Implementation monitoring of forestry best management practices for site preparation in South Carolina

Abstract

One hundred seventy-seven tracts in South Carolina were evaluated for compliance with site preparation Best Management Practices (BMPs). South Carolina Forestry Commission foresters evaluated compliance with BMPs in each of four categories of site preparation: (1) mechanical treatments, (2) herbicide applications, (3) prescribed burning, and (4) minor drainage. In addition, each site was evaluated for overall BMP compliance, which was based on the level of BMP compliance and evidence of off-site water quality impacts. Overall BMP compliance was 86.4%. Compliance was highest for mechanical (92.0%) and herbicide (88.3%) site preparation treatments and lowest for minor drainage (76.9%) and prescribed burning (70.4%). Eleven variables were analyzed to determine their influence on BMP compliance. Four variables were found to be significantly related to BMP compliance: (I) physiographic region, (2) proximity to streams, (3) percent slope, and (4) terrain type. The four significant variables described the increased risk involved in site preparing land that is in close proximity to streams. Noncompliance with BMPs was clearly focused on the Piedmont physiographic region where 22 of the 24 inadequate sites were located.