Many uses are normally permitted within riparian areas including road building, water crossings, removal of hazardous trees along roadways and material extraction in braided, glacial floodplains.
Waters are classified into one of 3 main types:
Riparian areas are established under the Act and are defined as:
The width of established riparian areas varies depending on the water type, whether it is used by anadromous or other fish, the administrative forest region and whether the land is private or state-owned. The restrictions imposed on operations within riparian areas also differ accordingly. Widths specified in the Act vary from 50 to 300 feet on each side of a stream.
In Region I (coast), riparian areas on private land are 66 feet (20 m) wide for Type A waters, 100 feet (30 m) for Type B waters and 50 feet (15m) for Type C waters. Timber harvesting is prohibited within the riparian area of Type A waters and is restricted for riparian areas of Types B and C waters. Standards differ for other regions and for state-owned lands. For Type B (30m) and Type C (15m) waters the set-back relates to slope stability standards and not riparian management zones. Variations can be applied for along Type A waters.
No road construction is allowed within an RMA except for stream crossings or if alternative locations pose a greater risk of sediment delivery to the stream. Any harvesting in a management zone must not increase the risk of any damage to the reserve zone. Wildlife trees within the management zone must be retained to greatest possible extent. Livestock use is allowed only in accordance with an approved Range Use Plan.
The Operational Planning Regulation defines six stream classes with corresponding widths for reserve and management zones. Minimum widths (on each side of a stream) depend on the stream class: reserve zones range from 0 to 50 m, management zones from 20 to 30 m and the entire RMA from 20 to 70 m. Widths may be varied, but only with approval of MoELP. Four lake classes are defined, based mainly on area and biogeoclimatic zone. The minimum RMA width for lakes less than 5 ha in area is usually 30 m. Larger lakes require a minimum reserve zone width of 10 m and a management zone width to be specified by the District Manager. Five classes of wetlands are defined, also based mainly on area and biogeoclimatic zone. Minimum widths specified in the regulations are 0 to 10 m for reserve zones, 20 to 40 m for management zones, and 30 to 50 m for the entire RMA.
Complete details of water body classification and RMA's are given in Part 10 of the Operational Planning Regulations. Some details, for the purpose of comparison to other jurisdictions, are also in the following tables.
Table 2: Riparian classes for streams in community watersheds and fish streams
Streams outside of community watersheds that are not fish streams are classed as S5 if they are wider than 3m and S6 if they are 3 m or less in width.
Reserve, management and total RMA widths for different stream classes are shown in Table 3.
Table 3: Minimum widths of riparian management area for streams in British Columbia
Wetlands are classified as follows:
A wetland has a riparian class of:
Upland terrain within a bog or muskeg dominated wetland larger than 1000 ha in boreal, subboreal or hypermaritime climates does not require a riparian reserve zone or a riparian management zone.
For any wetland or portion of a wetland, a Designated Environment Official may vary the widths of the riparian management areas.
Table 4: Minimum widths of riparian management areas for wetlands in British Columbia
A lake has a riparian class of:
For any lake, the District Manager, with the agreement of a Designated Environment Official, may vary any of the widths referred to in Table 5.
The riparian reserve zone extends the widths specified in Table 5 from the edge of
Table 5: Minimum widths of riparian management area for lakes in British Columbia
In British Columbia, fish habitat is important to the culture, economy, and enjoyment of British Columbians. Therefore, protection of fish and aquatic habitat is extremely important during timber harvesting operations. All regulations regarding riparian management areas are applicable to fish and aquatic habitat. Additional regulations exist pertaining to streams, lakes, wetlands, marine-sensitive areas or fisheries sensitive zones, including:
Mitigative measures for anticipated impacts must be recommended. WLPZ's and associated recommendations, are included in the THP's and are reviewed by appropriate agency representatives.
Widths of WLPZ's vary from 50 to 150 feet (15m to 45m) depending mainly on slope steepness and watercourse class. On slopes steeper than 50%, use of cable yarding systems also reduces the required width. Details are given in Subchapters 4, 5 & 6, Article 6 of the Rules.
Watercourse classes are defined as:
Environment Guidelines have been developed for aquatic habitats. Recommendations for minor water bodies, springs, brooks, streams, pools and small lakes include:
The National Forestry Centres also have guidelines for shoreline forests. Their guidelines are very similar to those of the Finnish Forest and Park Service (J. Heino, pers. comm.).
Federal Republic of Germany
Riparian management is not included in the Federal Forest Act. The majority of waterways in Germany have been channelled leaving very little natural streamside vegetation. Riparian vegetation can be found near some wild rivers and steeply sloped canyons. These areas are not protected, but so far have been unusable, and therefore left unaltered.
The Water Law does offer some protection to a limited number of riparian areas by restricting activities, including the altering of vegetation, around a groundwater source. River banks may also be protected if there is a high risk of flooding. In this case the streamside vegetation is left to help absorb the floodwaters and prevent extensive property damage.
There are also some riparian areas designated as landscape protection areas under the Nature Preservation Law. The protection was put in place for the protection of species inhabiting the zone.
Baden-Wurttemberg
Management of riparian areas is not included in the Forest Law. However, Section 12 which refers to the use of appropriate forestry, does demand some consideration of streamside vegetation. Although there are no buffers between harvesting areas and waterways, large expanses of denuded shorelines do not occur because cut areas are restricted in size.
Bavaria
Other than the Article 14 reference to the use of appropriate forestry, riparian areas are not addressed in the Forest Law. Riparian areas are regulated and protected by the Water Law for the protection of public water supplies from harmful influences. Special water-protection areas can be designated and forest activities can be restricted within these areas. The size of the protection area and the imposed restrictions are site specific. Restrictions usually include no clearcutting and no chemical use. As in Baden-Wurttemberg, denuded streamsides are not a concern because cut areas are small (Brinkmann, pers. comm.).
A machinery exclusion zone exists within the riparian management zone. Machinery without high floatation tires is not permitted within 10 m of the watercourse, and machinery with high floatation tires is not permitted within 5 m of a watercourse. Where soil is highly erodible or rutting is likely, harvesting should be done only when the soil is dry or frozen; otherwise a wider machine exclusion zone should be used (Forest/Wildlife Guidelines, 1988:12). Woody debris should not enter lakes, streams, or areas that are periodically flooded. Near smaller streams (not identified at 1:50,000 scale), cut trees to leave a 1 metre high stump to create a machine exclusion zone at least five metres wide on each side of the stream. Roading must avoid sensitive habitat important to fish, wildlife and waterfowl and should be planned to minimize the number of stream crossings, and maximize the distance between roads and streams (NS DOE/DFO, 1983:5). Vegetation buffer zones should be maintained between roads and streams to allow silt to collect and not enter the stream channel. Where the slope of the land is 0-30%, the vegetation buffer should be 30m wide, and where it is over 30% slope, the buffer should be 40 m (NS DOE/DFO, 1983:5). Selection cutting can occur in special management zones to minimize blowdown, provide shading of streams, and to encourage regeneration, provided that no more than 40% of the merchantable volume is removed. When harvesting in special management zones: remove trees that have a high risk of blowdown, leave dead trees standing where safety allows, and leave two or three of the largest trees per 100 m of shoreline (Forest/Wildlife Guidelines, 1988:12). Where stream crossings are necessary, they should be at a right angle to the stream, should be in areas of stable soil and where approaching grades are not too steep, and may only occur within the period between May 15 and September 15 (NS DOE/DFO, 1983:6). Each stream crossing is subject to approval and permit by the Department of Environment. Landings must be located at least 100 m from any stream (NS DOE/DFO, 1983:10), and refuelling or lubrication points must be established 30 m from the bank of a watercourse (M.O.P.S., 1994, Ch 2:7). Gravel and topsoil extraction is not permitted in a riparian management zone, and gravel pits are subject to streamside setback zones.
Table 6 summarizes the guidelines to protect fish habitat in Ontario.
Table 6: Timber management guidelines for the protection of fish habitat in Ontario
Stream size is characterized by average annual flow into one of three classes:
Riparian management areas are designated along streams and their widths vary from 20 to 100 feet (6 to 30 m) on both sides of a stream. Widths are determined according to stream type and size, as indicated in Table 7.
Table 7: Riparian management area widths - Oregon
Riparian management area widths are usually measured as slope distance from the high water level of the main stream channel.
Riparian Management Areas (RMA's) are not reserved, no-touch areas, although RMA's for large streams do have a 20 - foot (6m) reserve zone. In fact, it is often desired to improve RMA's through various practices such as conversion from deciduous to coniferous vegetation. However, activities are restricted in RMA's and written approval from ODF is required before operations commence.
The amount and type of vegetation to be retained in RMA's is detailed in the Rules and it varies according to stream type, stream size and geographic region. For stream classification purposes, there are seven geographic regions defined: Coast Range, South Coast, Interior, Siskyou, Western Cascade, Eastern Cascade and Blue Mountain.
RMA's are also established for lake shores and for significant wetlands.
To date, water management has not been a major concern of forest activities. Recently however, it is stressed that forest activities must be managed with respect to water and fish habitats (S. Sohlberg, pers. comm.).
The Nature Conservation Act does protect sea or lake shorelines and watercourse banks as shore or bank protection areas (Section 15, Nature Conservation Act). The protected area includes the land and water up to 100 m from the shore or bank at normal mean water level. Protected areas are established to ensure public access to bathing and outdoor recreation areas and to preserve flora and fauna habitats. The government or designate may extend the protected area to a maximum of 300 m (Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources p. 22). All water courses, except the smallest streams, are subject to the protection warranted in Section 15 of the Nature Conservation Act.
In general, the only activity restricted in riparian areas is building. Permission to build in these areas is received from the local community. The authority granting permission to build may also grant an exemption from the riparian protection requirements. However, there are special rules for granting such exemptions (P. Kjellin, pers comm).
County Forestry Boards are conducting an inventory of wetland forests (Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, 1994 p.93). The information will be used for assessing harvesting and drainage applications, planning precautionary drainage and identifying areas in need of protection.
Minimum streamside reserve widths in Tasmania are shown in Table 8.
Table 8: Minimum streamside reserve widths for Tasmania
In upper catchments the Forest Practices Officer will assess the boundary between Class 1 and 2 watercourses based on local catchment conditions. Additional watercourses may be classified as Class 3 by a Forest Practices Officer depending on local site conditions, particularly in eastern parts of Tasmania prone to high intensity rainfall (FPC, 1993:39).
In addition, logging debris must be kept out of streams, logging machinery will only enter streamside reserves at designated stream crossings, and slash will not be pushed into a reserve area (FPC, 1993:40). Landings must be kept as far as practicable from watercourses and at least 40 m from a streamside reserve (FPC, 1993:35). Selective logging may occur in streamside reserves, on private lands under special circumstances (but not on public lands) if:
In plantations, other specific protection measures, taking account of past plantation establishment practices and the limitations applying to future harvesting of plantations must be considered (FPC, 1993:41). Gravel pits, quarries, and borrow pits must be outside the 40m reserve except for river gravel or shingle quarries approved by the Department of Environment and Land Management (FPC, 1993:20).
Temporary log crossings must be removed from streams at the completion of operations, to allow the stream to flow unrestricted along its original course. Stream banks at temporary crossing points must be left in a stable condition (FPC, 1993:34).
Although riparian areas in national forests have been recognized and have received special management treatment for some time, attention in Region 6 in this regard is focussed on the requirements of the ROD. Under the ROD, streams are placed into one of 5 classes defined according to FEMAT:
Widths of riparian reserves along streams (and other waters) vary according to stream class and according to whether the stream is part of a designated key watershed. Other site specific characteristics (such as average maximum height of trees, the width of the 100-year floodplain, the presence and extent of unstable or potentially unstable areas, or the extent of riparian vegetation) can also determine the riparian reserve width.
In the simplest cases, widths can range from 100ft (30m) for a seasonally flowing stream without fish to 300ft (100m) for a stream with fish (seasonal or permanent). There are circumstances when widths can be greater than 300 feet; for example, for fish-bearing streams where the average maximum tree height is greater than 150 feet (about 45.8 m). For fish-bearing streams, the riparian reserve consists of "the stream and the area on either side of the stream extending from the edges of the 100-year floodplain, or to the outer edges of riparian vegetation, or to a distance equal to the height of two site-potential trees; or 300 feet slope distance (600 feet total, including both sides of the stream channel), whichever is greatest" (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1994b). If average maximum tree height is 200 feet, then the riparian reserve might extend 400 feet (about 122 m) on each side of a stream.
Management activities such as road building and timber harvesting are restricted or prohibited within riparian reserves. Once the boundaries of a riparian reserve are established, they must undergo watershed analysis and appropriate NEPA compliance before they can be changed.
Wherever appropriate, these minimum standards must be increased to protect environmental factors. Harvesting must not occur within streamside reserves or areas retained for water quality unless approval is given to permit the selective removal of trees for management purposes (e.g. bank stabilisation, visitor safety) in special circumstances (Code, 1989:15). However, if softwood plantations had previously been established within 20 m of permanent streams, harvesting of softwood timber may continue provided that trees are felled at right angles, soil erosion is minimized, and there is no creation of channelized water flows (Code, 1989:15, 35). Logging landings or dumps must not be located in reserve zones, and roads must be located to avoid disturbance to streams and riparian vegetation by siting so as to prevent the entry of sidecast material and ensure that road surface run-off does not discharge directly into streams (Code, 1989:23,41).
RMZ's are established along all class 1,2 and 3 waters. Riparian Leave Areas (RLA's) may be established at the discretion of DNR along some smaller (Class 4) streams in order to preserve small trees and other vegetation to help prevent debris torrents.
Harvesting, road building and other management activities are restricted in the RMZ. Parallel requirements are established for Wetland Management Zones (WMZ's). RMZ requirements vary according to stream class, stream width and substrate, and are defined according to width, ratio of coniferous to deciduous trees and minimum number of trees of a minimum size for each 1,000 feet (300m) of stream. RMZ widths vary from a minimum of about 25 feet (7.5m) to a maximum of about 100 feet (30m) on each side of a stream in western Washington (see Table 9). Widths range from 30 to 300 feet (9m - 90m) in eastern Washington. RMZ's are primarily focussed on maintaining a supply of large organic debris for western Washington streams. Concerns in eastern Washington are more oriented toward wildlife habitat.
Table 9: RMZ specifications for western Washington
Roads and log haul routes must be avoided in river and stream reserves, except where stream crossings are necessary (MOLS, 1990:28); and gravel pits must not be located in streamside reserves (MOLS, 1990:37). Permanent changes are not allowed to a watercourse for fire fighting activities, but small waterholes may be dug near small watercourses (waterpoints) for fire control purposes (Clarke, pers. comm.).
Table 10: Riparian zone width guidelines - Western Australia
