Soil and Water Monitoring
Our annual soil and water monitoring program consists of:
- Monitoring water quality in selected streams, often including streams in areas where trees are being harvested, or where recreation use is on-going.
Clickon the link view our Water Monitoring Plan – Final GMNF WQ Monitoring Plan
- Monitoring the implementation and effectiveness of erosion and sediment control measures associated with projects implemented on the Forest. This monitoring helps us to optimize the resource protection. Click on the link to view our Soil Monitoring Plan – Soil Monitoring Plan FY2007
- Collection of water samples at a site near Lye Brook Wilderness using an automated water sampler. This is part of a long-term cooperative project between the University of Vermont, the USDA-Forest Service Northern Research Station to investigate the levels of nitrogen in the soil and water.
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This is our automated water sampler. Samples are collected during and after rainfall events. Samples are sent for chemical analysis at the Northern Research Station Laboratory. Nitrogen is a major component of atmospheric deposition, and too much of it could be harmful to water quality. So far monitoring results have shown the ecosystem is able to absorb the incoming atmospheric nitrogen without detrimental effects to waters.
- Soil monitoring designed to look at long-term changes in soils and forest health resulting from environmental influences such as atmospheric deposition and climate.
Click on the link for a description of this project - LEMP Brief 02-27-07
- The Green Mountain National Forest is in the initial stages of an exciting new project to monitor the long-term effects of environmental changes, such as atmospheric deposition and climate change, on forest ecosystems.
- This site on the Green Mountain National Forest is part of nation-wide network of soil climate change monitoring sites lead by the Natural Resource Conservation Service. For more information about this site clink here, then search for data on the Lye Brook site, in the southwestern corner of Vermont.
- Caption: Green Mountain National Forest Soil, Water and Air Specialists visit a Vermont Monitoring Cooperative Long-term Soil Monitoring Site on the southern half of the Forest. Click here to learn about the Cooperative, then click on Soils to learn about this long-term monitoring study.