uid=HFR,o=lter,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org all public read doi:10.6073/pasta/dafa9bfe6da9ddca388b93b0b67b612c Elizabeth Colburn Joseph Choiniere Researcher Cindy Dunn Researcher Holly Jensen-Herrin Researcher Douglas Williams Researcher 2023 English

Headwater streams, particularly those that flow only during part of the year, are understudied and underprotected in Massachusetts. Research being conducted elsewhere suggests that these "Headwater Habitat Streams" are important both for aquatic biodiversity and for ecological function of lower stream reaches. We are carrying out baseline research, involving research scientists and volunteers, on hydrology and habitat characteristics in headwater streams in northern Worcester County, MA. We hypothesized that headwater streams exhibit a longitudinal gradient of hydrology, from (1) ephemeral channels that flow only in response to storms, through (2) intermittent sections that flow seasonally until the groundwater table falls below the channel and are dry the rest of the year, to (3) interstitial reaches that flow seasonally and retain pools connected by subsurface flow during the summer, to (4) the perennial stream. Results to date show a high degree of longitudinal heterogeneity in the study streams, with interspersion of perennially flowing reaches among low-gradient sections of vegetated wetland, high-gradient boulder piles, and braided channels. Perennial flow is found high up in some watersheds. We expect our methods and results will have implications throughout the Commonwealth for local conservation commissions and other municipal officials responsible for land-use planning and regulation, state agencies responsible for land management and the protection of wildlife, regulators reviewing projects affecting streams, watershed managers, teachers and their students, private land trusts, conservation advocates, and citizen-naturalists.

conservation land use riparian stream ecology streamflow LTER controlled vocabulary disturbance LTER core area Harvard Forest HFR LTER USA HFR default

This dataset is released to the public under Creative Commons CC0 1.0 (No Rights Reserved). Please keep the dataset creators informed of any plans to use the dataset. Consultation with the original investigators is strongly encouraged. Publications and data products that make use of the dataset should include proper acknowledgement.

Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal https://spdx.org/licenses/CC0-1.0.html CC0-1.0 https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/exist/apps/datasets/showData.html?id=hf095 Prospect Hill Tract (Harvard Forest), Mount Wachusett (Princeton MA). Coordinates based on WGS84 datum. -72.20 -71.88 +42.55 +42.48 2002 2005 complete Information Manager Harvard Forest

324 North Main Street Petersham MA 01366 USA

(978) 724-3302 hf-im@lists.fas.harvard.edu Harvard Forest

324 North Main Street Petersham MA 01366 USA

(978) 724-3302 (978) 724-3595 https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu

Starting in late summer of 2002, we carried out habitat surveys in headwater tributaries of 15 perennial streams in central Massachusetts. Each of 36 headwaters was flagged at 20-m intervals. Using a modification of the field procedures established by Ohio EPA (2002) for assessment of headwater streams, we recorded habitat characteristics such as flow, gradient, substrate (percent boulder, cobble, sand, leaf dams, etc.), channel conditions (pool, riffle, cascade, etc.), riparian vegetation, and adjacent land use for each 20-m reach of each tributary.

Harvard Forest

324 North Main Street Petersham MA 01366 USA

(978) 724-3302 (978) 724-3595 https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu https://ror.org/059cpzx98 pointOfContact The Harvard Forest Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) program examines ecological dynamics in the New England region resulting from natural disturbances, environmental change, and human impacts. National Science Foundation LTER grants: DEB-8811764, DEB-9411975, DEB-0080592, DEB-0620443, DEB-1237491, DEB-1832210. hf095-01-stream.csv stream habitat data hf095-01-stream.csv 14151 63b45099c037bcb3173d6a70db446c02 1 \r\n column , https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/data/p09/hf095/hf095-01-stream.csv date sampling date YYYY-MM-DD id tributary name and meter location along streamlength; each stream has a 2-3 letter code, followed by a letter identifying the headwater tributary (if more than one tributary) and a number identifying the location along the streambank (in meters above confluence with pond, road, or larger stream). A single number indicates a quadrat sample at the location indicated; numbers separated by a dash indicate sampling along a transect (usually 20 m in length). study stream and sampling location depth water depth at sampling location centimeter 0.1 real NA missing value numwidth average width of stream channel (bank to bank) meter .01 real NA missing value flow whether flow is intermittent or perennial at the sampling location 1 perennial 2 intermittent m2.trans.quad square meters sampled, in quadrat or transect squareMeter 1 whole NA missing value bldr.bedrock percent of substrate occupied by bedrock or large embedded boulder dimensionless 0.1 real NA missing value boulder percent of substrate occupied by bedrock or large embedded boulder dimensionless .1 real NA missing value cobble percent of substrate occupied by cobble dimensionless 0.1 real NA missing value gravel percent of substrate occupied by gravel dimensionless 0.1 real NA missing value sand percent of substrate occupied by sand dimensionless 0.1 real NA missing value silt percent of substrate occupied by silt dimensionless 1 whole NA missing value leafpack percent of substrate occupied by leaf pack dimensionless 0.1 real NA missing value cwd percent of substrate occupied by coarse woody debris dimensionless 0.01 real NA missing value clay.hardpan percent of substrate occupied by clay or hardpan dimensionless 1 whole NA missing value artificial percent of substrate occupied by artificial surface (culvert, etc.) dimensionless 1 whole NA missing value unscoured.forestfloor percent of substrate representing unscoured forest floor (not defined channel) dimensionless 1 whole NA missing value scoured.forestfloor percent of substrate representing scoured forest floor (not defined channel) dimensionless 0.1 real NA missing value substrate.embeddedness degree to which fine materials surround course materials in substrate of channel 1 low 2 medium 3 high na no data pools percent of habitat consisting of pool dimensionless 0.1 real NA missing value cascade percent of habitat in cascade dimensionless 0.1 real NA missing value run percent of run habitat dimensionless 1 whole NA missing value riffle percent of riffle habitat dimensionless 0.1 real NA missing value moss percent of moss habitat dimensionless 0.1 real NA missing value roots percent of substrate representing unscoured forest floor (not defined channel) dimensionless 0.1 real NA missing value debris percent of habitat consisting of debris piles dimensionless 0.1 real NA missing value damp.dry.sand percent of habitat consisting of damp or dry sand dimensionless 0.1 real NA missing value damp.dry.rocks percent of habitat consisting of damp or dry rocks dimensionless 0.1 real NA missing value riparian.zone.l Width of riparian area on left (L) side of stream as look upstream 0 none 1 narrow, less than 5 m 2 moderate, 5-10 m 3 wide, more than 10 m riparian.zone.r Width of riparian area on right (R) side of stream as look upstream 0 none 1 narrow, less than 5 m 2 moderate, 5-10 m 3 wide, more than 10 m bank qualitative measure of bank disturbance 1 undisturbed 2 cleared 3 eroded/cut 4 riprapped land.uses.l description of land uses adjacent to the stream, on left (L) as look upstream 0 undisturbed 1 paved road 2 dirt road/trail land.uses.r description of land uses adjacent to the stream, on right (R) as look upstream 0 undisturbed 1 paved road 2 dirt road/trail adjacent.habitat.l dominant characteristics of riparian zone on each side of stream (left as look upstream) 1 deciduous forest 2 mixed forest 3 coniferous forest 4 wooded wetland adjacent.habitat.r dominant characteristics of riparian zone on each side of stream (right as look upstream) 2 mixed forest 3 coniferous forest 4 wooded wetland 6 cleared/cut forest sinuosity number of curves in study reach number 1 whole NA missing value gradient stream gradient 1 flat 2 flat to moderate 3 moderate 4 moderate to severe 5 severe flow.char flow at time of sampling 1 dry channel no water 3 pools, damp streambed between, flow not evident OR moist channel, isolated pools, no flow 4 pools, areas of intermittent flow and dry/damp areas 6 flowing continuously distance.from.pond distance along stream channel upstream of pond or other starting point 1 0-50 m 2 50-100 m 3 100-150 m 6 250-300 m 7 300-350 m 8 350-400 m 9 400-450 m 10 450-500 m 11 500-550 m NA no data elevation elevation above msl meter 1 natural NA missing value 118 regional watershed short-term measurement