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Pacific Southwest
Research Station 800 Buchanan Street Albany, CA 94710-0011 (510) 883-8830 
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Research Topics Water and WatershedsAbout this Research:
Kings River Experimental Watersheds
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Kings River Experimental Watersheds (KREW)KREW Research OverviewResearchers explain how their work and scientific findings on the Kings River Experimental Watersheds, located on the Sierra National Forest, help inform land managers facing challenging environmental issues such as drought, bark beetle infestation and air pollution.
The Kings River Experimental Watersheds (KREW) is a watershed-level, integrated ecosystem project for headwater streams in the Sierra Nevada. Watersheds are located in two groups; the Providence Creek Site is located in mixed-conifer forest from 1500-2120 m (4920-6950 ft) elevation, and the Bull Creek Site is located in red fir/mixed-conifer from 2050-2480 m (6720-8150 ft) elevation. Each watershed will receive one of three management treatments, or serve as a control. The three treatments will be uneven-aged group selection thinning, prescribed fire, and a thinning with burn combination. Characteristics of streams and rivers serve as integrators of broader environmental conditions because they reflect the conditions of the surrounding landscape (Hunsaker and Levine, 1995; Naiman and Bilby, 1998). Activities within a watershed, whether natural or anthropogenic, influence the most basic aspects of the hydrologic cycle. Vegetation absorbs and transpires water to the atmosphere; roads channelize water to streams; wildfire and logging decrease soil permeability; and dams alter the timing, frequency, and intensity of peak flows. All of these alterations directly impact habitat, trophic structure, and species demography, as well as physical and chemical processes. Although stream conservation and preservation have recently become the priority of many agencies throughout North America (Naiman et al. 2000), what is considered appropriate management for forest ecosystems is a point of debate (U.S. Forest Service 2001). In contrast to terrestrial wildlife, the Forest Service in the Pacific Southwest has focused comparatively little attention and resources on forested stream ecosystems. Considering the current trends in human population growth and resource consumption, the protection and conservation of streams and rivers must become a priority for management agencies. Water quantity and quality is especially important in California's semi-arid climate. National forest land supplies approximately 60-70% of surface water. Current Project StatusData collection
Kings River Experimental Watershed Forest Health and Research Project - Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)The release of the final environmental impact statement (EIS) in April 2011 cleared the way for treatments to begin, the second major phase of the KREW project. The final KREW EIS documents are available here. Treatments
KREW Objectives
The quality of aquatic, riparian (near-stream area), and meadow ecosystems is directly related to the integrity of adjacent uplands in their watershed. Forest Service scientists believe that these ecosystems are the most altered and impaired habitats of the Sierra Nevada primarily because of dams and diversions, overgrazing, roads, logging, and physical alteration. However, no long-term experimental watershed studies existed in the southern Sierra Nevada prior to the establishment of KREW. Work began on the Kings River Experimental Watershed (KREW) in 2000 with data collection starting in October 2002. KREW has the following objectives:
The Sierra Nevada Framework posed several management questions that KREW will address:
KREW will also address many basic and applied questions about headwater watersheds, streams, and riparian areas. These are outlined in detail in the KREW Research Study Plan, September 2007 revision (PDF) KREW Research Locations 
KREW is located on the Sierra National Forest, High Sierra Ranger District, east of Shaver Lake, California. One of the KREW control watersheds (T003) is located on the Teakettle Experimental Forest. The full KREW overview location map can be viewed here (PDF). Additional maps can be found on the KREW Publications & Maps page. More details on the KREW research locations can be found on the following pages: KREW Project ContactJoe Wagenbrenner - Research Hydrologist, USDA Forest Service - PSW |
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KREW began collecting research data in 2002 for the Providence Creek locations and in 2003 for the Bull Creek locations. Data collection has continued throughout the pre-treatment phase of the project, providing nearly 9 to 10 years worth of stream discharge, water and soil chemistry, and meteorological data for the eight study watersheds. The KREW project was designed from the outset to continue for at least 15 years, including several years of post-treatment data, and several seasons of data that span successive treatments.
From July to November 2012, the first treatment phase was completed. This timber harvest and mechanical thinning activity was performed in the Providence Creek and Bull Creek areas, including four KREW research watersheds specifically selected for the mechanical thinning treatment. The prescribed fire treatment phase will commence in Fall 2013 for the Bull Creek area, followed by the Providence Creek area in Spring 2014.