In 1995 the state initiated forestry Best Management Practices or BMPs to help protect water quality during logging projects. This voluntary program, developed by private and public forestry officials and promoted by the Department of Natural Resources, is designed to prevent water pollution from sediments, organic debris, nutrients, chemicals and high stream flows.
A 10-year study of the program found that 83 percent of the time BMPs were applied correctly where needed. The overall BMP effectiveness has also proven to be impressive: when BMPs were applied correctly where needed, no adverse impacts to water quality were found 99 percent of the time.
Equally important is that when Forestry BMPs were not applied where needed, adverse impacts to water quality were observed 71 percent of the time, usually with minor long-term impact.
"These numbers confirm the importance of the Forestry BMP Program in protecting water quality and the continued need to improve BMP application," DeLong said. Future goals of the program involve identifying opportunities for improvement and continuing to protect our state's water resources.
During snow melt and rainy weather, surface water moves across the ground picking up and carrying pollutants to streams and lakes or the groundwater. Soil becomes a "non-point pollutant" when large amounts of it are flushed into a waterway. Nonpoint source pollution – pollution that doesn't come from a pipe or specific discharge -- is regarded as the largest remaining pollution threat to Wisconsin's waters.
Loggers anpod land managers can access the BMP program several different ways
A field manual provides 128 best management activities for forestry, addressing issues such as road building, timber harvesting, prescribed burning and the application of chemicals. The Forestry Best Management Practices for Water Quality Field Manual (Forestry Publication #93 03Rev) is available on the DNR Web site.
Annual BMP workshops are also sponsored by the DNR. These workshops, that include much in field study, have been attended by thousands of landowners and loggers.
