MODELING THE HYDROLOGIC IMPACTS OF FOREST HARVESTING ON FLORIDA FLATWOODS

The great temporal and spatial variability of pine flatwoods hydrology suggests traditional short-term field methods may not be effective in evaluating the hydrologic effects of forest management. The FLATWOODS model was developed, calibrated and validated specifically for the cy press wetland-pine upland landscape. The model was applied to two typi cal flatwoods sites in north central Florida. Three harvesting treatme nts (Wetland Harvesting, Wetland + Upland Harvesting, and Control) und er three typical climatic conditions (dry, wet, and normal precipitati on years) were simulated to study the potential first-year effects of common forest harvesting activities on flatwoods. Long-term (15 years) simulation was conducted to evaluate the hydrologic impacts at differ ent stages of stand rotation. This simulation study concludes that for est harvesting has substantial effects on hydrology during dry periods and clear cutting of both wetlands and uplands has greater influence on the water regimes than partial harvesting. Compared to hilly region s, forest harvesting in the Florida coastal plains has less impact on water yield.