A Field-Based Experiment on the Influence of Stand Density Reduction on Watershed Processes at the Caspar Creek Experimental Watersheds in Northern California

Forests are integral to sustaining clean water resources and healthy watersheds. It is critical, therefore, that managers fully understand the potential impacts of their actions on myriad ecosystem services provided by forested While forest hydrologists have long used paired-watershed experiments elucidate complex interactions between management watershed biogeochemical ecohydrological processes, there still much learn from these studies. Here, we present an overview process for designing a study using large harvesting experiment at Caspar Creek Experimental Watersheds in coastal California as example. We detail many considerations when such highlight wide range scientific investigations part larger experiment. Paired studies great example community engaged scholarship offer unique opportunity work with land solve applied problems while simultaneously discovering new fundamental knowledge about how watersheds function.