Watershed training for resource managers

Registered Professional Foresters (RPFs) are licensed by the State of California on the basis of education, experience, and testing. Watershed science has always been an important part of forestry education. However, increased state and federal regulations and response to public concerns regarding natural resource management impacts on watersheds has created a tremendous need for these professionals to further their education in this field.

RPFs are required to adequately address the issues associated with anadromous fish, cumulative impacts and water quality protection. The knowledge demands placed on RPFs have increased dramatically in the past decade, particularly due to the listing of anadromous fish as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

Many of the technical issues that need to be addressed today could not have been anticipated even a few years ago. For example, RPFs are expected to know how to estimate the ³bankful² width of streams in their management areas, are supposed to be proficient in the measurement of riparian canopy and must be able to anticipate the amount of sediment produced from operations. On the coast, RPFs need to be able to identify the quality of anadromous fish habitat in the streams they manage.

The educational needs of RPFs in watershed sciences have been recognized for some time. In the late 1990s the California Department of Fish and Game, along with the University of California, offered an intensive training session called the ³Watershed Academy.² Some of the week-long sessions were specifically earmarked for RPFs. The sessions covered many topics, including hydrology, anadromous fish biology, riparian zone management and slope stability. They included both classroom and field exercises. Other courses and training in these topics have been offered by the California Licensed Foresters¹ Association and other professional societies.

To help RPFs address the new changes (temporary and permanent) in state regulations and the likelihood of more changes on the horizon, the University of California Forest Ecosystems and Communities Work Group (a group comprised of campus and Cooperative Extension faculty) has been developing a program of training in watershed-related issues. Last year, a workshop on measuring riparian canopy (tree canopy cover) was held in the northern Sierra Nevada. It was attended by a wide variety of regulatory personnel.

This year, in September, a two-day workshop on riparian management is planned for the UC Forestry Camp in Plumas County. The topics to be covered will include riparian zone ecology and functions, measuring riparian canopy, estimating and managing for inputs of large woody debris to streams and options for enhancing stream and watershed conditions. The training is designed for resource managers of all kinds, not limited to RPFs. Plans are in the works to provide a similar training in the California north coastal region.

If you or your professional manager would like to obtain information on the upcoming workshop or other similar training in the future, contact Sherry Cooper at (530) 224-4902 or shcooper@ucdavis.edu.