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| Submitter's Name |
Kevin Henson |
| Session Name |
Poster Session - Wetlands |
| Poster Number |
54 |
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| Author(s) |
Kevin Henson, University of Florida (Presenting Author) |
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David Kaplan,
University of Florida |
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The Effects Of Forest Management On The Hydrology Of Isolated Wetlands In North Central Florida Pine Flatwoods. |
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Many of the pine flatwoods in Southeast United States have a mosaic of isolated ephemeral wetlands that can comprise of up to 30% of the total land area. These wetlands are important for flora and fauna that depend on the storage for water use, breeding, and larval development. The hydrology of these wetlands can impact groundwater hydrology and affect fires by providing islands of unburnable area for wildlife to retreat to. This project investigates the effects of two types of commonly used forest management (prescribed burning and selective thinning) on the hydroperiod of isolated wetlands in pine flatwoods (three wetlands per treatment type). We measure pine tree basal area, leaf area index, duff layer thickness, and ground cover percentage before and after the burning and thinning to quantify how much plant material is removed during management. Depth of water and bathymetry of each wetland are used to determine stage and volume measurements before and after the treatments. We use the depth measurement to calculate actual evapotranspiration using White’s Method and compare it to potential evaporation from the Penmen-Montieth equation using available Florida Automated Weather Network (FAWN) weather data. We compare these differences in ET between prescribed burning and selective thinning. The results of this study have implications on water conservation, endangered amphibian protection, and future management of pine flatwoods forests. |
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