Assessments of Best Management Practices 



to determine its present level of application in 

 the Flathead Basin, but was not included in the 

 comparative analysis with the EQC results. 



Overall, the ratings indicate that BMPs are 

 being applied and are effective in a relatively 

 high percentage of timber harvesting opera- 

 tions in the Flathead Basin. Care must be exer- 

 cised in interpreting results based solely upon 

 the percentage of the practices rated as "ade- 

 quately applied." Extensive erosion was ob- 

 served on a number of sales and it resulted from 

 only a few inadequately applied practices .Every 

 practice evaluated did not have the same poten- 

 tial to protect water quality from nonpoint source 

 pollution. 



Comparison of these results with those from 

 the EQC study indicate that BMPs are better 

 applied and are generally more effective in the 

 Flathead Basin than they are statewide. 



However, there is clearly room for im- 

 provement. It was found that one "major" (ei- 

 ther short- or long-term) impact to water quality 

 is occurring for every two timber sales con- 

 ducted in the Flathead.It was also found that 

 almost two "minor" (short-term) impacts per 

 timber sale were occurring. 



The damage to a watershed resulting from a 

 single timber sale with major practice depar- 

 tures and impacts is generally easy to recognize. 

 However, minor impacts should not be under- 

 estimated and are a concern from a cumulative 

 effects perspective.The primary benefit from 

 an assessment process like a BMP audit is to 

 reduce the potential risk of cumulative water- 

 shed effects.Discovering and controlling minor 

 practice departures and impacts from various 

 timber sales across mixed ownerships, may 

 decrease the potential for basin- wide effects. 



The highest scores (best BMP implementa- 

 tion) awarded were frequently on sites where 

 harvest boundaries were adjacent to perennial 

 streams that had clearly defined banks and 

 channels and easily recognized beneficial uses. 



for example, trout habitat. 



Often the lowest scores given were on sites 

 that would not have been expected to produce 

 potential water quality problems. This illus- 

 trates the need for a program of continued 

 education to aid in interpretation and selection 

 of correct practices under a variety of site con- 

 ditions. 



Timber sales on which departures and im- 

 pacts were more frequently observed were char- 

 acterized by the following: 



( 1 ) Non-industrial private ownership. This 

 ownership class registered the poorest 

 performance in BMP application and 

 effectiveness. Furthermore, the group 

 was the least cooperative participant in 

 the study .frequently denying us access 

 to their lands. 



(2) Large management areas, where uni- 

 form practices were applied and not 

 tailored to micro-site conditions 



(3) Higher-elevation headwaters drainages 

 with poorly defined stream channels 



(4) Wet or moist sites with either shallow 

 water tables and/or high stream drain- 

 age densities. 



(5) Older sales where planning of trans- 

 portation systems and sale layout pre- 

 dated the recognition of statewide 

 BMPs. 



(6) S ales which did not physic ally m ark or 

 delineate stream side management 

 zones. 



(7) Inadequate road drainage features on 

 active system roads as well inadequate 

 drainage on roads that have been closed. 



(8) Sales which lacked a routine mainte- 

 nance schedule for ditches, culverts, 

 and road surfaces. 



(9) Sales which were conducted on highly 

 erodible soils, where the increased risk 

 of sediment production requires an 



Page 86 



Flathead Basin Cooperative Program Final Report 



