Riparian N Buffering - Landscape Logic · 2012. 6. 25. · 92007-2009 for whole of farm • Equipment and materials 9Weirs 9Loggers 9Sensors (turbidity, DO, pH, ... WB3 = Willow Bend

Riparian N BufferingSub-Project 4.4 of Landscape Logic CERF

Philip Smethurst , Kevin Petrone and Craig BaillieSoil and Water Scientist3rd September 2008

CSIRO. Riparian N Buffering

Spot the Problem


Stream-Side Forest Buffer Option - Examples

Albany, WA

Yan Yan Gurt Catchment, Vic. (R. Reid, pers. comm.)

Pet River, TasPet River, Tas

South island, NZ


Farmer and NRM Manager PerspectivesMotivating Factors• Provision of shelterbelts for stock protection• Time and cost of stock losses and management of gullies• Aesthetics and property value• Certification of farm products for environmental standards• Carbon and other greenhouse gas credits• Soil conservation• Water quality for stock and human contact• Native habitat

Discouraging Factors• Reduced area of productive farmland• Cost of buffer establishment and maintenance• Code of forest practice • Lack of plantation management knowledge and experience• Uncertain level of water quality improvement


Landscape Logic ‘Riparian N Buffering’ Objectives

• Validate a nitrogen model of riparian buffering effects,

• Test its applicability in at least one other riparian buffering situation, e.g. Pet catchment,

• Demonstrate how this knowledge can be incorporated into a largercatchment modelling framework like E2 to predict riparian buffering effects on down-stream N concentrations,

• Use modelling scenarios to predict the effects of various riparian management scenarios, e.g. contrasting widths, trees vs grass, solid wood regimes vs biomass or no harvesting, crash grazing vszero stock access,

• Assist Landscape Logic to apply this modelling framework to other focus catchments, and

• Advise Bayesian network development and NRM regions directly in relation to water quality as affected by riparian management.

P4.1 and 5

P4.1

P2


Other Project Objectives

• Develop guidelines for establishing stream-side buffers of forest plantations for protecting stream water quality and producing wood in catchments that will remain predominantly agricultural.

• Quantify impacts on water quality and stream flow.

• Examine institutional and economic obstacles to stream-side buffer plantations.

• Develop acceptable methods for their management, including harvesting.

• Develop models to predict stream flow effects at a headwater catchment scale.

• Assess financial aspects at the farm scale.


Collaborators

• Chris and Giuliana White (graziers) – desire for environmental improvement and a farm-forestry enterprise

• Private Forests Tasmania – assistance with farm forestry

• Forest Practices Authority, Tasmania – interest in code improvement

• CRC for Forestry – stream-side forestry impacts on water quality

• CSIRO Agricultural Sustainability Initiative – trees in agro-ecosystems

• Dr Dan Neary, USFS – visiting scientist for 7 months; harvesting focus

• Landscape Logic CERF hub – N buffering

• DPI Victoria – equipment and collaboration on pasture N dynamics

• Univ. Nat. Res. Appl. Life Sci, Vienna – hill-slope N modelling

• CSIRO Water for a Healthy Country Flagship – water quality and flow


Study Catchment: Willow Bend Farm, Forsters Rivulet

44

4

&V

4

3

A

B

CD

Ea

bF

cG

Hc

1

2

3

Property BoundaryProposed PlantationStreamside PlantingNative Forest

Access TrackDrainage Line

3 Class 3 Stream

4 Class 4 Stream

Ford

&V House

Arterial RoadAccess RoadVehicular Track

Willow Bend Farm, Wattle GroveProposed operations: Stream plantings & Plantations

N

0 100 200 300 Meters

Scale 1 : 7 500

Red squares indicate monitoring sites. Note that stream B will not receive the streamside riparian treatment and therefore remain as a control for stream C, which will be treated in 2008. A maximum of 15% of streamside plantings will occur in 2007, and the rest in 2008. The block plantings a, b and c will probably not proceed.

B


Catchment DEM and plantation location

Plantation buffer: 5% of catchment area


Study Catchment: Willow Bend Farm, Forsters RivuletTreated Catchment 11.2 ha 38% native forest 62% pasture

Control Catchment 4.0 ha 1% native forest 99% pasture


Willow Bend Farm: 2007 Plantation Buffers


HYDRUS-CW2D Modelling:Hypothetical riparian buffer N dynamics simulated

Z

X

Organic N(solid and

liquid phase)

NH4(solution phase)

NO2(solution phase)

NO3(solution phase)

N2 NxOx

NH3/NH4UreaNO3

NH3/4

Mineralisation Nitrification

Denitrification

Leaching

Uptake

Fixation in lightening + fertilisers

Decomposition

Foliar Uptake

Nitrification

Harvesting

Fire

Erosion

Immobilisation ReductionReduction

NH4(exchange surfaces)

NH4(non-

exchangeable)

Fixation by microbes

Important Capabilities:• Denitrification• Other organic C, N and P pools• Rooting depth• N uptake• Rainfall, runoff, groundwater, and seepage• Spatial and temporal flexibility


HYDRUS Modelling:Hysterisis simulated using HYDRUS

4

4.5

5

5.5

6

6.5

7

7.5

8

250 300 350 400 450 500 550 600

Flow

Conc

entra

tion

Type A3

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

0.1 1 10 100 10000

2

4

6

8

10

12

QConc


E2-RNM Modelling

Within Sub-Catchments:- Functional Units- Rainfall-Runoff - Constituents- Filters

Flow routing via nodes

Bottom-of-Catchment:- Observations?- Tuning of Above Parameters

RNM


Progress

Staffing (Smethurst, Petrone, Baillie, Almeida, Bruce)HYDRUS and E2 models sourced + some trainingBuffer establishment on-track

2008 for small temporally and spatially controlled catchments2007-2009 for whole of farm

• Equipment and materialsWeirsLoggersSensors (turbidity, DO, pH, EC and temperature)Stream samplers

• Hydrological calibrations• Soil water monitoring and sampling

LabsDEMWeather station

Spot-sampling 2007-2008• Measurements and modelling 2008-2012• Harvesting and economics studies still needed


Willowbend Treatment August 2007


Willowbend Treatment August 2008


Study Catchment: Willow Bend Farm, Forsters Rivulet

Port CygnetHuon River

44

4

&V

4

3

A

B

CD

Ea

bF

cG

Hc

1

2

3

Spot Sampling Sites


Day after 30th June 2007

20 40 60 80 100 120

Tota

l N u

nfilt

ered

(mg/

L)

0.1

1

10

100

Median, 25-75% (n = 6)WB4CWB4(T)WB3Bottom of Catchment

Spot Sampling Program 2007: Pre-treatment calibration

WB4C = Willow Bend Class 4 Stream Control (continued stock access; no buffer) WB4(T) = Willow Bend Class 4 Stream Treated (riparian forestry buffer 2008)WB3 = Willow Bend Class 3 Stream (bottom of farm)Others = Class 3 and 4 streams comparable with WB4

Also MeasuredTotal P, DRPNO3, NO2, NH4, DONCa, Mg, K, NapH, EC, temperature, turbidity, TSSDOE. coli

Slightly disturbed lowlandriver trigger value


Willowbend 4 Treatment - EC & Rainfall

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.025

/05/20

081/0

6/200

88/0

6/200

815

/06/20

0822

/06/20

0829

/06/20

086/0

7/200

813

/07/20

0820

/07/20

0827

/07/20

083/0

8/200

810

/08/20

08

EC (m

S.cm

-1) /

Rai

nfal

l (m

m)


Carbon and Nitrogen DynamicsTreatment

05

1015202530354045

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.5 5.5 8.0 10.0

May 7 11:00 20:00

C (m

g/L) PC

DOC*

Control

0

5

10

15

20

25

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.5 5.5 8.0 10.0

May 7 11:00 20:00

C (m

g/L) PC

DOC*

Treatment

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

11.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.5 5.5 8.0 10.0

May 7 11:00 20:00

N (m

g/L)

PN

DON

NO3

NH4

Control

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.5 5.5 8.0 10.0

May 7 11:00 20:00

N (m

g/L)

PN

DON

NO3

NH4


Treatment

0.000

0.005

0.010

0.015

0.020

0.025

0.030

0.035

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.5 5.5 8.0 10.0

May 7 11:00 20:00

P (m

g/L)

PPDOPSRP

Control

0.0000.010

0.020

0.0300.040

0.0500.060

0.070

0.080

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.5 5.5 8.0 10.0

May 7 11:00 20:00

P (m

g/L)

PPDOP

SRP

Phosphorus Dynamics


Outputs

From the Project 1. Technical Report “Summary of Australian codes of forest practice as they pertain to managing

commercial plantations in stream-side buffers on cleared agricultural land” CRC Forestry Technical Report No. 178 May 2008

Link: http://www.crcforestry.com.au/publications/downloads/TR178-Smethurst-FORPRINT.pdf

2. Workshop Proceedings “Novel Approaches to Rehabilitating Streamside Reserves. 1. The overseas experience and experimental catchments in Tasmania” FPA/CRC Forestry Workshop 24th July 2008

3. Farm forestry newsletter article (in press)

Other Information4. Brochure “A web of trees – reconnecting the landscape and the community – the Yan Yan Gurt

creek story”Link: http://www.plantations2020.com.au/assets/acrobat/Web_of_trees_72.pdf

5. Report “Production Forestry in Riparian Zones: Examples from Brazil, USA, Germany, and Australia”

Link: http://www.gottsteintrust.org/html/reports/catalog.htm#psmethurst

Contact UsPhone: 1300 363 400 or +61 3 9545 2176

Email: [email protected] Web: www.csiro.au

Thank you

Sustainable Ecosystems DivisionAgricultural Sustainability Initiative Portfolio and Water for a Healthy Country Flagship

Philip SmethurstSoil and Water Scientist

Phone: 03 6226 7953Email: [email protected]: http://www.csiro.au/org/CSE.html


Stream Flow

In Tasmania:

• Evidence suggests no significant difference between forest and pasture

• Which is contrary to summaries of international data

• High variability due to other factors

• Hence, plantation buffer impacts cannot be predicted with confidence

(TasLUCas Report by Brown et al 2006: http://www.clw.csiro.au/publications/science/2006/sr54-06.pdf)

Riparian N Buffering - Landscape Logic · 2012. 6. 25. · 92007-2009 for whole of farm • Equipment and materials 9Weirs 9Loggers 9Sensors (turbidity, DO, pH, ... WB3 = Willow Bend

Documents