TABLE OF CONTENTS 



Page 



I. SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS 1 



II. INTRODUCTION 9 



A. Scope of Study 9 



B. Forest Industry in Montana 9 



III. SILVICULTURAL PRACTICES IN MONTANA 16 



A. Large private industry 19 



B. Small private 21 



C. State 23 



D. Bureau of Land Management 23 



IV. WATER QUALITY PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH SILVICULTURAL 



PRACTICES 25 



A. Sedimentation and Turbidity 25 



B. Channel Morphology 26 



C. Water Balance and Flow Regime 27 



D. Temperature 28 



E. Nutrients 29 



F. Chemical Changes 31 



G. Biological Changes 32 



V. POTENTIAL PROBLEMS 33 



A. Planned Development Activities 33 



B. Cumulative Effects 36 



C. Critical Areas 36 



D. Changes in Si Ivi cultural Practices 39 



VI. WATER QUALITY PROBLEMS RELATIVE TO SILVICULTURAL 



PRACTICES IN MONTANA 40 



A. Kootenai River Basin 43 



B. Clark Fork River Basin 56 



C. Missouri River Basin 96 



D. Yellowstone River Basin 125 



VII. BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES 133 



VIII. EVALUATION OF EXISTING STATUTES 158 



