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NC’s Forest Practices Guidelines Related to Water Quality. History Original idea conceived in 1973
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NC’s Forest Practices Guidelines Related to Water Quality History • Original idea conceived in 1973 • Secretary of DNR&CD was directed to make recommendations concerning legislation:“Designed to assure the continuous growing and harvesting of forest tree species and to protect the soil, air, and water resources; including - but not limited to - streams, lakes and estuaries; and designed to coordinate activities among state agencies concerned with the forest environment.”
NC’s Forest Practices Guidelines Related to Water Quality History (con’t.) • Study Commission concluded regulation was unnecessary at that time • Voluntary Best Management Practices were published (Brown Book) • Developers began abusing “forestry exemption” especially in the mountains
NC’s Forest Practices Guidelines Related to Water Quality History (con’t.) • Changes were proposed during 1989 legislative session that had support of forest industry and other groups • Sedimentation Pollution Control Act was amended to limit the “forestry exemption” • Amendment created 10 member Technical Advisory Committee (TAC)
NC’s Forest Practices Guidelines Related to Water Quality History (con’t.) • TAC created the FPGs • Mandatory as of January 1, 1990 • Compliance is through the use of Best Management Practices
NC’s Forest Practices Guidelines Related to Water Quality “Best Management Practice” (BMP) means a practice, or combination of practices, that is determined to be an effective and practicable (including technological, economic and institutional considerations) means of preventing or reducing the amount of pollution generated by nonpoint sources to a level compatible with water quality goals
NC’s Forest Practices Guidelines Related to Water Quality • In NC, operations are judged for compliance with the FPGs by the DFR • Compliance with the FPGs is achieved through implementation of BMPs or other measures that protect water quality • The DFR only monitors BMP implementation on a limited number of sites
FPG Applicability • FPGs apply to all private, municipal, state and federal ownerships • Harvest or other site disturbing activity must be for long term forest management
FPG Applicability (con’t.) • FPGs do not apply when logging is part of land clearing for an announced or approved development - such operations are then subject to the Sedimentation Pollution Control Act requirements
.0201 Streamside Management Zone (a) A streamside management zone (SMZ) shall be established and maintained along the margins of intermittent and perennial streams and perennial waterbodies. The SMZ shall be of sufficient width to confine within the SMZ visible sediment resulting from accelerated erosion. (b) Ground cover, or other means, within the SMZ shall be sufficient to restrain accelerated erosion
.0201 Streamside Management Zone (c) Access roads and skid trails, except as provided in .0203 of this Subchapter, logging decks and mill sites shall be placed outside of SMZs. When barriers such as property lines or limiting land features prohibit the location of any of these outside of SMZs, they can be located within the SMZs. When located within SMZs they shall have effective erosion control and sediment control structures or measures to restrain accelerated erosion and prevent visible sediment from entering intermittent or perennial streams or perennial waterbodies
This is an example of a tract where no SMZ was established during the logging. No BMPs were implemented and it is not in compliance with the FPGs.
Again, no SMZs were established during the harvest of this tract. Sediment from bank erosion is visible in the lower middle portion of the image. BMPs were not implemented on this tract, and it is not in compliance with the FPGs.
An SMZ was established along this small perennial stream. Skidders were kept out of the stream and some selective harvesting was done within the buffer that was left. Ground cover was also protected in what buffer was left. However, it is not to the width called for in the BMP Manual. Therefore, even though it is in compliance with the FPGs, BMPs were not implemented on this site.
Streams begin in the middle of some tracts. When that occurs, an SMZ must be established to protect it. On this tract, the springhead is well inside the SMZ. At the extreme upper end, the buffer is somewhat narrow, but rapidly gains width downhill, to a width that meets the SMZ specifications in the BMP Manual. The tract is in compliance with the FPGs as well.
A SMZ has been established on this tract. Using the aerial view, there do not appear to be any crossings in this SMZ. It appears to be at least 50 feet wide on each side of the perennial. It is also in compliance with the FPGs.
Looking at a stream from within the SMZ, it is easy to see the benefits the SMZ provides. The SMZ is at least 50 feet wide, it has ground cover in place, and is providing shade on the stream. It would appear that BMPs were implemented on the tract, and that it is in compliance with the FPGs.
BMPs are the measures to be implemented to achieve compliance with the FPGs FPGs are the law which must be complied with
