II.  Land Use

D. Forested Lands

Section Navigation

            1.   Forest Land Use Data

            2. Forest Cover Canopy and Type

            3.   Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program(WHIP)

1. Forest Land Use Data

Forested regions in the watershed comprise nearly 20 percent of land in the watershed (See Figure 16).  Much of the virgin forests in Ohio have been cleared for agricultural purposes and were reduced to small isolated woodlots.  In the Darby Watershed, as much as seventy-five percent of forested land is located in isolated tracts less than twenty-five acres in size.  Despite the fact that few large tracts of forested land remain, a thin forested strip was retained along much of the stream banks.  The forested lands and river corridor that exist today still retain a high level of plant and animal diversity.  Contiguous tracts of forested land serve as excellent habitat, particularly along stream corridors.  The forest cover for individual subwatersheds ranges from 6 percent to 36 percent according to the hybrid land use data layer (See Figure 17).

2. Forest Cover Canopy and Type

The type of forest cover in the Darby Watershed varied from sparse woodland stands to dense mature forests.  In 1997, Ohio EPA researchers explored the type of cover and the percentage of canopy for different forest types in the watershed.  Wooded areas along streams are important because they filter sediment and nutrients, convert nutrients, and are a source of carbon and detritus for aquatic life (White and Williams, 2000).  The continuity of this habitat as well as width is important in the overall quality of the stream.  White and Williams explain that wide zones of riparian cover are most beneficial, but narrow-width regions, 15 feet or less, also demonstrate significant benefits toward water quality (White and Williams, 2000).  In June and July of 1997 satellite imagery was collected to analyze the reflectance of different land covers.  Approximately 75 sites were identified and tested for accuracy.  The forest vegetation was summarized into four different classes and are described below in Figure 53. 

Source:  Adapted from -White, Dale and Williams, David. 2000. Assessment of Land Use and Land Cover and Riparian Corridor using Satellite Remote Sensing. Ecological Risk Assessment Project, pg. 6.

The following figure defines only the forest vegetation in the watershed.  Non-forested land uses are not considered in the values below. 

Source: White and Williams, 2000

The purpose of this research was to be able to analyze the forested vegetation in the riparian corridor of the Darby Watershed.  The research concluded that within a 120 foot on either side of the stream approximately 50 percent of the vegetation was wooded vegetation and the other 50 percent was non-wooded. 

3. wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP)

WHIP is a voluntary program for people interested in developing or improving both aquatic and land wildlife habitat primarily on private lands.  NRCS provides the technical assistance for landowners and provides up to 75 percent cost-share to establish and improve wildlife habitat.  The WHIP contracts with NRCS typically last between 5 and 10 years.  A variety of practices are eligible for this program including prairie restoration, wetland creation, and stream buffer protection.  Of the 4 counties reporting data in the past four years Franklin and Union County have contracted a total of 47 acres and 5 acres of land respectively.

Back to Table of Contents

All information found on this website is for informational purposes only by the Darby Joint Board of Supervisors. All text, images, logos and information contained on this website are property of the Joint Board and they may not be used or reproduced without permission of the Joint Board. 
For problems or questions regarding this website please contact the Darby Watershed Coordinator.
Last updated: September 19, 2008.