Results of Georgia's 2015 Silvicultural Best Management Practices Implementation and Compliance Survey Prepared by the Georgia Forestry Commission in cooperation with the Environmental Protection Division of the Department of Natural Resources, State of Georgia December 10, 2015 The preparation of this report was financed in part through a grant from the United States Environmental Protection Agency under the provisions of Section 319(h) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended. 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) is the lead agency, as designated by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR), for statewide development, education, implementation, and monitoring for "Georgia's Best Management Practices for Forestry" (BMPs). Beginning in January of 2015, the GFC began the tenth Statewide Forestry BMP Implementation and Compliance Survey. The objectives of the 2015 Statewide Forestry BMP Survey were to determine the following: rates of BMP implementation, miles of streams in compliance, miles of roads in compliance, total number of water quality risks identified, effectiveness of BMPs for any needed modifications, and ownerships and regions to target for future training. The protocol and scoring methodology for this tenth survey was consistent with the revised recommendations developed and adopted by the Southern Group of State Foresters' (SGSF) BMP Monitoring Task Force in June 2002, titled Silvicultural Best Management Practices Implementation Monitoring, a Framework for State Forestry Agencies at: http://www.southernforests.org/resources/publications/SGSF%20Regional%20BMP%20Framework%2 0Protocol%20publication_2007.pdf/view The SGSF Task Force is composed of hydrologists and water specialists from state forestry agencies, the US Forest Service, forest industry and the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI), in consultation with EPA Region IV nonpoint source specialists. The 2015 Statewide Forestry BMP Survey evaluated 213 sites that were selected in a stratified random sample. These sites had to have been silviculturally treated within the past two years, preferably within the previous six months. By ownership, 131 sites occurred on non-industrial private forest land (NIPF), 58 sites on forest industry / corporate land and 24 sites on public land. By region, 11 sites were in the Mountains, 12 sites were in the Ridge & Valley, 63 sites were in the Piedmont, 43 sites were in the Upper Coastal Plain and 84 sites were in the Lower Coastal Plain. Firebreak construction BMPs have been included in this survey, including data from a separate statewide survey carried out by trained GFC water quality personnel. The survey included firebreak BMP inspections completed in fiscal year 2015. There were a total of 152 firebreak inspections that were used to supplement this survey. Since we already had the additional data for firebreak BMPs, we felt it was important to include accurate firebreak BMP implementation numbers. BMP implementation was determined by dividing the total number of individual BMPs that were applicable and fully implemented on the sites by the total number of applicable BMPs and summarized for each practice or category, overall site, region and statewide. Of the 6,223 individual BMPs evaluated, the statewide percentage of correct implementation was 91.13 percent. This is a 1.20 percentage point improvement in BMP implementation from the 2013 survey. By ownership, the percentage of BMP implementation statewide was 93.62 percent on corporate lands, 96.21 percent on public lands and 89.74 percent on NIPF lands. 2 Of particular interest is the fact that the number of Water Quality Risks observed decreased from 100 to 63 for an improvement of 37%. The number of Water Quality Risks for this survey is calculated at 0.30 Water Quality Risks per site, significantly lower than the 0.48 risks per site seen in the 2013 BMP Survey. A more detailed discussion of Water Quality Risks can be found later in this report. BMP compliance for stream and road length on all sites was evaluated on a mileage basis for this survey. It should be noted that this per unit BMP compliance scoring methodology goes beyond the SGSF recommendations for BMP monitoring and is specific to Georgia. BMP compliance was determined by dividing miles of streams or roads that were in compliance with BMPs, by the total miles of streams or roads. On the 213 sites, 34,932 acres of separate forestry operations were evaluated. Of the 86.86 miles of stream evaluated, 83.99 miles, or 96.70 percent, were observed to have no impacts or impairment from the forestry practices. This figure is slightly higher than the 2013 survey, representing a 1.4 percentage point improvement over the 2013 survey. Of the 204.49 miles of roads evaluated, 178.12 miles, or 87.10 percent, were observed to have no impacts or impairment from the forestry practices. This figure is slightly lower than the 2013 survey, representing a 1.8 percentage point reduction from the 2013 survey. By practice or category, statewide percentage of BMP implementation and compliance were as follows: Practice or Category Streamside Management Zones (SMZs) Stream Crossings Forest Roads Timber Harvesting Mechanical Site Preparation Chemical Site Preparation Firebreaks/Burning Artificial Regeneration (Tree Planting) Equipment Servicing Special Management Areas Forest Fertilization 2015 Implementation (% BMPs Implemented) 94.20 84.20 85.80 96.97 94.37 100 93.56 96.10 95.92 92.04 100 Weighted Overall Average 91.13 Practice or Category Stream Length Forest Roads 2015 Compliance (% Miles meeting BMPs) 96.70 87.10 3 Forest operators continue to do a good job of protecting sensitive areas even though some minor reductions in BMP Implementation on some categories have been observed. These sensitive areas include streamside management zones, stream crossings and special management areas. In addition, with a 91.13 percent overall statewide BMP implementation rate, forest operators as a whole are doing a good job of implementing forestry BMPs. BMP implementation for streamside management zones improved by 7.7 percent since the 2013 BMP Survey. BMP implementation for stream crossings and forest roads basically stayed within about 1+/- percent of the score from the 2013 Survey. So, there continues to be some room for improvement in the areas of stream crossings and forest roads. Stream crossings on private lands in the Mountains and Lower Coastal Plain areas of Georgia need improvement. Forest roads on private lands in the Lower Coastal Plain need improvement as well. Streamside management zones on private lands showed significant improvement. There were 113 stream crossings evaluated on 60 sites with an overall implementation rate of 84.20 percent, which represents a slight decline of 1.3 percentage points from the 2013 survey. In spite of this, we continue to see an improved effort to avoid stream crossings in carrying out forestry operations. The total number of stream crossings went down from 135 on the 2013 survey, to just 113 on the 2015 survey. Most noted stream crossing problems were associated with approach design, culvert sizing, and culvert installation. BMPs related to stream crossings accounted for 40 of the total 63 water quality risks on the survey sites. A more detailed discussion of the reasons seen as the causes of the minor BMP implementation declines in some categories is located in the Educational Opportunities and Conclusion section of this report on pp. 16 18. INTRODUCTION Georgia has an abundant amount of forest and water resources that provide a variety of benefits for the people of the state and region. The 24.7 million acres (2011 forest inventory and analysis data) of commercial forestland (two-thirds of the state) provide for forest products, clean water, clean air, soil conservation, wildlife habitat, recreation, aesthetics, education, and research. Many of the state's 44,056 miles of perennial streams, 23,906 miles of intermittent streams, and 603 miles of ditches and canals begin or flow through forestlands. Therefore, it is important for forest landowners to practice responsible forestry in order to protect these water resources The 1972 Federal Clean Water Act resulted in the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) being responsible for managing and protecting the state's waters from point and nonpoint sources of pollution. Since 1977, the EPD has designated the Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) as the lead agency to develop, educate, implement and monitor the use of Best Management Practices (BMPs) for forestry operations to minimize or prevent our nonpoint source pollution contributions (primarily erosion and sedimentation). Upon passage of the Clean Water Act (CWA) Amendments of 1987, the EPA issued guidance on the relationship of nonpoint source controls and water quality standards as part of the Water Quality Standards Handbook. The guidance states: "It is recognized that Best Management Practices, designed in accordance with a state approved process, are the primary mechanism to enable the achievement of water quality standards." It goes on to explain: "It is intended that proper installation of state approved BMPs will achieve water quality standards and will normally constitute compliance with the CWA." 4 BMPs for forestry were first developed and published in Georgia in 1981. A Wetlands BMP manual was developed in 1990 and revised in 1993. In January 1999, these manuals were revised and combined into one document with input from environmental groups, soil and water experts, fish and wildlife biologists, attorneys, private forest landowners, independent timber buyers and loggers, academia and state and federal water quality personnel. Since then, guidance for the treatment of canals and ditches was adopted in March 2000, and for floodplain features in riverine systems in July 2003. Guidance for headwater areas, i.e. ephemeral areas and gullies, was adopted in October 2005. This new guidance was incorporated into an updated BMP manual released in summer 2009. Since 1981, over 91,000 BMP manuals and brochures have been distributed. The main role of the GFC is to educate and inform the forestry community of these common sense recommendations, known as BMPs, through workshops and field demonstrations. Since publication of the first BMP manual, the GFC has given 2,880 BMP talks to over 91,300 people and participated in 550 field demonstrations of BMPs (through June 2015). The education process is ongoing, with workshops routinely provided for foresters, timber buyers and loggers through the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Program in Georgia. Georgia Forestry Commission foresters have also provided BMP advice in more than 77,800 cases covering over 5.33 million acres. Implementation of BMPs is determined through monitoring surveys. The GFC also tracks BMP implementation through BMP assurance exams in the regular course of carrying out complaint resolution. Of statistical importance are the monitoring surveys. The GFC conducted BMP Implementation Surveys in 1991, 1992, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2013. This current 2015 statewide survey continues over 20 years of BMP monitoring in Georgia. The statewide average BMP implementation over this period has ranged from 65 percent in 1991, to a high of 95 percent in 2011, to the current rate of 91.13 percent for 2015. The purpose of this report is to present the results of the 2015 BMP Implementation and Compliance Survey. SURVEY PROCEDURE Methodology for Sampling Intensity and Site Selection The number of evaluation sites in each of Georgia's 159 counties was based on the amount of timber harvested in each county, as determined by the Georgia Forestry Commission's Forest Inventory Analysis report of wood removals by county for 2011. GFC's forest inventory analysis data collection is overseen by the US Forest Service. This methodology resulted in 213 sites being surveyed. The next step was to target the sample where the practices occurred to reflect ownership. Ownership classes are categorized into non-industrial private forest (NIPF) land, corporate lands including forest industry (FI) and Timber Investment Management Organizations (TIMOs), and public lands, which include federal, state, county or city ownership. The timber harvest drain for each county was used to target the number of sites to inspect per ownership class in each county. For the 2015 BMP survey, 131 sites (61.5 percent) were inspected on NIPF lands, 58 sites (27.2 percent) on corporate, and 24 sites (11.3 percent) on public lands were inspected. 5 Firebreak construction BMPs have been included in this survey, including data from a separate statewide survey carried out by trained GFC water quality personnel. The survey included firebreak BMP inspections completed in fiscal year 2015. There were a total of 152 firebreak inspections that were used to supplement this survey. This was done for several reasons. First, there were relatively few firebreaks found on the 213 survey sites alone. However, we know that firebreaks occur much more commonly, and we wanted to make sure that the implementation results for these firebreak BMPs were accurate. Since we already had the additional data for firebreak BMPs, we felt it was important to include accurate firebreak BMP implementation numbers. Georgia Forestry Commission personnel used satellite data from LandSat to pull land disturbance locations within a specified timeframe for the potential survey sites. The timeframe includes sites disturbed within the last two years. The sites were checked initially to confirm which sites were actually forestry sites. The forestry sites were separated by ownership category and the appropriate number of sites was drawn randomly. Table 1 (pages 20-23) shows the distribution of survey sites by county. Site Evaluation For this tenth survey, and as noted in the Executive Summary, the protocol and scoring methodology was consistent with the Southern Group of State Foresters' Protocol titled Silvicultural Best Management Practices Implementation Monitoring, a Framework for State Forestry Agencies at: http://www.southernforests.org/resources/publications/SGSF%20Regional%20BMP%20Framework%2 0Protocol%20publication_2007.pdf/view After sites had been selected and verified in the field by county foresters or forest technicians, all landowners were contacted to obtain permission to conduct site evaluations. All evaluations were conducted by trained forest water quality specialists or district water quality foresters to provide accuracy, consistency and quality control using the BMP Compliance Survey Form. For a blank copy of the 11 page, 136 question form, please contact Scott Thackston (sthackston@gfc.state.ga.us). Once a site was selected, the forest water quality specialist or district water quality forester completed the survey form. Each site was identified by county, district, physiographic region, ownership, river basin and sub-basin, silvicultural treatment type, terrain class, soil erodibility class, hydric soil limitation class, type water bodies within the practice area and miles of stream evaluated within the practice area. Soils and stream data were determined using NRCS county soil survey maps, Web Soil Survey, or USGS topographical maps. Data could be extracted through each of these fields of information. 6 BMP Implementation Each site was evaluated for BMP implementation by observing as much of the treated area as possible and answering the 136 specific, YES/NO questions directly related to BMP implementation. Scoring was determined at three levels on each site: (1) individual BMP; (2) category of practice; and (3) overall site implementation. Level 1 - individual BMP implementation was recorded as either a NOT APPLICABLE, YES or NO. For simplification, each question was worded so that a positive answer was recorded as a YES while a negative answer, indicating a significant departure from BMP recommendations, was answered with a NO. If an individual BMP that was applicable and needed was not fully implemented over the entire area, it received a NO. The "all or none principle," as recommended by the SGSF framework, applied. Level 2 - categories of practice and level 3 - overall site implementation, scores were expressed as a percent of all applicable BMPs implemented against all applicable BMPs in the category of practice and overall site. Therefore, each category of practice and overall site could score between 0 and 100 percent. The categories of practices evaluated were as follows: Streamside Management Zones (SMZs) Stream Crossings Forest Roads Timber Harvesting Mechanical Site Preparation Chemical Site Preparation Firebreaks/Burning Artificial Regeneration (Tree Planting) Equipment Servicing Special Management Areas Forest Fertilization Significant Water Quality Risk Each BMP was further evaluated in terms of "significant water quality risk." A risk is defined by the SGSF framework for monitoring as "an existing on-the-ground condition resulting from failure to correctly implement BMPs, that if left unmitigated will likely result in an adverse change in the chemical, physical or biological condition of a waterbody. Such change may or may not violate water quality standards." Documenting the occurrence of risks serves a number of useful and practical purposes. First, risk assessment lends much credibility and integrity to the BMP monitoring process by evaluating the effectiveness of an individual or group of BMPs and allows opportunities to analyze ineffective BMPs for possible revisions. Second, it recognizes that high-risk conditions can occur and that prevention and/or restoration is a high priority for state forestry agencies. Third, routine documentation of risks will determine whether such instances are the exception rather than the rule. Fourth, finally providing forest landowners with an objective risk assessment is a valuable public service that not only protects the environment, but can also protect the landowner and/or operator from what might otherwise result in enforcement proceedings or other personal liability. Water quality risks found on GFC firebreak BMP inspections were mediated and corrected. 7 BMP Compliance BMP Compliance was also determined for the categories of forest roads and stream length. This scoring methodology goes beyond the SGSF BMP monitoring protocol and is specific to Georgia. However, this scoring methodology allowed for comparison with previous surveys in determining trends. Forest road and stream length were measured in miles. Scores were expressed as a percent of units of measure in BMP compliance against the total units of measure evaluated. Documenting compliance with the units of measure is important in that it allows forest managers, landowners and regulators to see the holistic picture of forestry operations and our effects on these critical categories. As with the implementation evaluation, the lack of BMP implementation may not necessarily equate to large-scale areas being out of compliance. For those two categories, it provides a better picture of locations to be prioritized for improvements. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The 2015 Statewide Forestry BMP Survey evaluated 213 sites comprising 34,932 acres. There were 113 stream crossings, 204.49 miles of forestry roads and 86.86 stream miles evaluated. Table 1, pages 20-23, shows the distribution of survey sites by county. Figure 1, page 40, shows the spatial location of the 213 survey sites. Figure 2, page 41, is a map of the state showing the different physiographic regions for reference. The tables, charts, and maps included with this report provide summaries of the distribution of the sites evaluated by region and ownership, as well as the BMP implementation and compliance results. Statistical Analysis The 213 sites evaluated during this survey represent only a sample of all operations that met the criteria for selection. Data compiled from county tax assessors' offices indicates that the number of timber harvesting operations conducted annually range from 7,000 to 10,000. Therefore, one could assume the sample reflects a 3.0 percent or 2.1 percent sample at best. In order to achieve a statistically valid monitoring report, Georgia has adopted the guidance, Statistical Guidebook for BMP Implementation Monitoring. This guidance was developed by the Water Resources Committee of the Southern Group of State Foresters to be used as a model for achieving statistically valid BMP monitoring. The guidebook should be used to determine the number of sites needed to conduct a statistically reliable survey, to calculate the margin of error for each BMP category or individual BMP and to analyze statistical trends in implementation. 8 Formula for Determining the Sample Size, or Number of Sites to Evaluate n = 4p(100 p) m Where n = the number of sites to evaluate p = the estimated overall percent implementation in the state m = the margin of error (5%) p must be estimated because it is unknown (% implementation from the most recent survey may be used). The closer the estimated value of p is to 100, the lower the value of n will be. n is highest when p is estimated to be 50 percent. m is the margin of error associated with the estimate of P. That is, there is 0.95 probability that the sample taken will produce an estimate which differs from p by a value of m. A margin of error at five percent was recommended by the SGSF framework. This formula provides the minimum sample size of 145 sites in order to achieve a five percent margin of error. We have evaluated nearly one and a half times the needed number of sites, so, using the formula, this level of survey should yield a margin of error of 3.90% for this survey. The reason the additional sites were assessed is so subsets of data in the survey, i.e., landowner groups, physiographic regions, river basins, etc., would be more statistically valid when used separately from statewide data. OVERALL BMP IMPLEMENTATION AND COMPLIANCE RESULTS BY CATEGORY OF PRACTICE Streamside Management Zones (SMZs) Streamside Management Zones (SMZs) are designated areas of varying widths adjacent to the banks of perennial (continuous flowing) or intermittent (normally flows only during winter months) streams and other bodies of water. USGS topographical maps and Natural Resource Conservation Service county soil survey maps were used to identify these types of streams. In these SMZs, forest management practices are modified in order to minimize potential impacts so as to protect water quality, fish or other aquatic resources. According to the 2009 BMP manual, SMZs along intermittent streams vary in width from 20 to 50 feet on most streams, depending on slope, and 100 feet along trout streams. SMZs along perennial streams vary from 40 to 100 feet, depending on slope. Clear cutting is not recommended in the SMZs, except during the control of southern pine beetles or salvage operations from natural disasters. 9 Table 4 (page 26) provides summaries of the results by ownership, region and state totals. Notable findings include: Statewide implementation for SMZs is 94.20 percent. Statewide BMP compliance for stream length is 96.70 percent. Six WQRs were identified, down from 28 in 2013. Implementation for SMZs in the lower coastal plain region improved by 14.77 percentage points across all ownership categories compared with the 2013 survey. Implementation for SMZs in the Ridge and Valley region improved by 20.56 percentage points across all ownership categories compared with the 2013 survey. Implementation for SMZs across all regions improved by 7.7 percentage points across all ownership categories compared with the 2013 survey. Insufficient SMZ widths, logging debris left in stream channels, and streambank tree harvesting seem to be the most common BMP deficiencies found in the SMZ category. Stream Crossings Stream crossings are often necessary for access to forestlands. From a water quality standpoint, stream crossings are the most critical aspect of the road system. Failure of a stream crossing due to improper planning or construction can result in erosion and introduction of sediment into a stream, which does affect water quality. Types of acceptable crossings include main haul road fords, culvert crossings, and bridges. Debris and dirt type crossings or skidder fords are not acceptable crossing types. Permanent crossings were considered to be those still in place at the time of inspection. Temporary crossings were noted where crossing approaches were still evident, but the actual crossing facility (i.e. temporary bridge, culvert and fill, etc.) had been removed. Table 3 (page 25) provides a summary of the results by ownership, region and state totals. A total of 113 crossings were evaluated on 60 sites statewide. Significant findings include: Statewide implementation for stream crossings is 84.20 percent. This is a slight 1.32 percentage point decline from 2013. The largest decline in implementation occurred in the mountain region which declined by 15.73 percentage points. Forty WQRs were associated with stream crossings. The NIPF ownerships have the most problems with 37 WQRs, as compared with corporate and public ownerships having just three WQRs combined. Areas for improvement in stream crossing design continue to be stream crossing approach design, culvert sizing with respect to storm flow, and culvert placement with respect to migration of aquatic species. 10 Forest Roads Permanent or temporary access roads are an essential part of any forest management operation and provide access for other activities. With proper planning, location, construction and maintenance, access roads allow for productive operations and minimally impact soil and water quality. However, poorly located, poorly constructed or poorly maintained roads can result in sediment reaching streams. These factors may lead to changing stream flow patterns, degrading fish and aquatic organism habitat, and adversely affected aesthetics. Table 2 (page 24) provides a summary of the results by region, ownership and state totals. Approximately 204.49 miles of road were evaluated on 191 sites. Forest road BMP implementation showed a slight drop of 0.23 percentage points from the 2013 survey. Significant findings include: Forest roads BMP implementation across all ownerships is 85.80 percent. Forest roads compliance is 87.10 percent. There were 14 WQRs associated with forest roads. Challenges for forest roads BMP implementation continue to be properly installing water diversions and stabilizing and reshaping of forest roads after activities are complete. Special Management Areas This category applies to canals and ditches, riverine floodplain features and headwater areas that could possibly transport sediments and other pollutants into other water bodies. These areas need some measure of protection, but normally do not need to be treated as streams. Table 5 (page 27) provides a summary of the results by region, ownership and state totals. Statewide, there were 171 sites with canals, ditches, ephemeral areas, gullies and wetland features. Other significant findings include: Special management area BMP implementation across all ownerships was 92.04 percent. There was only one WQR associated with special management areas. Special Management Area BMP implementation improved slightly by 0.87 percentage points overall from the 2013 survey. 11 Timber Harvesting Outside of SMZs Outside of SMZs, timber harvesting poses little threat to water quality in Georgia. Potential impacts can be avoided or minimized if careful consideration is given to seasonal weather conditions, soil type, soil moisture, topography, and equipment type matched to the particular harvesting site. The location, construction and maintenance of log decks and skid trails are the primary concerns. Table 6 (page 28) provides a summary of the results by ownership, region and state total. Approximately 18470.31 acres were evaluated on 187 sites. A total of 632 log decks were evaluated. A total of 1,302 main skid trails were evaluated. Other significant findings include: Timber harvesting outside SMZs BMP implementation across all ownerships is 96.97 percent. All BMP categories for Timber Harvesting scored 94 percent or better for BMP implementation, except for stabilization of skid trails with water diversions or slash dispersal, which scored 87.18 percent. There were 0 WQRs associated with Timber Harvesting. Mechanical Site Preparation Outside SMZs Site preparation methods groom harvested and non-forested areas for the natural and artificial regeneration of desired tree species and stocking. Methods include shearing, raking, chopping, windrowing, piling, bedding, and other physical methods to cut, break apart or move logging debris, or to improve soil conditions prior to planting. The purpose is to reduce logging impacts and debris, control competing vegetation and enhance seedling survival. The technique or method(s) used depends on soil type, topography, erodibility, condition of the site and any wetland limitations. Table 7 (page 29) provides a summary of the results by region, ownership and state totals. Statewide, approximately 2,612.20 acres were evaluated on 28 sites. Significant findings include: Mechanical Site Prep BMP implementation is 94.37 percent, continuing good levels of implementation since the 2013 survey. Mechanical Site Prep for pine regeneration in wetlands identified in EPA/Corps of Engineers memo did not occur on any applicable sites surveyed. The one significant challenge observed for Mechanical Site Prep is avoiding bedding that directs water into roadways and ditches. There were no WQRs associated with Mechanical Site Prep. 12 Chemical Site Preparation Outside SMZs Herbicides are valuable tools used in forest management to control competing vegetation, invasive species, and enhance tree survival and growth. On many highly erodible sites, the use of herbicides is actually more effective than exposing too much surface area by mechanical site preparation methods. By following EPA approved labels that govern storage, transportation, handling and application, herbicide application should not pose any threat to water quality. Table 8 (page 30) provides a summary of the results by region, ownership and state totals. Statewide, approximately 4,163.98 acres were evaluated on 40 sites. Significant findings include: BMP implementation and compliance for Chemical Site Prep is 100 percent. No challenges were observed for Chemical Site Prep. Firebreaks/Burning Controlled burning is often used alone or in conjunction with chemical or mechanical site preparation to prepare sites for regeneration. It may also be used during timber stand management to control or reduce hazardous accumulations of forest fuels, manage competing vegetation, improve wildlife habitat, and perpetuate certain endangered plant and animal ecosystems. Approximately 2,128.42 acres were evaluated for burning. There were a total of 182 sites evaluated for firebreaks/burning. BMP implementation was 93.56 percent. The main challenges involved firebreaks, including proper construction and spacing of water diversions, as well as avoiding intersections with forest roads. A total of two water quality risks were identified. Firebreaks are created by various methods to contain and control fires, both controlled burning and wildfires. If properly installed according to BMP guidelines, firebreak impacts on water quality can be minimized. We evaluated 30 survey sites containing a total of 47.60 miles of firebreaks. In addition to this, data from a fiscal year 2015 statewide survey specifically looking at GFC installed firebreaks has been included with this report. This additional survey examined 152 sites statewide. Together with the previously mentioned 30 sites, this section of this report covers data from a total of 182 sites. Best Management Practices implementation across these 182 sites was 93.56 percent. Of the 182 sites, 13 sites were landowner or contractor installed firebreaks where to date, no firebreak BMP training has occurred. The two water quality risks found on GFC firebreak BMP inspections were mediated and corrected. Table 9 (page 31) provides a summary of the results by region, ownership and state totals. Artificial Regeneration (Tree Planting) Outside SMZs Reforestation can be accomplished artificially or naturally. Natural regeneration and hand planting generally pose less of a threat to water quality than mechanical methods. 13 Table 10 (page 32) provides a summary of the results by region, ownership and state totals. Approximately 4,240.56 acres were evaluated on 44 sites. Overall BMP implementation for artificial regeneration was 96.10 percent. That represents a modest reduction of 3.9 percent from the 2013 survey. No water quality risks were identified. Significant findings include: The main reason for the modest decline in implementation was machine planting on slopes of five to 20 percent not always following the contour. No water quality risks were identified. BMPs were fully implemented on the vast majority of these sites. Pine establishment was avoided on specified wetlands identified in the EPA/COE memo. Forest Fertilization Forest fertilization occurred on only two Corporate sites in the Lower Coastal Plain. A total of 155.70 acres were treated with four BMPs assessed on the two sites with a 100% BMP implementation. Indicators of this particular practice include evidence of mixing areas and containers on the site. Since the BMPs call for the removal and proper disposal of containers, there might have been additional fertilization that was not obvious. Equipment Washing and Servicing Improper equipment washing and servicing can introduce hazardous or toxic materials to the site, which can affect water quality. Oils, lubricants, their containers and other trash and waste should be disposed of properly. According to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division's (GA EPD) Emergency Response Program, fuel and oil spills into soils or waterways which produce a visible sheen should be immediately contained and removed. In addition, chemical spills of 25 gallons or more should be reported to GA EPD. Table 11 (page 33) provides a summary of the results by region, ownership and state totals. A total of 642 landings were evaluated on 199 sites. Significant findings include: BMP implementation for Equipment Servicing was 95.92 percent. The most common issue was that oil/lubricants and containers were not disposed of properly. All BMPs assessed for Equipment Servicing were implemented at or above 92 percent. Stream Assessments Perhaps the most important observation in assessing the effectiveness of BMPs was the visual assessment of the water bodies on each site. A total of 86.86 miles of streams on 107 sites were evaluated for visual signs of impairment. Those signs include obvious soil erosion entering the stream, logging debris left in the channel, improper stream crossings resulting in blocked flow, removal of excess canopy trees within the SMZs exposing the stream to elevated temperatures, and impaired stream bank or channel integrity due to forestry practices. 14 Table 12 (page 34) provides a summary of the results by region, ownership and state totals by stream type. A total of 39.27 miles of perennial streams were assessed on these sites. Of these, 97.40 percent are in compliance. A total of 47.59 miles of intermittent streams were assessed on these sites. Of these, 96.11 percent are in compliance. Total combined stream compliance was 96.70 percent. Significant findings include: Overall stream BMP compliance is 96.70 percent. Sixty-three water quality risks were identified statewide. There were 40 WQRs (63.49 percent of the total) involving stream crossings. Fifteen of these were associated with steam crossing approaches. Forest roads accounted for 14 water quality risks (approximately 22.22 percent of the total). The lack of properly installed water diversions at SMZs accounted for six of the 14 risks for forest roads. The failure to adequately reshape and stabilize critical road segments also resulted in four WQRs. Within SMZs, there were six WQRs (9.52 percent of the state total of WQRs). There was one WQR associated with Special Management Areas. No WQRs were associated with Timber Harvesting outside of SMZs. There were only two WQRs associated with firebreaks, and those were mediated and corrected. The overall 96.70 percent stream compliance figure in Georgia supports assessments by the US Environmental Protection Agency that silvicultural operations contribute less than 10% of the nonpoint pollution to streams in the United States. Overall Statewide Results Table 13 (page 35) provides the statewide implementation results of the total number of sites, the acres evaluated, the number of BMPs evaluated, and the number of water quality risks determined by region and ownership. Statewide, the overall BMP implementation for all practices, all landownership classes, and all regions, was found to be 91.13 percent. This is a 1.2 percentage point improvement from the 2013 survey. Water Quality Risk Assessment Water Quality Risk assessments were made at each site as a component of the Southern Group of State Foresters BMP monitoring protocol. Water Quality Risks were observed at 63 specific locations on 16 of the 213 survey sites combined with the 152 GFC firebreak inspection sites included in the 2015 survey. That total of 63 Water Quality Risks is significantly lower than the previous BMP survey in 2013, representing a 37 percent improvement from the 2013 survey. Looking into these numbers a little deeper, it can be seen that 93.43 percent of the 213 sites surveyed for 2015 had no Water Quality Risks. Overall, it is clear that a small percentage of the sites surveyed account for all the observable Water Quality Risks seen. Below is a table showing the distribution of Water Quality Risk occurrence over the past six survey cycles. 15 Survey Year Survey Done 0 WQ Risks 1-3 WQ Risks 4-6 WQ Risks 7-9 WQ Risks 10 or more WQ Risks 2004 412 352 85.44% 36 8.74% 13 3.16% 5 1.21% 6 1.46% 2007 370 328 88.65% 21 5.68% 15 4.05% 4 1.08% 2 0.54% 2009 221 212 95.93% 8 3.62% 1 0.45% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 2011 187 178 95.19% 7 3.74% 1 0.53% 1 0.53% 0 0.00% 2013 209 185 88.52% 13 6.22% 6 2.87% 3 1.44% 2 0.96% 2015 213 199 93.43% 7 3.29% 3 1.41% 3 1.41% 1 0.47% A total of just two additional Water Quality Risks (WQRs) were found during the 2015 survey, one WQR each on just two sites from the 152 GFC firebreak inspection sites used to supplement the firebreak/burning data for this survey. Both are included in the total of 63 WQRs noted in this report. Please note that both of those WQRs were mediated and corrected. Educational Opportunities BMPs for roads and stream crossings all experienced a slight decline from our 2013 survey of about 1+/percent. Therefore, our educational opportunities will be focused on these categories. In particular, educational opportunities in these categories include: Stream crossings Culvert crossing design and installation information. Basic stream crossing design needs, including storm flow and aquatic migration requirements. Stream crossing approach design and stabilization. Temporary portable bridge use. Forest roads Stormwater control structure design and placement. Proper closeout needs following harvest activities. In addition, for timber harvesting Information on basic timber harvesting BMPs, including log deck and skid trail stabilization requirements. Charts 1 through 4 (pages 36-39) are perhaps the most important tools in this document for determining BMP implementation trends. These charts provide an overall summary and comparison of BMP implementation by practice and ownership over recent survey cycles. They also provide impetus for continued training and improvement. 16 Data from this survey shows that BMP implementation decreases on average according to tract size categories. The table below illustrates this point, showing BMP Implementation average for three tract size groupings. Overall Compliance by Tract Size Tract Size No. Sites Acres Under 100 Acres 141 101-200 Acres 41 201 Acres or more 29 11624.65 9735.69 13270.95 BMPs Assessed % BMPs Implemented WQ Risks 3910 90.41% 63 1315 92.55% 0 952 92.96% 0 All 213 Sites 34931.87 6226 91.13% 63 Includes 2 from GFC Firebreak Inspections As we can see from the above table, smaller tracts have a lower BMP implementation on average than larger tracts. Additionally it should be noted that all 63 WQRs found in the 2015 survey occurred on tracts 100 acres or less in size. There are several reasons smaller tracts, on average, experience lower BMP implementation rates. These reasons include potential poor road location due to tract boundary constraints; potentially more stream crossings due to the access issues and boundary locations of smaller tracts; having more roads and stream crossings simply because there are more landowners needing access across their parcels. When land is divided into larger tracts, there are fewer owners, and therefore, less need for access points from public roads. All of these results suggest a need for additional outreach to landowners of tracts of all sizes, especially smaller acreage landowners of less than 100 acres. The GFC has already undertaken efforts to make BMP educational information available online. Currently, GFC has five BMP learning modules available for anyone to access at any time to learn about forestry BMPs. Module titles include Temporary Stream Crossings, Stream Classification, Forest Roads, and Pre-Harvest Planning, along with a slide-show depicting detailed installation steps for Geoweb rocked ford stream crossing installation. These modules are located on GFC's public website at: http://gatrees.org/forest-management/water-quality/. Additional modules are planned in the near future to continue to address these needs. These modules are available through GFC partner, the Southeastern Wood Producers Association (SWPA), for loggers to obtain their required Master Timber Harvester continuing education credits. In addition, a continued effort should be made to further promote the use of temporary portable bridges for timber harvesting. Although we continue to see efforts made to avoid the need for stream crossings during timber harvesting activities, ongoing issues persist with loaded log trucks using inadequate permanent crossings. An increased use of temporary and/or portable logging bridge stream crossings would help avoid many of these problems. Finally, Chart 5 (page 42) shows the current number of Water Quality Risks (WQRs) observed in BMP implementation surveys between the 1998 survey and the present. There had been a dramatic decline in these observed WQRs until the 2013 survey, which exposed some issues with basic BMP implementation leading to an uptick in WQRs for that 2013 survey. However, our 2015 survey shows a significant reduction in WQRs, from 100 WQRs in the 2013 survey, to 63 WQRs in the 2015 survey, for a 37% improvement overall. 17 BMP Implementation data available by River Basin and ecoregion Similar statistics can be extracted for each of the 14 major river basins (page 19), 52 sub-basins and 12- digit HUCs for use by Regional Water Councils in accordance to the Georgia Comprehensive State-wide Water Management Plan. The survey statistics can also be extracted by each of Georgia's 29 Ecoregions (page 19). CONCLUSION The percentage of BMP implementation has increased from 64.9 percent in 1991 and has risen to 91.13 percent for the current survey. The percentage of stream miles in compliance has increased to around 96.70 percent. Since the 1998 survey, the number of water quality risks has markedly decreased, but experienced a significant upswing in the 2013 survey. However, the number of WQRs has since decreased significantly in the 2015 survey. Chart 5 (page 42) tracks the level of observed Water Quality Risks since the 1998 survey. The 2015 BMP implementation survey shows the need for continued BMP education efforts in order to help stabilize BMP implementation at satisfactory levels. Although the survey shows relatively high overall rates of BMP implementation, it also reveals areas for BMP implementation improvement within certain BMP categories and across certain landowner groups across the state. The information from this survey will be used to target BMP training at Master Timber Harvester, forester and landowner workshops. In addition, incentives for the increased use of portable logging bridges could be useful in helping increase stream crossing BMP implementation. Additional partnerships for these portable logging bridges are currently being pursued by GFC. GFC will continue to use available means to resolve forestry BMP complaints. The Georgia Forestry Commission, the Georgia Forestry Association, the University of Georgia Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, participating companies who subscribe to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, and the Southeastern Wood Producers Association support this concept. The Georgia SFI committee will continue to monitor and address "violators" as reported to their Inconsistent Practices sub-committee. Non-compliance cases will be referred to state or federal regulatory agencies. 18 Georgia's 29 Ecoregions Source: US Environmental Protection Agency Georgia's 14 Major River Basins Source: Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources 19 Table 1: Targeted Sites by County and Ownership County Atkinson Baldwin Banks Bartow Ben Hill Berrien Bleckley Brooks Bryan Bulloch Burke Butts Camden Candler Carroll Charlton Chattooga Cherokee Clay Clinch Colquitt Columbia Cook Crawford Dawson Decatur Dodge Dooly Early Echols Effingham Elbert Emanuel Evans Fannin Public 3 1 1 1 TIMO Corporate 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 1 4 3 1 NIPF Totals 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 2 4 4 5 6 1 1 3 1 1 3 3 3 1 4 1 2 1 1 1 5 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 4 4 1 1 2 2 3 1 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 20 County Floyd Franklin Gilmer Glascock Glynn Gordon Grady Greene Habersham Hall Hancock Haralson Harris Hart Houston Irwin Jackson Jasper Jeff Davis Jefferson Jenkins Johnson Jones Lamar Lanier Laurens Lee Liberty Lincoln Long Lumpkin Madison Marion McDuffie McIntosh Meriwether Miller Mitchell Monroe Public 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 TIMO Corporate 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 3 1 NIPF Totals 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 3 3 3 3 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 2 1 1 2 2 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 4 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 2 2 21 County Montgomery Newton Oconee Oglethorpe Paulding Pickens Pike Polk Pulaski Putnam Quitman Rabun Randolph Schley Screven Seminole Spalding Stephens Stewart Sumter Talbot Taliaferro Tattnall Telfair Terrell Thomas Tift Toombs Treutlen Troup Turner Twiggs Upson Walton Ware Warren Washington Wayne TIMO Public Corporate 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 22 NIPF Totals 1 1 2 3 1 1 2 2 1 1 2 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 2 1 2 1 1 2 3 3 1 1 2 2 2 2 1 1 3 3 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 4 2 3 3 3 3 3 County Wheeler White Whitfield Wilcox Wilkes Wilkinson Worth Totals Public 23 TIMO Corporate 3 3 58 NIPF Totals 2 2 1 1 2 2 2 2 1 4 1 4 1 1 132 213 23 Tables 2 a d: Distribution of Forest Road Sites Evaluated By Region, Ownership, Miles Assessed, % Compliance, # BMP Assessed, % BMPs Implemented, and Water Quality Risks Table 2a Forest Road Sites - NIPF Region No. Sites Miles Mountains 2 0.95 Piedmont 32 22.12 Upper Coastal Plain 30 26.78 Lower Coastal Plain 48 42.11 Ridge and Valley 6 3.27 Total 118 95.23 % Miles Compliance 98.95% 77.89% 75.84% 74.97% 98.78% 76.95% BMPs Assessed 27 273 179 342 70 891 % BMPs Implemented 88.89% 87.55% 82.12% 74.56% 92.86% 81.93% WQ Risks 0 5 1 2 0 8 Table 2b Forest Road Sites - Public Region No. Sites Miles Mountains 5 5.22 Piedmont 7 9.83 Upper Coastal Plain 1 2.1 Lower Coastal Plain 3 1.75 Ridge and Valley 4 12.41 Total 20 31.31 % Miles Compliance 100.00% 92.88% 100.00% 73.14% 99.60% 96.10% BMPs Assessed 54 65 5 20 46 190 % BMPs Implemented 100.00% 95.38% 100.00% 70.00% 97.83% 94.74% WQ Risks 0 0 0 4 0 4 Table 2c Forest Road Sites - Corporate Region No. Sites Miles Mountains 3 6.13 Piedmont 15 16.5 Upper Coastal Plain 9 10.48 Lower Coastal Plain 25 43.94 Ridge and Valley 1 0.9 Total 53 77.95 % Miles Compliance 99.18% 94.61% 97.81% 95.40% 98.89% 95.89% BMPs Assessed 32 129 55 178 11 405 % BMPs Implemented 78.13% 91.47% 89.09% 91.57% 90.91% 90.12% WQ Risks 0 0 0 2 0 2 Table 2d Forest Road Sites - All Ownership Region No. Sites Miles % Miles Compliance Mountains 10 12.3 99.51% Piedmont 54 48.45 86.63% Upper Coastal Plain 40 39.36 82.98% Lower Coastal Plain 76 87.8 85.16% Ridge and Valley 11 16.58 99.40% Total 191 204.49 87.10% BMPs Assessed 113 467 239 540 127 1486 % BMPs Implemented 91.15% 89.72% 84.10% 80.00% 94.49% 85.80% WQ Risks 0 5 1 8 0 14 24 Tables 3 a d: Distribution of Sites with Stream Crossings Evaluated by Region, Ownership, and # Crossings Assessed, # BMPs Assessed, % BMPs Implemented and Water Quality Risks Table 3a Stream and Wetland Crossings - NIPF Region No. Sites Crossings Mountains 2 3 Piedmont 14 22 Upper Coastal Plain 6 9 Lower Coastal Plain 12 23 Ridge and Valley 5 13 Total 39 70 BMPs Assessed 25 146 73 169 55 468 % BMPs Implemented 68.00% 79.45% 82.19% 75.15% 94.55% 79.49% WQ Risks 1 13 6 17 0 37 Table 3b Stream and Wetland Crossings - Public Region No. Sites Crossings Mountains 1 4 Piedmont 1 4 Upper Coastal Plain 0 0 Lower Coastal Plain 1 1 Ridge and Valley 3 10 Total 6 19 BMPs Assessed 14 15 0 12 38 79 % BMPs Implemented 100.00% 80.00% NA 75.00% 100.00% 92.41% WQ Risks 0 0 0 2 0 2 Table 3c Stream and Wetland Crossings - Corporate Region No. Sites Crossings Mountains 2 5 Piedmont 6 12 Upper Coastal Plain 0 0 Lower Coastal Plain 7 7 Ridge and Valley 0 0 Total 15 24 BMPs Assessed 20 80 0 81 0 181 % BMPs Implemented 85.00% 91.25% NA 96.30% NA 92.82% WQ Risks 0 0 0 1 0 1 Table 3d Stream and Wetland Crossings - All Ownership Region No. Sites Crossings Mountains 5 12 Piedmont 21 38 Upper Coastal Plain 6 9 Lower Coastal Plain 20 31 Ridge and Valley 8 23 Total 60 113 BMPs Assessed 59 241 73 262 93 728 % BMPs Implemented 81.36% 83.40% 82.19% 81.68% 96.77% 84.20% WQ Risks 1 13 6 20 0 40 25 Tables 4 a d: Distribution of Sites with Streamside Management Zones Evaluated By Region Ownership, Acres Evaluated, BMP Assessed, and %BMPs Implemented, and # Water Quality Risks Table 4a Streamside Management Zones - NIPF Region No. Sites Acres Mountains 2 17.37 Piedmont 29 494.53 Upper Coastal Plain 11 92.71 Lower Coastal Plain 21 181 Ridge and Valley 5 218.25 Total 68 1003.86 BMPs Assessed 20 250 73 202 49 594 % BMPs Implemented 100.00% 93.60% 94.52% 85.64% 95.92% 91.41% WQ Risks 0 2 0 4 0 6 Table 4b Streamside Management Zones - Public Region No. Sites Acres Mountains 6 230 Piedmont 6 147.85 Upper Coastal Plain 0 0 Lower Coastal Plain 1 2.04 Ridge and Valley 3 738 Total 16 1117.89 BMPs Assessed 51 56 0 9 25 141 % BMPs Implemented 100.00% 98.21% NA 88.89% 100.00% 98.58% WQ Risks 0 0 0 0 0 0 Table 4c Streamside Management Zones - Corporate Region No. Sites Acres Mountains 3 307.9 Piedmont 11 590.11 Upper Coastal Plain 2 5.96 Lower Coastal Plain 11 134.98 Ridge and Valley 0 0 Total 27 1038.95 BMPs Assessed 34 91 17 106 0 248 % BMPs Implemented 91.18% 98.90% 100.00% 100.00% NA 98.39% WQ Risks 0 0 0 0 0 0 Table 4d Streamside Management Zones - All Ownership Region No. Sites Acres Mountains 11 555.27 Piedmont 46 1232.49 Upper Coastal Plain 13 98.67 Lower Coastal Plain 33 318.02 Ridge and Valley 8 956.25 Total 111 3160.7 BMPs Assessed 105 397 90 317 74 983 % BMPs Implemented 97.14% 95.47% 95.56% 90.54% 97.30% 94.20% WQ Risks 0 2 0 4 0 6 26 Table 5 a d: Overall Distribution of Special Management Areas Evaluated By Region, Ownership, BMPs Assessed, % BMPs Implemented, and Water Quality Risks Table 5a Special Management Areas - NIPF Region No. Sites Mountains 2 Piedmont 39 Upper Coastal Plain 18 Lower Coastal Plain 35 Ridge and Valley 7 Total 101 BMPs Assessed 11 195 53 110 36 405 % BMPs Implemented 100.00% 93.33% 92.45% 74.55% 91.67% 88.15% WQ Risks 0 0 0 0 0 0 Table 5b Special Management Areas - Public Region No. Sites Mountains 6 Piedmont 9 Upper Coastal Plain 1 Lower Coastal Plain 1 Ridge and Valley 4 Total 21 BMPs Assessed 11 67 1 2 8 89 % BMPs Implemented 100.00% 97.01% 100.00% 50.00% 100.00% 96.63% WQ Risks 0 0 0 1 0 1 Table 5c Special Management Areas - Corporate Region No. Sites Mountains 3 Piedmont 14 Upper Coastal Plain 5 Lower Coastal Plain 26 Ridge and Valley 1 Total 49 BMPs Assessed 18 94 22 86 2 222 % BMPs Implemented 100.00% 96.81% 90.91% 98.84% 100.00% 97.30% WQ Risks 0 0 0 0 0 0 Table 5d Special Management Areas - All Ownership Region No. Sites BMPs Assessed Mountains 11 40 Piedmont 62 356 Upper Coastal Plain 24 76 Lower Coastal Plain 62 198 Ridge and Valley 12 46 Total 171 716 % BMPs Implemented 100.00% 94.94% 92.11% 84.85% 93.48% 92.04% WQ Risks 0 0 0 1 0 1 27 Table 6 a d: Distribution of Harvesting Operations Evaluated By Region, Ownership, Acres Assessed, # BMP Assessed, % Implemented, and Water Quality Risks Table 6a Timber Harvesting Outside SMZs - NIPF Region No. Sites Acres Mountains 2 88.2 Piedmont 37 2437.89 Upper Coastal Plain 30 3205.15 Lower Coastal Plain 43 3835.9 Ridge and Valley 7 457 Total 119 10024.14 BMPs Assessed 16 273 205 292 50 836 % BMPs Implemented 93.75% 97.44% 97.56% 95.55% 94.00% 96.53% WQ Risks 0 0 0 0 0 0 Table 6b Timber Harvesting Outside SMZs - Public Region No. Sites Acres Mountains 6 359 Piedmont 7 1255.34 Upper Coastal Plain 1 375 Lower Coastal Plain 2 79.92 Ridge and Valley 4 613 Total 20 2682.26 BMPs Assessed 46 52 7 16 30 151 % BMPs Implemented 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 87.50% 100.00% 98.68% WQ Risks 0 0 0 0 0 0 Table 6c Timber Harvesting Outside SMZs - Corporate Region No. Sites Acres Mountains 3 402 Piedmont 15 2282.39 Upper Coastal Plain 8 1114.06 Lower Coastal Plain 21 1863.46 Ridge and Valley 1 102 Total 48 5763.91 BMPs Assessed 23 106 51 144 7 331 % BMPs Implemented 100.00% 95.28% 94.12% 99.31% 100.00% 97.28% WQ Risks 0 0 0 0 0 0 Table 6d Timber Harvesting Outside SMZs - All Ownership Region No. Sites Acres BMPs Assessed Mountains 11 849.2 85 Piedmont 59 5975.62 431 Upper Coastal Plain 39 4694.21 263 Lower Coastal Plain 66 5779.28 452 Ridge and Valley 12 1172 87 Total 187 18470.31 1318 % BMPs Implemented 98.82% 97.22% 96.96% 96.46% 96.55% 96.97% WQ Risks 0 0 0 0 0 0 28 Table 7 a d: Distribution of Mechanical Site Preparation Operations Evaluated By Region, Ownership, and Acres Assessed, # BMPs Assessed, % BMP Implementation, and Water Quality Risks Table 7a Mechanical Site Preparation Outside SMZs - NIPF Region No. Sites Acres BMPs Assessed Mountains 0 0 0 Piedmont 0 0 0 Upper Coastal Plain 3 345 5 Lower Coastal Plain 5 362.88 14 Ridge and Valley 0 0 0 Total 8 707.88 19 % BMPs Implemented NA NA 100.00% 100.00% NA 100.00% WQ Risks 0 0 0 0 0 0 Table 7b Mechanical Site Preparation Outside SMZs - Public Region No. Sites Acres BMPs Assessed Mountains 0 0 0 Piedmont 2 88.5 8 Upper Coastal Plain 0 0 0 Lower Coastal Plain 1 22 2 Ridge and Valley 0 0 0 Total 3 110.5 10 % BMPs Implemented NA 100.00% NA 100.00% NA 100.00% WQ Risks 0 0 0 0 0 0 Table 7c Mechanical Site Preparation Outside SMZs - Corporate Region No. Sites Acres BMPs Assessed Mountains 0 0 0 Piedmont 0 0 0 Upper Coastal Plain 2 209.67 6 Lower Coastal Plain 15 1584.15 36 Ridge and Valley 0 0 0 Total 17 1793.82 42 % BMPs Implemented NA NA 66.67% 94.44% NA 90.48% WQ Risks 0 0 0 0 0 0 Table 7d Mechanical Site Preparation Outside SMZs - All Ownership Region No. Sites Acres BMPs Assessed Mountains 0 0 0 Piedmont 2 88.5 8 Upper Coastal Plain 5 554.67 11 Lower Coastal Plain 21 1969.03 52 Ridge and Valley 0 0 0 Total 28 2612.2 71 % BMPs Implemented NA 100.00% 81.82% 96.15% NA 94.37% WQ Risks 0 0 0 0 0 0 29 Table 8 a d: Distribution of Chemical Site Preparation Operations Evaluated By Region, Ownership, and Acres Assessed, BMPs Assessed, % BMP Implementation, and Water Quality Risks Table 8a Chemical Site Preparation Outside SMZs - NIPF Region No. Sites Acres Mountains 0 0 Piedmont 7 793.34 Upper Coastal Plain 1 170 Lower Coastal Plain 13 1233.72 Ridge and Valley 0 0 Total 21 2197.06 BMPs Assessed 0 14 2 26 0 42 % BMPs Implemented NA 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% NA 100.00% WQ Risks 0 0 0 0 0 0 Table 8b Chemical Site Preparation Outside SMZs - Public Region No. Sites Acres BMPs Assessed Mountains 0 0 0 Piedmont 2 88.5 4 Upper Coastal Plain 0 0 0 Lower Coastal Plain 2 54 4 Ridge and Valley 0 0 0 Total 4 142.5 8 % BMPs Implemented NA 100.00% NA 100.00% NA 100.00% WQ Risks 0 0 0 0 0 0 Table 8c Chemical Site Preparation Outside SMZs - Corporate Region No. Sites Acres BMPs Assessed Mountains 2 314 4 Piedmont 3 317.31 6 Upper Coastal Plain 0 0 0 Lower Coastal Plain 10 1193.11 20 Ridge and Valley 0 0 0 Total 15 1824.42 30 % BMPs Implemented 100.00% 100.00% NA 100.00% NA 100.00% WQ Risks 0 0 0 0 0 0 Table 8d Chemical Site Preparation Outside SMZs - All Ownership Region No. Sites Acres BMPs Assessed Mountains 2 314 4 Piedmont 12 1199.15 24 Upper Coastal Plain 1 170 2 Lower Coastal Plain 25 2480.83 50 Ridge and Valley 0 0 0 Total 40 4163.98 80 % BMPs Implemented 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% NA 100.00% WQ Risks 0 0 0 0 0 0 30 Table 9 a d: Distribution of Firebreak installation and Prescribed Burning Operations Evaluated By Region, Ownership, % BMP Implementation, and Water Quality Risks. Note: Number of sites and BMP implementation for this category includes results from the BMP Survey and GFC's statewide firebreak survey. Firebreaks/Burning Region NIPF Ownership Table 9a Mountains Piedmont Upper Coastal Plain Lower Coastal Plain Ridge and Valley Total Region Public Ownership Table 9b Mountains Piedmont Upper Coastal Plain Lower Coastal Plain Ridge and Valley Total Region Corporate Ownership Table 9c Mountains Piedmont Upper Coastal Plain Lower Coastal Plain Ridge and Valley Total Region All Ownerships Table 9d Mountains Piedmont Upper Coastal Plain Lower Coastal Plain Ridge and Valley Total No. Sites 0 37 23 82 4 146 No. Sites 0 3 0 3 0 6 No. Sites 4 5 4 13 4 30 No. Sites 4 45 27 98 8 182 % BMPs Implemented NA 92.11% 95.80% 85.04% 98.00% 92.74% % BMPs Implemented NA 97.00% NA 92.00% NA 94.50% % BMPs Implemented 99.00% 84.50% 88.00% 89.36% 98.00% 91.77% % BMPs Implemented 99.00% 91.34% 94.02% 85.42% 98.00% 93.56% WQ Risks 0 0 0 2 0 2 WQ Risks 0 0 0 0 0 0 WQ Risks 0 0 0 0 0 0 WQ Risks 0 0 0 2 0 2 31 Table 10 a d: Distribution of Artificial Regeneration Operations Evaluated By Region, Ownership, Acres Assessed, BMPs Assessed, % BMP Implementation, and Water Quality Risks Table 10a Artificial Regeneration Outside SMZs - NIPF Region No. Sites Acres Mountains 0 0 Piedmont 7 793.34 Upper Coastal Plain 3 345 Lower Coastal Plain 14 885.34 Ridge and Valley 0 0 Total 24 2023.68 BMPs Assessed 0 11 4 25 0 40 % BMPs Implemented NA 90.91% 100.00% 96.00% NA 95.00% WQ Risks 0 0 0 0 0 0 Table 10b Artificial Regeneration Outside SMZs - Public Region No. Sites Acres Mountains 0 0 Piedmont 2 88.5 Upper Coastal Plain 0 0 Lower Coastal Plain 2 54 Ridge and Valley 0 0 Total 4 142.5 BMPs Assessed 0 6 0 2 0 8 % BMPs Implemented NA 100.00% NA 100.00% NA 100.00% WQ Risks 0 0 0 0 0 0 Table 10c Artificial Regeneration Outside SMZs - Corporate Region No. Sites Acres BMPs Assessed Mountains 0 0 0 Piedmont 2 479 6 Upper Coastal Plain 3 290.37 6 Lower Coastal Plain 11 1305.01 17 Ridge and Valley 0 0 0 Total 16 2074.38 29 % BMPs Implemented NA 100.00% 83.33% 100.00% NA 96.55% WQ Risks 0 0 0 0 0 0 Table 10d Artificial Regeneration Outside SMZs - All Ownership Region No. Sites Acres BMPs Assessed Mountains 0 0 0 Piedmont 11 1360.84 23 Upper Coastal Plain 6 635.37 10 Lower Coastal Plain 27 2244.35 44 Ridge and Valley 0 0 0 Total 44 4240.56 77 % BMPs Implemented NA 95.65% 90.00% 97.73% NA 96.10% WQ Risks 0 0 0 0 0 0 Forest Fertilization: Forest fertilization occurred on only 2 Corporate sites in the Lower Coastal Plain. A total of 155.70 acres were treated with 4 BMPs assessed on the 2 sites with a 100% BMP implementation. 32 Table 11 a d: Distribution of Equipment Servicing Operations Evaluated By Region, Ownership, No. of Landings Assessed, BMPs Assessed, % BMP Implementation, and Water Quality Risks Table 11a Equipment Servicing and Trash Clean-up - NIPF Region No. Sites Landings Mountains 2 5 Piedmont 37 92 Upper Coastal Plain 32 81 Lower Coastal Plain 48 154 Ridge and Valley 7 13 Total 126 345 BMPs Assessed 6 111 95 140 21 373 % BMPs Implemented 100.00% 100.00% 94.74% 91.43% 100.00% 95.44% WQ Risks 0 0 0 0 0 0 Table 11b Equipment Servicing and Trash Clean-up - Public Region No. Sites Landings Mountains 6 18 Piedmont 7 26 Upper Coastal Plain 1 9 Lower Coastal Plain 4 8 Ridge and Valley 4 21 Total 22 82 BMPs Assessed 18 20 3 11 12 64 % BMPs Implemented 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% WQ Risks 0 0 0 0 0 0 Table 11c Equipment Servicing and Trash Clean-up - Corporate Region No. Sites Landings BMPs Assessed Mountains 3 21 9 Piedmont 15 67 43 Upper Coastal Plain 8 30 24 Lower Coastal Plain 24 93 72 Ridge and Valley 1 4 3 Total 51 215 151 % BMPs Implemented 100.00% 97.67% 95.83% 93.06% 100.00% 95.36% WQ Risks 0 0 0 0 0 0 Table 11d Equipment Servicing and Trash Clean-up - All Ownership Region No. Sites Landings BMPs Assessed Mountains 11 44 33 Piedmont 59 185 174 Upper Coastal Plain 41 120 122 Lower Coastal Plain 76 255 223 Ridge and Valley 12 38 36 Total 199 642 588 % BMPs Implemented 100.00% 99.43% 95.08% 92.38% 100.00% 95.92% WQ Risks 0 0 0 0 0 0 33 Table 12 a d: Distribution of Stream Types, Miles Assessed, and % Compliance By Region, and Ownership Table 12a Stream Assessment - NIPF Region No. Sites Mountains 2 Piedmont 26 Upper Coastal Plain 11 Lower Coastal Plain 21 Ridge and Valley 4 Total 64 Intermittent Miles Assessed 0.36 7.21 4.23 6.86 1.8 20.46 % Miles Compliance 94.44% 95.28% 99.76% 79.15% 100.00% 91.20% Perennial Miles Assessed 0.42 9.6 2.34 3.79 1.29 17.44 % Miles Compliance 73.81% 98.75% 100.00% 81.00% 96.12% 94.27% Total % Miles Compliance 83.33% 97.26% 99.85% 79.81% 98.38% 92.61% Table 12b Stream Assessment - Public Region No. Sites Mountains 6 Piedmont 6 Upper Coastal Plain 0 Lower Coastal Plain 1 Ridge and Valley 3 Total 16 Intermittent Miles Assessed 2.96 2.71 0 0.12 5.14 10.93 % Miles Compliance 100.00% 100.00% NA 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% Perennial Miles Assessed 2.73 5.09 0 0.36 1.31 9.49 % Miles Compliance 100.00% 100.00% NA 94.44% 100.00% 99.79% Total % Miles Compliance 100.00% 100.00% NA 95.83% 100.00% 99.90% Table 12c Stream Assessment - Corporate Region No. Intermittent Sites Miles Assessed Mountains 3 2.27 Piedmont 11 8.52 Upper Coastal Plain 2 1.42 Lower Coastal Plain 11 3.99 Ridge and Valley 0 0 Total 27 16.2 % Miles Compliance 99.12% 99.77% 100.00% 99.75% NA 99.69% Perennial Miles Assessed 2.79 6.39 0.27 2.89 0 12.34 % Miles Compliance 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% NA 100.00% Total % Miles Compliance 99.60% 99.87% 100.00% 99.85% NA 99.82% Table 12d Stream Assessment - All Ownership Region No. Intermittent Sites Miles Assessed Mountains 11 5.59 Piedmont 43 18.44 Upper Coastal Plain 13 5.65 Lower Coastal Plain 33 10.97 Ridge and Valley 7 6.94 Total 107 47.59 % Miles Compliance 99.28% 98.05% 99.82% 86.87% 100.00% 96.11% Perennial Miles Assessed 5.94 21.08 2.61 7.04 2.6 39.27 % Miles Compliance 98.15% 99.43% 100.00% 89.49% 98.08% 97.40% Total % Miles Compliance 98.70% 98.79% 99.88% 87.90% 99.48% 96.70% 34 Table 13 a d: Overall Distribution of Sites Evaluated By Region, Ownership, Acres Evaluated, BMPs Assessed, % BMPs Implemented, and Water Quality Risks Note: Number of sites and BMP implementation for the overall distribution include results from the BMP Survey and GFC's statewide firebreak survey. Table 13a Overall Distribution - NIPF Region No. Sites Mountains 2 Piedmont 70 Upper Coastal Plain 53 Lower Coastal Plain 118 Ridge and Valley 11 Total 254 Acres 105.57 5270.94 4234.18 7195.6 675.25 17481.54 BMPs Assessed 105 1314 706 1401 281 3807 % BMPs Implemented 88.57% 92.05% 92.85% 86.40% 96.65% 89.74% WQ Risks 1 20 7 25 0 53 Table 13b Overall Distribution - Public Region No. Sites Mountains 6 Piedmont 10 Upper Coastal Plain 1 Lower Coastal Plain 7 Ridge and Valley 4 Total 28 Acres 589 1706.19 375 211.96 1351 4233.15 BMPs Assessed 194 297 16 78 159 744 % BMPs Implemented 100.00% 96.37% 100.00% 87.05% 99.37% 96.21% WQ Risks 0 0 0 7 0 7 Table 13c Overall Distribution - Corporate Region No. Sites Mountains 5 Piedmont 19 Upper Coastal Plain 13 Lower Coastal Plain 41 Ridge and Valley 5 Total 83 Acres 1494.9 3763.81 1620.06 6236.41 102 13217.18 BMPs Assessed 157 563 181 751 23 1675 % BMPs Implemented 94.23% 93.55% 90.57% 94.59% 97.53% 93.62% WQ Risks 0 0 0 3 0 3 Table 13d Overall Distribution - All Ownership Region No. Sites Mountains 13 Piedmont 99 Upper Coastal Plain 67 Lower Coastal Plain 166 Ridge and Valley 20 Total 365 Acres 2189.47 10740.94 6229.24 13643.97 2128.25 34931.87 BMPs Assessed 456 2174 903 2230 463 6226 % BMPs Implemented 95.06% 92.87% 92.23% 88.19% 96.87% 91.13% WQ Risks 1 20 7 35 0 63 35 Percent Chart 1: Statewide Trends in BMP Implementation BMP Implementation Trends 100 90 80 1991 1992 70 1998 2002 2004 60 2007 2009 2011 50 2013 2015 40 30 20 10 0 36 Chart 2: Statewide Trends in BMP Implementation on NIPF Sites Statewide BMP Implementation Trends - NIPF 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 2004 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 Percent 37 Chart 3: Statewide Trends in BMP Implementation on Corporate Sites Statewide BMP Implementation Trends - Corporate 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 2004 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 Percent 38 Chart 4: Statewide Trends in BMP Implementation on Public Sites Statewide BMP Implementation Trends - Public 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 2004 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 Percent 39 40 Figure 2 Source: University of Georgia 41 Chart 5: Statewide Trends in Reduction of Water Quality Risks from 1998 through 2015 Surveys 450 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 Water Quality Risks - Statewide 1998 (448) 2002 (286) 2004 (213) 2007 (154) 2009 (22) 2011 (26) 2013 (100) 2015 (63) 42