Effectiveness Monitoring and Research

Sealaska Corporation is an industrial leader in relying on science to evaluate the effectiveness of forest practice regulations for the protection of fish habitat and water quality. In response to the revised Alaska Forest Resources and Practices Act (amended 1990), Sealaska initiated a forest and fish monitoring/research program in 1992, which continues today. Research studies are facilitated by a team of contract scientists under the guidance of Dr. Douglas Martin. Funding comes primarily from Sealaska with contributions from the Alaska Forest Association and from cooperative grant programs, such as Community Water Quality Grant and Alaska Clean Water Action Grant.

Fish Habitat Conditions
A key component of the effectiveness monitoring program is the examination of the effectiveness of buffer zones for protecting fish habitat. A primary question is: do the 66-foot wide buffer zones protect fish habitat over the long term? To address this issue, Sealaska established a network of study sites that are representative of forestlands in northern and southern Southeast Alaska (i.e., Hoonah and Craig areas, respectively). Trends in fish habitat condition have been monitored for up to 13 years after logging. A comprehensive assessment of the study findings is available in a report, Habitat Final 2005, and publication in the Transactions of the American Fisheries Society is anticipated in late 2007.

Windthrow
Another important question about buffer zones is their survival from tree windthrow following logging. To investigate this issue, Sealaska employed an innovative approach using large-scale low-elevation aerial photography to compare windthrow levels between buffer zones and unlogged areas. For this study, Sealaska contractors collected a large random sample of riparian stand conditions from all private timberlands in Southeast Alaska. An assessment of the study findings is available in a report, Buffer Rep NS Combined, and publication in the Canadian Journal of Forest Research will be available in early 2007.

Large Woody Debris
The quantity and distribution of large woody debris in streams is important for the formation of fish habitat and overall habitat complexity. Because streams in Southeast Alaska are geographically diverse, resource managers have raised questions about the importance of buffer zones on streams of varying size and gradient, and the functions of large woody debris in different streams. To address these questions, Sealaska contractors conducted cutting-edge research on woody debris abundance, recruitment processes, and patterns of transport. The results of these studies were presented in a report, LWD Recruit & Transport Game Crk Final Report, and were subsequently published in the Transactions of the American Fisheries Society and the North American Journal of Fisheries Management.

Landslides
In addition to studies of buffer zones, Sealaska contractors investigated the occurrence of landslides in association with logging and answered the question; how often do landslides caused by logging impact salmon streams? This study used aerial photos from the 1960s to the 1990s to inventory the history of natural and logging related landslides in the same basins where habitat trends are being monitored.

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