KINGS RIVER EXPERIMENTAL WATERSHED: STUDY AREA CHARACTERISTICS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO EROSION IN THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAINS, CALIFORNIA

The goal of the Kings River Experimental Watershed (KREW) study, led by the USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, is to evaluate management approaches for sustainable forest ecosystems within the headwaters of the Kings River in Fresno County, California. Two forest treatments, controlled burning and selective thinning, will be applied to the watersheds of eight first order streams during the course of this study. The purpose of this poster is to examine the characteristics of the eight KREW first order watersheds that contribute to erosion and predict how these characteristics will change as a result of the proposed forest treatments. The characteristics examined include vegetation type and cover, soil type and cover, logging history, underlying geology, past fire history, other anthropogenic disturbances (such as development and roads), precipitation and snow cover, and topography. These characteristics will be used in the Forest Service?s Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model to predict how the forest treatments will affect erosion in these small watersheds.