A catchment-scale assessment of stream temperature response to contemporary forest harvesting in the Oregon Coast Range

Historical forest harvesting practices were reviewed in the original Alsea Watershed Study where they found increased energy loading to the stream and produced higher stream temperatures. This was an important early research site that lead to the development of contemporary forest management practices to protect water quality and fish habitat in Oregon and elsewhere. Here we present an analysis of 6 years (3 years pre-harvest and 3 years post-harvest) of summer stream temperature data from a reference (Flynn Creek) and a harvested catchment (Needle Branch). The collected parameters include air temperature, the mean and max, stream temperature, mean and max, and the diel (daily) temperature fluctuations (max minus the minimum temperature).