Streamflow Changes after Forest Clearing in New England

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Abstract
Clearing a hardwood forest cover and preventing regrowth with herbicides on a 39‐acre watershed in central New England increased annual water yield an average 12.2 area‐inches for the first two water years after treatment. Most of this increase occurred during the critical low flow months of June through September, and the amount was governed in large part by rainfall in this period. There was a small advance of snowmelt runoff and a consistent increase in growing season high flow values. Our data agree with others showing that sizeable streamflow increases can result from forest clearing in the uplands of the eastern United States.