Stand Reestablishment: Natural

NOTES: The Leading Ridge Watershed #1 Salvage Project is located within the boundary of the Leading Ridge Experimental Watershed and is not typically subjected to non research stand manipulation. A special exception was allowed due to the large volume of valuable blowdown and the potential for extreme wildfire fuel loading. The Leading Ridge Experimental Watersheds were established in 1958 as a cooperative project between the School of Forest Resources, the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry, and the U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. The purpose of this cooperative project was to study the effects of forest management activities on water resources and to support a graduate research program in forest hydrology and watershed management. The watersheds have been a focal point for many studies dealing with such diverse topics as the effects of acid rain on episodic and long-term changes in stream chemistry and acidity, the effects of gypsy moth defoliation on water quality, and the potential effect of climate change on water supply. The watersheds were also used to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of Best Management Practices (BMPs) for controlling water pollution during the following forest harvesting. The long-term implication of forest harvesting on both water quality and quantity are still under investigation as are changes in stream chemistry associated with implementation of the Clean Air Act Amendments, Title IV to reduce acidic deposition in the Eastern U.S.