182 



I INTRODUCTION 



Thank you for the opportunity to discuss watershed health in 

 the Pacific Northwest. I am a forest hydrologist with the National 

 Council of the Paper Industry for Air and Stream Improvement 

 (NCASI) . My responsibilities include the NCASI forest water 

 quality program and work on the NCASI Cumulative Watershed Effects 

 Program. The mission of the NCASI Forest Water Quality Progreun is 

 to provide technical information and conduct research that creates 

 forest management options for achieving water quality and stream 

 quality objectives. Specific goals include: 



(1) Develop or validate management practices that can reduce water 

 and stream quality impacts from forest operations and maintain 

 sustainable stream quality. 



(2) Develop or validate assessment methods to facilitate adaptive 

 management by the forest products industry. 



(3) Develop or validate predictive methods which incorporate a 

 landscape and temporal perspective in water and stream quality 

 protection. 



(4) Provide technology transfer of information to the industry on 

 methods to reduce water and stream quality impacts. 



(5) Provide the industry with technical review of proposed 

 nonpoint source control strategies. 



I would like to discuss five key issues related to forest 

 watershed health on public lands in the Northwest. 



(1) Declines in salmonids in forest areas are not tied solely to 

 watershed conditions. 



(2) Forest management practices have dramatically improved through 

 the use of Best Management Practices, and recognition of sensitive 

 watershed sites including riparian areas. 



(3) Watershed damage observed in recent years is often tied to 

 past practices. Watershed hazards created by past practices can 

 and are being addressed. 



(4) Watersheds are resilient and, often show improving conditions 

 as a result of watershed protection and improved practices. 



(5) There are some important principles which should be used in 

 watershed analysis and identification of management needs. 



