Project Summary

Our primary objective is to assess long-term effects of riparian harvest techniques on stream ecosystem function at the LCMR sites and Pokegema Creek sites. The following objectives are included into the study plan:

1. Quantify available food resources for stream food webs (periphyton and detrital standing crops), and macroinvertebrate response (biomass of functional feeding groups and diets) in stream reaches subjected to various riparian harvest treatments.
   
2. Evaluate breakdown rates of leaf litter and wood in streams under the different riparian treatments.

Results from this research will be used to validate or revise the State of Minnesota’s riparian forest management guidelines and demonstrate the use of functional measures of ecological integrity for assessment of stream health..