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Developing guidelines and tools

The WP encompasses several main activities as follows:

A 3.1: Development of guidelines and tools for management of riparian forests

  1. To develop maps suggesting tree covered buffer zones; to uniform width buffers have been implemented in forestry to mitigate leaching of substances (non-striving an optimal water protection). Implementing site specific, hydrologically adapted buffer zones will improve the protection for surface waters and the Baltic Sea, while the new guidelines of how it has to be implemented are needed. This activity aims to fill existing gap via 1) developing new maps that indicate how the buffer zones should be designed, and 2) implementing a field protocol, which helps prioritize the protection in the buffer zone.

2."Blue Targeting" as a planning tool for forest operations by field inventorying used in Sweden and suggested for other countries. This tool gives suggestion for the buffer zone needed to diminish negative effects of the watercourse. WAMBAF seeks to adapt the tool to Finland, Poland and Latvia under local natural conditions.

  1. Develop guidelines for management of riparian forests. The aim of the guidelines is to define how riparian forests should be managed to reduce the leakage of nutrients and hazardous substances into regional waters causing downstream effects on water quality and quantity. Regarding hazardous substances we will mainly focus on methyl mercury since this is the main problem connected to waters and forestry operations. Guidelines will help planning the forestry operations and enhance the possibilities for the foresters to manage their forest in a sustainable way.
  2. Produce a video/film showing the use of GIS data to design buffer zones. Its aim is to show how to use GIS data combined with data from laser scanning to improve forestry and logging planning in particular regarding waters in the forested landscape. The film is targeted mainly towards private forest owners, forest planners and machine operators. There is already a Swedish version of the film under production, and by adapting it to other natural given circumstances, the film will be of use for all BS countries.

A 3.2: Development of guidelines and tools for drainage systems

  1. Development of guidelines based on the output from WP2 for managing drainage systems seeking to diminish leakage of nutrient inflow into regional waters to limit the discharges of hazardous substances. The guidelines are based on best practice and existing knowledge on drainage systems but it need to be exchanged, gathered and adapted to the natural given circumstances. The target groups will be involved in developing the guidelines, by discussions during the development of the guidelines. The end users are forest enterprises, forest owners and machine operators / entrepreneurs, who will be interested in the appropriate fulfilment of drainage works. 
  2. Development of an application for mobile devices and for desktops to support planning of drainage networks using the available terrain models (Digital Terrain Models). Since the target group and end users for this application are forest owners, machine operators / entrepreneurs and persons not educated in planning drainage works, the application have the most simplified interface in native languages of every partner participating in the project. As every partner has different spatial data, test areas are used for the development of the application and data specific for all participating countries. Developing this kind of tool, a smart phone app, has not been done for this target group before, and the group of activities is serving a pilot action purpose also since the development requires usage of high technology to enhance a work (drainage) that has been done for a long time, and make that work more environmental friendly. To create a universal tool, different sample plots are needed. For proper software tests, the different Digital Terrain Model resolution are arranged in different conditions (different type of forests and agricultural areas) that is why relatively cheap tool is needed to create different data ­ sample plots. Data acquisition by drones is relatively cheaper than aerial companies’ services, therefore project includes also drone as part of equipment. The development of the smart phone application is also of a pilot study relevance, since it has not been done before and there is a great possibility to transform the application into other regions and countries.

The activities are of great transnational relevance since drainage is done in all the BSR countries and when draining in a proper way leaching of nutrients and hazardous substance into the regional waters can be minimized.

  1. Development of an application for mobile devices and for desktops to support planning of drainage networks by using the available terrain models (Digital Terrain Models). Developing this kind of tool, a smart phone app, has not been done for this target group before, and the group of activities is serving a pilot action purpose also since the development requires usage of high technology to enhance a work (drainage) that has been one for a long time, and make that work more environmental friendly. To create a universal tool, different sample plots will be needed. For proper software test, the different Digital Terrain Model resolution is arranged in different conditions (different type of forests and agricultural areas) that is why relatively cheap tool is needed to create different data – sample plots. Data acquisition by drones is relatively cheaper than aerial companies’ services, therefore, project includes also drone as part of equipment. The development of the smart phone application is also of a pilot study relevance, since it has not been done before and there is a great possibility to transform the application into other regions and countries. 

The activities are of great transnational relevance since drainage is done in all the BSR countries and when draining in a proper way leaching of nutrients and hazardous substance into the regional waters can be minimized

A 3.3: Beavers – development of guidelines and tool

The activities are mainly performed in periods 2–5 but were started at the beginning of the project in period 1 by installing water quality monitoring instruments. This is necessary for later validation of the produced guidelines. Guidelines will be used in the training courses and in the communication with the target groups on Demonstration areas (WP4) and to facilitate implementation in all BSR countries.

Developing and testing of a beaver dam tool: WP3 takes advantage of the literature review on the effects of beaver dams on production and transport of nutrients and hazardous substances performed in WP2. The data on general status of forest streams in the participating countries – nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus) and hazardous substances (mercury) in water and biota are collected. The data sources: national statistics and published reports. The existing data are complemented with field measurements at the series of sites in beaver streams – including upstream and downstream dams – in demonstration areas according to a sampling schedule over three years. The aim is also to demonstrate the environmental effect of dam removal. Water samples are analysed in respect of the total (THg) and methyl mercury (MeHg), phosphorus (total and phosphate), nitrogen (total, ammonium and nitrate/nitrite), pH, conductivity, alkalinity, colour TOC, sulphate and chloride. In biota samples, hazardous substances including THg and MeHg, will be measured. Validation will be based on results from a major previous national project lead by PP9 (SLU). Previous results shown that MeHg concentrations are linked to the colonization history of beavers in the catchments. In this respect, pioneer beaver systems (generally young systems) pose a risk of high MeHg concentration whereas recolonized systems do not. The assessment of the colonization history can be based on remote sensing or other freely available GIS data (e.g. Google Earth), and also using field observations where needed. In this work, the target groups will be involved, since they have an important knowledge on the distribution history of beavers.

There is a high transnational relevance of this activity, since beavers increase in abundance and spread in all the BS countries over national and administrational borders. The output Beaver Dam Tool will, therefore, be of high transnational value.

Output “Beaver Dam Tool” description:

  1. Beaver handbook “Beaver as a resource”, containing information collected in WP 2, and packaged for use of target groups and associated organisations, with general information on beaver populations and management needs, as well as country ­ specific legislation and policy concerning beaver management, damage control and hunting/trapping, and how to raise the value of beaver as a resource for landowners and hunters. The latter may be done by disseminating knowledge on hunting and use of beaver for products (e.g. meat, fur, castoreum) and services (e. g. nature and hunting tourism). The handbook will contribute to transnational learning on beaver management and use; be a resource for national policy development in respective BSR countries; and provide incentives for sustainable management of beaver populations.
  2. A tool (decision support) for classification of beaver dams. The tools help to decide which beaver dams should be removed. If done in a proper way while preserving dams improving water quality through retention of sediments, the discharge of the hazardous methyl mercury will decrease. The tool will be an important resource for harmonization of environmental status in the BSR.

Target group(s) for use of the main output “Toolbox for management of beaver population":

The following output will be produced:

  • Beaver handbook;
  • Digital tool (decision support) for classification of beaver dams;
  • Training material (brochures, posters, manuals, instruction videos, PowerPoint presentations)

The material will be of use for:

  • Forest owners (private, forest enterprise, state or municipality);
  • Forest and wildlife managers (enterprise or government);
  • Hunters
  • Sport fishers.

The main End users:

  • Forest owners;
  • Hunters.

The Beaver Handbook including guidelines is served as a material for revised legislation aiming at reducing leakage of nutrients and hazardous substances (e.g. by changing the management of beaver population and beaver dams). The digital tool for classification of beaver dams is a science­based support for management of beaver dams, resulting in minimised leakage of nutrients and hazardous substances (e.g. mercury). The tool will be useful for large parts of the coastal areas where beavers occur, which is basically more or less the entire BSR, considering the ongoing expansion of the distribution range and increase in population abundance of beavers.

The main output will be used in all areas in BS countries where there are abundant beaver populations: central and northern Sweden, eastern Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia (Kaliningrad) and Poland.

The novelty is to clarify the beaver role in water quality not only implementing WFD, Habitat Directive, Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the nutrient load reduction targets of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan but also enabling to determine species management plan).

WP 3 Activity 3.4: Defining synergies and removing contradictionary advices in guidelines and tools on management of riparian forests, drainage systems and beaver dams

A workshop is organized to 1) present and discuss, 2) identify synergies and 3) prepare suggestions for adjustments to the guidelines and tools to strengthen the awareness of synergies and to avoid trade­offs in the management of riparian forests, drainage systems and beaver dams in the Baltic Sea countries. The workshop will be held in relation to the mid time conference of the WAMBAF project. The mid time conference will be held in period 4.

The purpose of the action is broadly understood information campaigns, which due to raising awareness of target groups (public authorities, forest enterprises, forest owner associations, etc.) will allow avoiding possible conflicts and concerns related to the use of new software, tools and guidelines as well as interactions among different interest groups. Within the action, not only information campaigns are planned based on social media or project website but also the organisation of meetings and workshops is assumed.

Output: Definition of synergies and suggestions for removing contradictionary advices from the guidelines and tools on management of riparian forests, drainage systems and beaver dams

Output description: A report on the outcomes of the workshop will be prepared including definition of synergies and suggestions for removing trade­offs from the guidelines and tools on management of riparian forests, drainage systems and beaver dams. It will be utilized internally when finalizing the guidelines and developing planning tools. Timeline: period 5

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