Hill Demonstration Forest HF1 riparian buffer climate data

This data publication contains hourly climate data from a weather station that was located in the riparian buffer in a watershed (HF1) on the Hill Demonstration Forest (HF) from 2010 to 2016. The HF is located north of Durham, North Carolina and owned by North Carolina State University. Measurements include air temperature, shortwave, longwave, and net radiation, relative humidity, wind speed, and wind direction. Upland trees were harvested in HF1 watershed from 29 November 2010 to 19 January 2011 as part of a Timber Harvest/Best Management Practices Project, leaving a 15.2-meter (m) riparian buffer on either side of the stream. HF1 is the treatment watershed, and HF2 is the reference watershed. Therefore, no logging activities occurred in HF2. Although HF1 and HF2 are paired and share a watershed boundary line, the clearcut edge in HF1 is 130 m from HF2 monitored riparian buffer trees and poses little chance to create changes in HF2 riparian buffer soil or canopy conditions that would influence their water use. The riparian buffer covers about 8% of the watershed area in both HF1 and HF2.Measuring buffer climate conditions (air temperature, short and long-wave radiation, net radiation, relative humidity, wind speed, and wind direction) will help expand our current knowledge of riparian buffer functions as it relates to streamflow rates and runoff controls. Use of riparian buffer best management practices (BMPs) to help with streamflow control rates is not generally practiced in forestry. However, as we improve our knowledge about forestry BMP functions and designs, this practice could gain practical application in the future.