Hydrological responses of bottomland hardwood ecosystems to logging

Bottomland hardwood forests are under increasing pressure to provide a multitude of services including timber production. These ecosystems have developed in close association with river systems and are dependent on hydrologic features of floodplains such as periodic flooding and soil saturation, and water tables which often fluctuate within the root zone. If these forests are to be managed for long-term sustainability, it is necessary to understand the impacts of human activities such as logging on their hydrological functions. Recent studies show that selected hydrologic properties of these ecosystems are initially sensitive to logging perturbations. However, because of rapid natural revegetation and frequent hydroperiod fluctuations, they may be resilient to the disturbance. Long-term evaluations of bottomland hardwood ecosystem recovery are necessary to determine the longevity of hydrological responses to logging.

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