Best management practices for forested wetlands in the Southern Appalachian Region

Forestry best management practices (BMPs) have been developed for all of the states included in the Southern Appalachian Region (Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia). All of the state forestry BMPs were developed to reduce nonpoint source pollution from forestry operations. However, the states have developed BMPs that differ substantially with regard to methodology, particularly for forested wetlands. The state BMP guidelines vary in several major areas, including wetland types, BMP manual detail, streamside management zones, harvesting operations, site preparation operations, regeneration systems, road construction, and timber removal activities. An understanding of the similarities and differences between the state BMP guidelines will allow the forested wetland manager to comply with or improve upon existing forestry BMPs for wetlands.