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FOREST SERVICE BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES TO MINIMIZE NON-POINT SOURCE POLLUTION

Coconino National Forest, Flagstaff AZ

Kate Day, Watershed Program Manager

January 10, 2026

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  • 2/3 of the nation’s water supply originates on National Forest System Lands
  • Approx 193 million acres—154 National Forests, and 20 grasslands
  • Multiple-use mandate results in diverse and complex management activities with a focus on providing a continuous source of timber, enhancing water flow, and protecting forests from fire (1897 Organic Act)

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COCONINO NATIONAL FOREST

  • 1.8 million acres
  • 5.5 million annual visitors (2020 data) top 5 most visited National Forests
  • 3,300 miles of open road (6,000 miles of total road)
  • 700 miles of trail
  • Currently one of the top producing timber forests in the country

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BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

  • Best Management Practices (BMPs)are common sense measures that minimize, and contain pollutants including sediment, fuels, hydraulic fluid, etc. when land management projects are implemented.
  • BMPs are the primary mechanism the Forest Service and other landowners use to minimize non-point source pollution from management and development activities.
  • BMPs are essential to the Forest Service managing water quality with the Clean Water Act and state water quality programs

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FOREST SERVICE BMP PROGRAM

  • Long history of working with states and Environmental Protection Agency to carry out BMP programs, but until 2012 there was no nationally-consistent Forest Service approach to BMPs
  • Established uniform, consistent direction to implement and track application of BMPs on National Forest System Lands across the Country

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FOREST SERVICE MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES

  • Recreation Management
  • Road Management
  • Mechanical vegetation management
    • Timber harvest using a variety of techniques
    • Mechanical fuels reduction

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  • Project Planning
  • Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration
  • Herbicide and Pesticide Application
  • Facilities Management
  • Wildfire Management Activities
  • Prescribed Burning
  • Minerals Management
  • Rangeland Management

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BMP INTENT

  • Locating areas of disturbance(roads, skid trails, log landings, temporary roads, facilities, staging and refueling areas etc.) outside of areas of influence for streams and intermittent and ephemeral watercourses, and other sensitive areas
  • Buffering areas of disturbance from waterbodies (riparian buffers)
  • Managing season of disturbance
  • Proper close-out of disturbed areas
    • Revegetation
    • Limiting flow paths and erosion and sedimentation
    • Eliminating wheeled access
  • Properly closing areas of disturbance upon project completion

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RIPARIAN BUFFERS

  • Reduces stormwater runoff
  • Filters pollutants before they can enter a waterbody
  • Reduces erosion and sedimentation and allows for improved infiltration
  • Cools rivers and streams by providing shade
  • Provides habitat for aquatic and terrestrial species
  • Visually appealing

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URBAN BMPS

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ROAD AND TRAIL BMPS

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RECREATION BMPS

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TIMBER MANAGEMENT BMPS

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TIMBER MANAGEMENT BMPS

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BMP IMPLEMENTATION ASSESSMENT

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BMP EFFECTIVENESS ASSESSMENT

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PRESCRIBING BMPS AND COST/BENEFIT

  • Maximizing distance between the disturbance and water bodies (buffers)
  • Slowing down and dissipating flows to minimize velocity and erosion
  • Allowing time for sediment to settle out of storm water before it enters a water body
  • Increasing vegetative and slash cover to dissipate flows

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