area, the region west of Frederick with the steepest slopes, had a 78% implementation rate.
The Forestry BMP Effectiveness Study was completed in April 2000, also funded by an EPA Clean Water Act Section 319 grant.
The study used a paired watershed design with a calibration period to evaluate effects of forest harvesting with standard forestry BMPs on stream
benthos, temperature, and suspended sediment. The study, located in the Maryland Piedmont at the privately owned Stronghold property, concluded
that no significant changes in stream benthic macroinvertebrates, stream temperature, or suspended sediment were found with properly installed BMPs.
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