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An Assessment of Abandoned Railroad Grades in Riparian Areas in the University of Idaho Experimental Forest Item Info

Timber harvesting has been occurring in the western United States since European settlers first arrived in the 1880s. In that time, it has been a significant source of disturbance to forest ecosystems. One aspect of this disturbance was the construction of railroad grades to transport harvested timber, which were often built in the riparian areas. My study examined abandoned railroad grades constructed on the University of Idaho Experimental Forest to determine whether there might be any residual disturbance to the riparian areas, as well as examining this disturbance in a historical context. Residual effects of railroad construction and use, in a comparison of graded and ungraded sites, were found throughout the riparian zones examined in my study. Light penetration was higher for ungraded, disturbed sites. Mean diameter at breast height (DBH) was highest on ungraded sites. However, there were no discernable differences in species composition or penetration resistance between graded and ungraded sites. Structurally, however, there were many areas where the railroad grades still existed and restricted the flow of the stream. Overall, the evidence suggests historic railroad construction and use may still have some effect on the function of the riparian areas. These effects appear to be primarily related to the physical restriction of stream channels and possibly erosion of stream banks. More study will be required to determine specifically how this restriction affects the riparian areas.

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Title:
An Assessment of Abandoned Railroad Grades in Riparian Areas in the University of Idaho Experimental Forest
Creator:
Loomis, Eric S.
Date Created:
2004-08
Description:
Timber harvesting has been occurring in the western United States since European settlers first arrived in the 1880s. In that time, it has been a significant source of disturbance to forest ecosystems. One aspect of this disturbance was the construction of railroad grades to transport harvested timber, which were often built in the riparian areas. My study examined abandoned railroad grades constructed on the University of Idaho Experimental Forest to determine whether there might be any residual disturbance to the riparian areas, as well as examining this disturbance in a historical context. Residual effects of railroad construction and use, in a comparison of graded and ungraded sites, were found throughout the riparian zones examined in my study. Light penetration was higher for ungraded, disturbed sites. Mean diameter at breast height (DBH) was highest on ungraded sites. However, there were no discernable differences in species composition or penetration resistance between graded and ungraded sites. Structurally, however, there were many areas where the railroad grades still existed and restricted the flow of the stream. Overall, the evidence suggests historic railroad construction and use may still have some effect on the function of the riparian areas. These effects appear to be primarily related to the physical restriction of stream channels and possibly erosion of stream banks. More study will be required to determine specifically how this restriction affects the riparian areas.
Document Type:
Thesis
Library Call Number:
QH541.5.F6L66 2004
Subjects:
East Hatter Creek West Hatter Creek railroad grades riparian ecosystems railroad disturbance forest resources
UIEF Unit:
East Hatter Creek West Hatter Creek
Location:
UIEF; East Hatter Creek; West Hatter Creek
Latitude:
46.83765
Longitude:
-116.824734
Department:
Department of Forest Resources
Type:
text
Format:
application/pdf

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Source
Preferred Citation:
"An Assessment of Abandoned Railroad Grades in Riparian Areas in the University of Idaho Experimental Forest", UIEF Research Exchange, University of Idaho Library Digital Collections, https://www.lib.uidaho.edu/digital/uief/items/uief_0100.html
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In copyright, educational use permitted.
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http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/
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