Figure 1: Deep Creek Lake and its watershed

Distribution Date: 12/6/13 Purpose: Deep Creek Lake Watershed Characterization Resource: Forests This information has been compiled by MDNR subject matter experts using the best available information and Departmental monitoring data for the purpose of describing the condition of Deep Creek Lake watershed natural resources and environmental features. Recommendations have been provided for the Steering Committee and Subcommittees to review and consider in the development of the Deep Creek Lake Watershed Management Plan. ________________________________________________________________

Deep Creek Watershed Analysis & Evaluation for Restoration & Conservation of Forest Resources

Located in Garrett County, Maryland, Deep Creek Lake was developed in the 1920’s for hydro-electric power generation. Since then, the Lake and surrounding areas have turned into popular year round destinations for locals and travelers alike. The watershed for the Lake is comprised of 3 sub-watersheds that total 63.96 square miles. A concern for such a desirable place is the fragmentation of forest by development. Forest fragmentation occurs when forest is cleared to build houses, roads or other infrastructure. As more and more people seek to have a second home in a resort area, chances are forest fragmentation will increase. Fragmented forests provide fewer natural benefits like less clean water, and less clean air, along with the disruption of animals that depend on large contiguous blocks of forest for their life cycles. Healthy Forests for Healthy Watersheds Analysis: Based on an earlier statewide analysis, sub-watersheds were evaluated based on their ability to produce clean water. Attributes of forests that affect water quality, such as steep slopes or headwater streams, were combined to create a “model.” The higher the value, the more important it is to keep the area forested so it can continue providing natural benefits to the watershed.

Figure 2: Statewide Maryland Forests for Healthy Watersheds Analysis

At a statewide level the Deep Creek Watershed averages out to a moderately ranked watershed. A more focused map was clipped to the watershed to get a better look at the health of the watersheds.

Figure 3: A zoomed in view of the Deep Creek Watershed for the Healthy Forests Healthy Watersheds Analysis.

The watersheds vary in their influence on clean water from moderate/low to high. Watershed A ranks high, with watershed B ranking high also; watershed C ranks moderate/low. The high ranking watersheds have more characteristics like wetlands, floodplains, and forest blocks, that overlap creating valuable areas where keeping the forests in forest should be a priority. Percent of watershed forested, wetlands, groundwater movement, and steep slopes are examples of the inputs that make a watershed important for clean water production, please see the matrix for this map in Appendix A for more information and an explanation of layers and reasoning.

Current Sub-Watershed Conditions: There are many variables that contribute to the health of a body of water and its surrounding watershed. The following are some general observations about the status of some of the most important factors evaluated when looking at what influences water quality. There are strong trends that the healthiest watersheds are the ones with the most forest and most forested buffers.

Figure 4: Percent of Watershed in Agriculture for the Deep Creek Watershed.

Figure 4 shows the amount of agriculture that occurs in the three watersheds of Deep Creek Lake. Percent in agriculture varies from five percent to twenty-nine percent. A watershed that is deficient in forest is less likely to produce as clean waters as a watershed that has abundant forest and forested buffers.

Figure 5: Percent of waterways by watershed with forest within 300 feet.

Figure 5 shows the percentage of waterways by watershed that are buffered by forests within 300 feet. The map shows that watershed A has the highest percent of buffered streams, watershed B has a moderate amount of buffered streams, and watershed C is lacking buffers on almost half of its streams. A sub-watershed where the waterways are buffered by forest means that much of the surface and subsurface flow is able to be filtered by trees’ roots before reaching creeks, streams, rivers, or lakes. Buffered waterways also maintain lower temperatures that benefit aquatic organisms since cooler water has higher dissolved oxygen content.

Figure 6: Percent of Watershed Forested for the Deep Creek Watershed.

Figure 6 depicts the amount of the watershed that is forested. Watersheds A and B rank seventy percent and above, while watershed C is fifty percent forested. Forests are the cleanest land use; in areas where forest cover is reduced due to agriculture or development, there is an increased likelihood that polluted runoff will enter waterways. In order to mitigate pollution inputs, it is recommended that Best Management Practices (BMPs) be implemented to keep waters clean, or improve them. Practices can include planting forest buffers along waterways, installing rain gardens in urban areas, or fencing cattle out of streams to name a few.

Conservation and Restoration Targeting Analysis For statewide analysis, a sub-watershed scale is a good starting point. In a watershed as concentrated as Deep Creek though, a finer resolution is needed to pin-point opportunity. In an effort to target where forest conservation or restoration could occur at a more local level, two targeting maps were developed to aid the decision process. A Conservation Targeting Map and a Restoration Targeting map were developed to find forests that should be kept in forest, or areas that would benefit from the addition of trees. The layers for the models were selected on their ability to provide habitat, water quality, or forest productivity protection. All the layers were then weighted and added together.

Figure 7: Conservation Targeting Map showing where resources should be targeted to keep forests in forests to

continue the production of clean water and wildlife habitat.

Established forests provide better water filtering ability than any other land use. Keeping forest in forest is more affordable and better for water quality than planting new forest somewhere else to try to mitigate that loss. The Conservation Targeting Map was developed to help find high value forests where efforts could be employed to keep these forests in forest. The areas that are highlighted in red are areas where many of the desired attributes of existing forests overlap. These “hot spot” areas are forests where you would expect to see things like high water tables, steep slopes, slow moving ground water, or buffered streams. An area with a high water table gives trees roots a chance to absorb some of the nutrients from subsurface water, pair that with slow moving ground water and tree roots will be in contact longer with the water; aiding in the filtering process. Forests on steep slopes provide good erosion protection; their well developed root systems hold soils in place and canopies reduce rain fall velocity. The analysis was restricted to existing forest. For an explanation of the layers and the matrix used to create the map, please see Appendix B.

Figure 7: The Restoration Targeting Map shows where resources could be allocated to plant forest or install BMPs such

as forest buffers and urban tree canopy initiatives.

The Restoration Targeting Map is a tool designed to identify non-forested areas where the addition of forest would do the greatest good to increase the quality of water coming off the landscape. This analysis excluded forest. Areas of interest on this map are the red “hot spots.” You can expect to see overlap of priorities of non-forested streams, non-forested steep slopes, hydric soils, and adjacency to high priority wildlife areas contributing to the highlighted areas. Hydric soils are the soils where you can expect to see the development of wetlands if the conditions are created for them, adjacency to high priority wildlife areas will allow for the expansion of important wildlife habitat. For an explanation of the layers and a matrix of how the map was compiled please see Appendix C. Assistance to Keep Forest in Forest and Increase Forest Cover There are many on-the-ground, programs from all over Maryland that can be emulated to maintain and increase forest cover around Deep Creek Lake. It is beneficial to package education and implementation together so landowners understand why they are being encouraged to do something. The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) is a Federal program where producers enter into a contract with the Farm Service Agency where they are compensated on a per acre basis to plant riparian forest buffers along streams that cross their farm. The minimum width of buffer planting is 35 feet and the maximum width is 300 feet. There are signing bonuses and funding available to help with annual maintenance of the buffers. Backyard Buffers is a program that began in western Maryland where landowners living along waterways that own fewer than 5 acres are given “buffers in a bag.” The bags contain about 25 free native tree seedlings for planting new streams or waters by homeowners’ yards. Identifying eligible landowners is a simple GIS exercise and seedlings are reasonably priced and available every year from the John S. Ayton State Tree Nursery on the Eastern Shore. The Marylanders Plant Trees program was launched in 2009 to encourage and assist private landowners to plant more trees in their yards. The program offers a $25 discount off a $50 or more approved species of tree at participating nurseries. Montgomery County took it a step further and had an additional $25 off a $75 tree coupon. The coupons had the ability to be stacked which meant interested landowners were able to purchase a $75 tree for $25. If Garrett County has the resources available to sponsor additional discounts for larger stock, the benefits of the planted trees will be realized sooner. Finally, encouraging forest owners to enroll their properties in Forest Conservation Management Agreements will mean less tax pressure on families. An FCMA reduces the assessed tax rate on the forested land for 15 years at a time; The Woodland Assessment Program is a similar program that works on a year-to-year basis with a reduced assessment rate, but not as low as an FCMA. Enrollment into any tax program requires a

forest stewardship plan. Practicing forest management and making your forest work for you is a good way to keep forest in forest.

Appendix A

Maryland's Forests for Healthy Watersheds

Scoring 10 7 5 3 1 0

Important Forest Resource Layers

Percent of watershed forested (12 digit) >80 60 - 79 40 - 59 20 - 39 <20 N/A

100 Foot Forested Buffer of streams, coasts, lakes Present Absent

Floodplains Present Absent

Wetlands Present Absent

Steep slopes 25% 15% Absent

Headwater wetlands and headwater streams in

forest interior Present Absent

Green Infrastructure Hubs Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3 Outside

Water quality for nutrients and sediment

Nitrogen efficiency ranking (based on

hydrogeomorphic regions)

85% removal

60%-70%

removal

45% -55% removal

40% removal

25% removal N/A

Phosphorus efficiency ranking (based on

hydrogeomorphic regions)

75% removal

70% removal

65% removal

60% removal

50% removal N/A

Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity (Ksat) .9-27.4 27.4-63.8 63.8-

138.3 138.3-232.6 >232.6 Not

Rated

Percent of Watershed Forested: A general rule of thumb is that the more forest there is in a watershed, the healthier the waterways. High forest cover in watersheds is beneficial to many terrestrial and aquatic species too. Brook trout for example exist in streams where their sub-watersheds are 100% or near 100% forested. This layer was created by taking Maryland 12 digit watersheds and calculating percent forest cover using Zonal Statistics in ArcMap. 100 Foot Forested Buffer of Streams, Coasts, Lakes: Forested buffers within 100 feet of waterways capture runoff and sediment before they can reach the stream. Furthermore, the roots of the trees have the ability to filter nutrients out of groundwater and stabilize stream banks, reducing erosion. This layer was created by buffering the USGS National Hydrologic Dataset flowlines by 100ft and clipping forest cover to it. Floodplains: Floodplains are areas along waterways that are able to accommodate excess water and energy during and after storm events. When a river or stream breaches its banks, it loses energy and drops some of its sediment. When trees and other vegetation are present they are able to capture and filter the deposited nutrient-rich sediment and reduce the energy of the flowing water.

This layer is from Federal Emergency Management Agency and Maryland Department of Environment. Wetlands: Wetlands are living filters for large amounts of water. As water flows through a wetland the specially adapted plants are able to filter out nutrients and capture sediment. This layer was developed by Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Steep Slopes: Steep Slopes are important to keep forested because the trees and their roots help stabilize the soil and keep it from eroding away. This layer was developed from 30m National Elevation Dataset. Headwater Wetlands and Headwater Streams in Forest Interior: Headwaters are where a stream starts. If the headwaters are forested and clean, the waterways stay cleaner further into the watershed. This layer was developed with the USGS National Hydrologic Dataset, Maryland Department of Natural Resources Wetlands, and Maryland Forest Cover. Green Infrastructure Hubs: Green Infrastructure is a network of large forest blocks (Hubs) connected by forested corridors that allow wildlife to live and travel with relative ease. The larger the forest block, the chances are higher that the water will be cleaner coming out of it. This layer was developed by Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Nitrogen Efficiency Ranking (based on hydrogeomorphic regions): This layer assigns a value to how well different geomorphic provinces filter out nitrogen from ground water. Higher efficiencies are given to geomorphic provinces with shallow subsurface flow where tree roots can access it. The layer was developed by the USGS. Phosphorus Efficiency Ranking (based on hydrogeomorphic regions): This layer assigns a value to how well different geomorphic provinces filter out phosphorus from ground water and surface water. The layer was developed by the USGS. Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity (Ksat): Refers to the ease with which pores in a saturated soil transmit water. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is considered in the design of soil drainage systems and septic tank absorption fields. When water moves slowly through the soil it gives tree roots a chance to filter out nutrients. This layer was developed using Soil Data Viewer in ArcMap and NRCS Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO).

Appendix B

Deep Creek Watershed Matrix for Forest Conservation

FAC

TOR

Components Data Source

Layer name

Layer Description Ranking **Out Values are given a value of 0 Weight

Forest Conservation 4 - Highest 3 2

1 - Lowest

Non-Wetland Hydric Soils NRCS re_hyd_soil04

Soils classified as hydric by the soil

survey (SSURGO) compared with DNR

wetlands

In Out 2

SSPRA DNR WHS re_DC_sspra04

Sensitive Species Project Review Areas:

general locations of rare, threatened and

endangered species

In Out 4

Important Bird Areas

Audubon Society re_dc_iba04 Forest Important Bird

Areas In Out 2

Green Infrastructure DNR re_dc_gi_04 Preference given to

corridors Corridors Hubs 0 0 5

Forest Interior Dwelling Species

Habitat DNR re_fids_04

FID Habitat Targeted by MD DNR Wildlife

& Heritage Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 0 3

Site Index NRCS re_si_oak04 Oak Site Index from Soil Survey Ratings above

80 87.5 - 90 85 - 87.5 82.5 - 85 80 - 82.5 4

Forest Conservation to Limit Future Water Demand

4 - Highest 3 2

1 - Lowest

Priority Funding Areas MDP re_dc_pfa_04 Priority Funding

Areas In Out 4

Existing Protected Lands DNR re_prot_lnd04 DNR Protected Lands In Out 2

Forests for Water Quality Treatment/Infiltration

FEMA 100 Year Flood Plain FEMA re_dc_fema04 100 year flood plain In Out 3

Wetlands DNR re_wetlnds_04 USFWS NWI In Out 4

Depth to Water Table NRCS dpth2_h20_04 Depth to water table

in cm 0-37 38-69 84-145 152-201 4

Saturated Hydraulic

Conductivity (Ksat)

NRCS dc_ksat_1_4 Movement of

subsurface water - Natural Breaks

0-7.4483 μm/sec

7.4484-15.086 μm/sec

15.087-23.766 μm/sec

23.767-72.77 μm/sec

4

Steep Slopes DNR dc_per_slp_04 National Elevation Dataset

Greater than or equal to

15% slopes

Less than 15%

slopes 4

Impervious Surfaces in Watershed

RESAC imp_surf14_re Statewide impervious surface data clipped

to Deep Creek 0-4% 5-15% 16-24% 25+% 4

Streams, Rivers and Lakes

MDP, USGS NHD

re_for_buff04 100ft buffer of

streams, rivers and lakes

In:Forested Out:Non-Forested 5

There were many layers that were used to make the conservation map, below you will find a description of the layers. Non-wetland hydric soils were targeted because they are going to be where you find wetlands. They stay wetter longer, giving vegetation a chance to filter out nutrients. SSPRAs are Sensitive Species Project Review Areas are generalized areas delineated by MD DNR Wildlife and Heritage Service that support one or more rare threatened or endangered species. Important Bird Areas are defined by the Maryland Chapter of the Audubon Society that support important bird species. Green Infrastructure is a planning tool that shows a network of large forest blocks (Hubs) connected by forested corridors that allow wildlife to live and travel with relative ease. The larger the forest block, the chances are higher that the water will be cleaner coming out of it. Forest Interior Dwelling Species Habitat are forest patches that are big enough and sheltered from the outside enough to meet criteria that will support specific species of animals that depend on interior forest conditions. Site Index is a measure of site’s productivity for growing trees. A tree’s height and age are used to determine how fast a tree grows. Priority Funding Areas are determined by Maryland Department of Planning as areas to concentrate growth. If there are waterways in a PFA, it is recommended to keep them in forest or buffer them with trees to minimize urban effects on the waters. Existing Protected Lands were all lands owned by the public such as state, county, and local level protected lands. Easements were also included in the layer. FEMA Floodplains are developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for insurance purposes. Keeping trees in the floodplain will help reduce erosion during flood events. Wetlands were clipped from the US Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory. Wetlands are living filters for large amounts of water. As water flows through a wetland the specially adapted plants are able to filter out nutrients and capture sediment. Depth to Water Table shows how deep you need go during certain months to find saturated soil. The closer to the surface the water is, the better chance trees will be able to absorb some of the nutrients that are in the water. Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity (Ksat) refers to the ease with which pores in a saturated soil transmit water. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is considered in the design of soil

drainage systems and septic tank absorption fields. When water moves slowly through the soil it gives tree roots a chance to filter out nutrients. This layer was developed using Soil Data Viewer in ArcMap and NRCS Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO). Steep Slopes: Steep Slopes are important to keep forested because the trees and their roots help stabilize the soil and keep it from eroding away. This layer was developed from 10m National Elevation Dataset. Impervious Surfaces in Watershed was calculated using RESAC data. It shows where your areas of higher density development and impervious surface concentrations are located. 100 foot buffer of waterways is used to find where your forested and unforested buffers are. It was developed using the USGS NHD flowline layer and USFS NRS forest cover map.

Appendix C

Deep Creek Watershed Matrix for Forest Restoration

FAC

TOR

Components Data Source

Layer name Layer Description Ranking **Out Values are given a value of 0 Weight

Forest Conservation 4 - Highest 3 2

1 - Lowest

Steep Slopes NED dc_per_slp_04 NED 10 Meter

Greater than or equal to

15% slopes

Less than 15% slopes 4

Adjacency to GI corridor DNR re_dc_gicor04 Multiple ring buffer of GI

corridor 75 150 225 300 4

Adjacency to IBA Audubon Society re_iba Adjacency to Forested

Important Bird Areas 75 150 225 300 2

Adjacency to FIDS DNR fid_buff_04

Adjacency to FID Habitat Targeted by DNR

Wildlife & Heritage in feet

75 150 225 300 3

Wetlands USFWS NWI

re_wetlnds_04 NWI Wetlands In Out 2

Site Index NRCS re_si_oak_04 Oak Site Index from Soil Survey Ratings above 80 95-100 90-95 85-90 80-85 4

Prime Ag Lands NRCS prime_ag_4_0 Soil interps from NRCS

"All areas prime farmland"

Out

In 3

Forest Conservation to Limit Future Water Demand 4 -

Highest 3 2 1 -

Lowest

Priority Funding Areas MDP re_dc_pfa_04 Predicted future growth In Out 4

Existing Protected Lands DNR re_prot_lnd04 Protected lands from DNR In Out 2

Forests for Water Quality Treatment/Infiltration 4 - Highest 3 2

1 - Lowest

Depth to Water Table NRCS dpth2_h20_04 Depth to water table in

cm (natural breaks) 0-31 31-69 69-99 99-201 4

Depth to Any Soil Restrictive

Layer NRCS dpth2frag_0_4 Depth to any fragipan in

cm (natural breaks) 0-76 76-102 102-142 142-201 3

Saturated Hydraulic

Conductivity (Ksat) NRCS dc_ksat_1_4 Movement of subsurface

water - Natural Breaks 2.2-6.2 μm/sec

6.2-17.4

μm/sec

17.4-28

μm/sec

28-92 μm/sec 4

Impervious Surface in Deep Creek

Watershed RESAC imp_surf14_re

Statewide impervious surface data clipped to

Deep Creek 10-31 0-10 31-59 59-100 4

FEMA 100 Year Flood Plain FEMA re_dc_FEMA04 100 year flood plain In Out 3

Non-Wetland Hydric Soils DNR re_hyd_soil04 Soils classified as hydric by

the soil survey (SSURGO) In Out 5

Streams, Rivers and Lakes

MDP, USGS NHD

re_unforbuf04

100ft unforested buffer of streams, rivers and lakes

in Deep Creek Watershed

In: Non-Forested Out:

Forested 5

Agriculture in the watershed MDP re_prcnt_ag04 Land cover from 2010

MDP LULC

>30% of watershed

in Ag

<30% of watershed

in Ag 4

There were many layers that were used to make the restoration map. Below you will find a description of the layers. Steep Slopes: Steep Slopes are important to keep forested because the trees and their roots help stabilize the soil and keep it from eroding away. This layer was developed from 10m National Elevation Dataset. Wetlands were clipped from the US Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory. Wetlands are living filters for large amounts of water. As water flows through a wetland the specially adapted plants are able to filter out nutrients and capture sediment. Site Index is a measure of site’s productivity for growing trees. A tree’s height and age are used to determine how fast a tree grows. This layer was developed using Soil Data Viewer in ArcMap and NRCS Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO) Prime Ag Lands are soils defined as being important to the state for their production values. This layer was developed using Soil Data Viewer in ArcMap and NRCS Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO) Priority Funding Areas are determined by Maryland Department of Planning as areas to concentrate growth. If there are waterways in a PFA, it is recommended to keep them in forest or buffer them with trees to minimize urban effects on the waters. Existing Protected Lands were all lands owned by the public such as state, county, and local level protected lands. Easements were also included in the layer. Depth to Water Table shows how deep you need go during certain months to find saturated soil. The closer to the surface the water is, the better chance trees will be able to absorb some of the nutrients that are in the water. This layer was developed using Soil Data Viewer in ArcMap and NRCS Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO) Depth to any Soil Restrictive Layer gives you an idea how far tree roots and water will seep before they hit a fragipan or any other barrier that will inhibit further movement.

This layer was developed using Soil Data Viewer in ArcMap and NRCS Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO) Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity (Ksat) refers to the ease with which pores in a saturated soil transmit water. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is considered in the design of soil drainage systems and septic tank absorption fields. When water moves slowly through the soil it gives tree roots a chance to filter out nutrients. This layer was developed using Soil Data Viewer in ArcMap and NRCS Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO) Impervious Surfaces in Watershed was calculated using RESAC data. It shows where your areas of higher density development and impervious surface concentrations are located. FEMA Floodplains are developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for insurance purposes. Keeping trees in the floodplain will help reduce erosion during flood events. Non-wetland hydric soils were targeted because they are going to be where you find wetlands. They stay wetter longer, giving vegetation a chance to filter out nutrients. This layer was developed using Soil Data Viewer in ArcMap and NRCS Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO) 100 foot buffer of waterways is used to find where your forested and unforested buffers are. It was developed using the USGS NHD flowline layer and USFS NRS forest cover map. Agriculture in the Watershed was developed by extracting agriculture land use designations from the 2010 Land Use Land Cover maps from Maryland Department of Planning. The percent of the watershed was then calculated using zonal statistics in ArcMap. “Adjacency to” layers were used in the restoration targeting map to work towards expanding the focal areas of GI Corridors, Important Bird Areas, and Forest Interior Dwelling Species habitat. All the layers were buffered 300ft since forest planted any further away would be beneficial on their own, but not contributing value to the existing focal areas.