RIPARIAN MANAGEMENT ZONES

RIPARIAN MANAGEMENT ZONES (RMZ'S)

RMZ's are areas next to rivers, streams, lakes, open water wetlands and sinkhole openings where forest management practices are modified and special care is taken to protect water quality and sensitive natural resources. RMZ's are designed to protect water quality by filtering eroded soil particles, moderating stream temperatures, and stabilizing soils. (Note: springs are considered as streams).

GENERAL GUIDELINES

Make RMZ's as wide as practical. See following table for recommended RMZ widths based on watershed characteristics.
When harvesting trees in the RMZ, minimize disturbance of the forest floor, exposure of mineral soil and degradation of stream banks, and leave adequate tree stocking to shade the stream.
Locate roads and skid trails outside RMZ's except where necessary for stream crossings.
Minimize mechanical disturbance to the forest floor by using directional felling away from the water course and winching to skid trails outside an RMZ when necessary.
Do not pile slash, fill or debris within these areas.
Remove felled tops and logging debris from the channels of perennial and large intermittent streams.
Place felled tops and debris a sufficient distance away from the water course to prevent flood impediments.
Protect the forest floor to allow sediment to be filtered out before reaching the watercourse.
Rule of thumb- expose no more than 10% bare, mineral soil, well distributed throughout an RMZ.
Avoid locating equipment and material storage sites, maintenance sites and log landings within an RMZ.
Avoid operating wheeled or tracked equipment in an RMZ and watercourses except on designated roads and stream crossings.
Don't locate roads or skid trails on pond dams.
Divert forest road and skid trail runoff onto stable areas before it enters the RMZ.
Stabilize all roads, skid trails, cuts and fills in the RMZ as soon as practicable after construction and use.
Avoid broadcast spray of pesticides or fertilizers within the RMZ.
Cut few if any trees within 15 feet of permanent watercourses.
Retain at least 50% well distributed canopy cover in the primary RMZ on perennial water courses.

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NOTE: The Indiana Flood Control Act (lC 14-28-1) applies to all streams with a watershed greater than one square mile (640 acres) and prohibits the placement of tree tops in stream channels and their floodways which may unduly restrict its flood carrying capacity. Additional federal, state and local regulations may also apply (e.g. Federal Emergency Management Agency flood areas).

NOTE: If operating in a wetland, follow the ADDITIONAL federal wetland guidelines.

NOTE: Local modification of RMZ widths may be necessary to reflect landowner objectives or unique conditions (e.g. soil type, flood hazard, vegetation present, cold water fisheries, season of use, scenic quality, importance of intermittent stream to municipal water supply.)

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