Canadian Forest Hydrology
Nation River, BC
Research Site Metadata
Location
North-central British Columbia
Supalpine Forest Region
55°15′N 125°15′W
Watershed Area(s): 2.3 to 4.1 km2
Total Relief: NA
Mean Annual Runoff: NA
Mean Annual Precipitation: 540 mm*
Mean Temperature: Jan -14.3°C; July 14.1°C*
• Long-term climate record* including the occurrence of major ENSO and PDO cycles.
• Climatic setting of the study period*.
• Mean daily water temperature regime & instantaneous discharge for the control stream channel.
*climate data are from the nearby MSC station at Germansen Landing.
Landscape
Small lake-headed streams make up the Nation River research area. The rolling terrain of the area is underlain by sedimentary and volcanic bedrock. Predominant soil types include glaciolacustrine and sandy glaciofluvial soils. The forest is composed of lodgepole pine and Spruce species, with occasional stands of subalpine fir. Most of the precipitation in the watershed falls as snow. The flow regime for the area is characterized by high flows in the spring due to snowmelt and low flows during the winter and month of August. Only instananeous flows were collected from this research area. The hydrologic indicator for the Nation River research was stream water temperature.
Experimental Design
| Study type | Paired Watershed |
|---|---|
| Treatments | CC harvesting of mature commercial timber in riparian areas of 2 streams |
| Controls | 1 stream channel |
| Study Duration | 1997-1999 |
| Pre-Harvest | 1997 |
| Harvest | 1998 |
| Post-Harvest | 1998-1999 |
Parameters
Water temperature, instantaneous discharge, water quality and aquatic ecology (fish and aquatic invertebrates).
Contact
Eric Mellina
Department of Forest Sciences
University of British Columbia (UBC)
3041-2424 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4
Email:mellina@interchange.ubc.ca
Scott Hinch
Department of Forest Sciences, UBC
3041-2425 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z4
Email:shinch@interchange.ubc.ca
R. Dan Moore
Geography Department, UBC
1984 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z2
Email:rdmoore@geog.ubc.ca
Department of Forest Sciences
University of British Columbia (UBC)
3041-2424 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4
Email:mellina@interchange.ubc.ca
Scott Hinch
Department of Forest Sciences, UBC
3041-2425 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z4
Email:shinch@interchange.ubc.ca
R. Dan Moore
Geography Department, UBC
1984 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z2
Email:rdmoore@geog.ubc.ca