Forestry Best Management Practices
Forestry Best Management Practices (BMPs) are voluntary, proactive measures taken to minimize the impacts of forest management activities on water quality – specifically concerning sedimentation and erosion. Commonly applied BMPs include designation of streamside management zones (protective buffers that receive little or no direct management); use of rock fords, skidder bridges, and culverts to cross streams and creeks; constructing erosion control structures such as water bars, broad-based dips, and silt fences to minimize soil erosion and sedimentation; logging during periods of dry or frozen soil; leaving large, unsaleable trees adjacent to stream edges for den trees and nesting sites; and reseeding skid trails, haul roads, and landing areas.
Useful Links
- Forestry Best Management Practices for Illinois
- Forestry BMPs – Where Water Quality Matters
- South Dakota Department of Agriculture, Forestry BMPs
- USDA Forest Service, A Landowner’s Guide to Building Forest Access Roads
- USDA Forest Service, Forested Wetlands
- Virginia Cooperative Extension, Landowner's Guide to Managing Streams in the Eastern United States
- USDA Forest Service, Temporary Stream and Wetland Crossing Options for Forest Management
