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MANAGING DIFFUSE POLLUTION FROM A FORESTRY
PERSPECTIVE
HM McKay 1 and TR Nisbet 2
1
Corporate and Forestry Support, Forestry Commission, 231 Corstorphine Road,
Edinburgh, EH12 7AT, UK, E-mail: helen.mckay@forestry.gsi.gov.uk; 2 Forest Research,
Alice Holt Lodge, Farnham, Surrey, GU10 4LH, UK
SUMMARY
Forest design and forest operations have the potential to both improve and degrade
the water environment. The characterisation of rivers and lochs in Scotland in
preparation for the implementation of the Water Framework Directive indicates
that forestry activities are thought to be a contributory factor in about 16% of river
and 40% of loch water bodies at risk from diffuse pollution. The Forest and Water
Guidelines provide practical advice to be followed when planning and carrying out
forest operations in order to minimise the risk of diffuse pollution from acidification,
siltation, nutrient enrichment, high colour, iron, and manganese concentrations,
pesticides, and fuel oils. Research has shown the Guidelines to be effective at
controlling these threats. Attention is increasingly shifting from viewing forestry as
a problem to exploring how it can be used to protect and improve water bodies. In
particular, opportunities exist for forestry to help tackle diffuse pollution from more
intensive land uses, especially agriculture.
INTRODUCTION
The UK Forestry Standard, first published in 1998 (Forestry Commission, 1998),
outlines the Government approach to sustainable forestry. It sets out the criteria
covering key aspects of sustainable forestry in the UK and identifies indicators at a
national level and then the requirements that must be demonstrated at the level of
the forest management unit.
Three of the 18 criteria concern hydrology: water quality, water yield and water
discharge patterns. The associated requirements are that water quality is protected
or improved, water yields are maintained above any critical level and water discharge
patterns are disturbed only when unavoidable and options have been explored.
As examples of evidence of indicators at a forest management unit, the Standard
suggests that local liaison takes place when appropriate and agreements for water
are respected; an acceptable standard of forest design is applied to water margins;
opportunities are taken to improve riparian zones in the course of forest operations;
all operations are planned and carried out to minimise disturbance to watercourses
and to avoid pollution and siltation; and that emergency pollution control measures
are in place when high-risk operations are carried out. The Standard was revised in
2004 (Forestry Commission, 2004) but the criteria and indicators are unchanged.
RIVERS AND LOCHS THOUGHT TO BE AT RISK
The preliminary characterisation and impact analyses of Scottish River Basin Districts,
published in 2005, identifies rivers and lochs considered to be at risk (Category 1a)
and probably at risk (Category 1b) from diffuse pollution due to forestry activities. The
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