Leslie Orzetti, PhD Ecosystem Solutions, Inc.

1. Stream Community Structure: An Analysis of Riparian Forest Buffer Restoration in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Leslie Orzetti, PhD Ecosystem Solutions, Inc.

2. Outline • Background • Forest Buffer Zones • Benthic Macroinvertebrates • Chesapeake Bay • Hypotheses • Methods • Results • Discussion

3. What is a forest buffer? • Chesapeake Bay Program Definition • Areas of trees, shrubs and other vegetation, that are adjacent to a body of water, that are managed for several purposes

4. Benthic Macroinvertebrates: Nature’s Water Quality Indicators • What are they? • Why do we want to use bugs? • What affects them? • Water quality • Habitat • How do we use them? • Metrics

5. Benthic Macroinvertebrate Metrics

6. Hypotheses • Does stream water quality and habitat improve with relative age of restored forest buffer? • Does stream benthic community increase in diversity and richness with age of restored buffer? • Does stream benthic community diversity and richness increase with improved ambient water quality and habitat?

7. Sites • How big are they? • First order streams • Where are they? • Piedmont physiographic region • Frederick, Carroll, Loudon, Fauquier, Fairfax, Prince William Counties Okajangus, 1982

10. Sites with no buffer Wacopin Garrett

11. Sites 1-2 Years Old Stull Harbaugh

12. Sites 4-6 Years Old Royer Friend

13. Sites Older than 10 Years Monocacy NRMA Johnny Moore

14. Control SitesPrince William Forest Park

15. Field Methods • 150 m reach in buffer zone • In situ water quality • DataSonde Hydrolab • Water samples • Benthic invertebrate collection • Habitat characterization • Landuse characterization

16. Laboratory Methods • Nutrient analysis • Nitrogen • Phosphorus • Solids analysis • Benthic invertebrate analysis • Identification • Metrics

17. RESULTS

18. Habitat Results

19. Habitat Catharpin Popes Head

20. Water Quality PCA: Age

21. Water Quality PCA: Landuse

22. Water Quality PCA: Buffer Width

23. Water Quality Discriminant Analysis

24. Composition and Tolerance PCA: Age

25. Composition and Tolerance PCA: Landuse

26. Composition and Tolerance PCA: Buffer Width

27. Discriminant Analysis:Composition and Tolerance Metrics

28. Abundance PCA: Age

29. Discriminant Analysis:Abundance Data

30. Conclusions • Habitat improved with age of buffer • Water quality improved with age of buffer • Benthic macroinvertebrate diversity and richness improved with age of buffer • Benthic macroinvertebrate diversity and richness improved with ambient water quality and habitat

31. Conclusions • Physical, chemical and biological components of a stream ecosystem are intrinsically linked • Younger buffered sites have the capacity to improve with time • Managers should see improvements within 5-10 years post restoration

32. Forest Buffers on DoD Installations • DoD Legacy funded study • Year 1 • Visited 15 field sites on 8 installations • Collected samples from 11 sites • Benthic macroinvertebrates • Water Quality • Habitat • 4 Sites unsampleable

33. Status of Buffers on DoD Installations • Several installations have well maintained restored buffer areas • Many installations have intact buffers without restoration • Natural Resource Manager turnover and loss of restored buffer information • Reporting of buffer miles

34. NRL Chesapeake

35. Recommendations and Future Considerations • In-stream improvements • Monitoring plantings • Continued stream monitoring (every 2-3 years post restoration) • Stream corridor preservation • Increase buffer zone width • Redefine forest riparian buffer zone for reporting restored buffer miles

36. Acknowledgements • George Mason University • Virginia Department of Forestry • Maryland Department of Forestry • Prince William Forest Park • Lab and Field Crews