Tree Growth and Vegetation Diversity in Northern Idaho Forest Water Reclamation Facilities

Abstract

Forest water reclamation can improve tree growth and renovate municipal wastewater. Although there are indications that long-term application may exceed forest assimilation capacity, there is limited information on the long-term effects of reclaimed water application on coniferous ecosystems. The purpose of our study was to assess the impacts of prolonged reclaimed water application on forest growth responses and vegetation diversity. We examined the effects of reclaimed water at five water reuse facilities established between 1978 and 2013 in a four-decade time series. We collected tree cores and stem measurements to determine current and retrospective increments. We assessed plant diversity with vegetation surveys. The greatest diameter response observed for reclaimed water amendment compared to controls was 166.1% for western redcedar, while Douglas-fir increased up to 116.4% and ponderosa pine increased up to 100.6%. The minimum response observed was 30.3%. Current annual increments showed that the basal area and volume were significantly greater at long-established facilities for reclaimed-water-amended plots. The understory vegetation diversity declined with application time, while overstory vegetation diversity increased with application time. We conclude that reclaimed water can be a valuable resource to improve forest productivity, but continued application without stocking control may have detrimental effects on forest growth and vegetation diversity.