The effectiveness of forest management plans in promoting Best Management Practices and sustained yield management on nonindustrial private forestland.

摘要

New York City's (NYC's) water supply system provides 1.3 billion gallons of water to over 9 million people daily while operating under an Environmental Protection Agency filtration avoidance waiver. One way water quality is promoted is the development of forest management plans. To evaluate the efficacy of those plans, 49 recently harvested woodlots, 26 with plans and 23 without plans, were visited and evaluated on Best Management Practices (BMPs) and sustained yield management implementation. Properties with plans had significantly better scores for BMPs, but not for sustained yield management. Although BMP implementation has increased since 2002, low scores for water diversion devices indicate room for improvement. Sustained yield management does not appear to be implemented on many sites, even those with management plans. Long-term maintenance of water quality and forest health in this region requires novel approaches to promoting sustainable practices, but legacy effects of exploitative harvests may hinder progress.;Keywords: Best Management Practices, sustained yield management, management plan, water quality, timber supply, New York City watershed