2. Step-Wise Guide to Applications

Step-Wise Guide to Applications

Digital Watersheds & Solution Tools: Powering your Knowledge of the Environment

Step-Wise Guides are relevant to: Forestry, Riparian Management, Grazing, In-stream Restoration, Watershed Restoration, Energy Development, Monitoring, Climate Change, Pre-Wildfire, Post-Wildfire, Conservation, Erosion prediction and Risk Mitigation

Aquatic/Riparian Habitats

Where is the best fish habitat located for different species (anadromous, resident)?
Where are my aquatic biological hotspots located?
Which channels would support beaver?
Where are the largest and most productive floodplains located in my watershed?
Calculate the cumulative length and quality of fish habitat upstream (or downstream) of any point in the river network (including all road crossings).
Classify, by subbasins, aquatic or fish habitats across a large watershed or landscape.
Identify where the best habitats intersect potential environmental stressors.

Riparian Management

Which streams are most sensitive to radiation loading if the riparian vegetation was altered or destroyed?
What is the thermal energy to streams with the current riparian vegetation in my watershed?
In a snapshot in time (this year), how does variation in riparian conditions across my watershed affect in-stream wood loading?
Where are the provisional thermal refugia sites located in my watershed?

Channel Types, Channel Response, Channel Network

What are the different channel types in my watershed and which ones are the most sensitive to land use impacts?
How many stream orders do I have in my watershed?
What is my watershed's drainage density?
What different types of channel geometry do I have in my landscape?
What types of information can help with my in-stream monitoring program?
What types of information will help with my floodplain restoration activities?
How can NetMap help with in-stream restoration?

Erosion/Slope Stability

Which hillsides in my watershed are most prone to landsliding?
Which headwater streams are most susceptible to debris flows or gullying?
Which fish streams are most susceptible to debris flow impacts?
How can I identify large landslides and earthflows?
Which areas in my watershed are most at risk from debris flows?
Which landslide prone areas are most sensitive to land uses?
Which structures are at risk from landsliding and debris flows?
Classify watershed subbasins by inherent erosion potential?

Roads/Pipelines

Which subbasins across the landscape have the highest road density?
Which individual hillsides (approximately 0.1 km² [24 acres]) have the highest road density?
Create a fish-eye view of road density?
Which roads have the highest road drainage diversion potential?
Which road segments have the highest road surface erosion potential?
Which road segments/energy corridors are located on potentially unstable hillsides?
Which road segments/energy corridors are most likely to trigger debris flows in steep headwater streams?
Which road segments/energy corridors are most susceptible to damage from debris flows?
Where do roads/energy corridors intersect floodplains?
Where do roads/energy corridors intersect quality aquatic/fish habitat?
What is the cumulative habitat length and quality above every road crossing (or below every road crossing)?
Refer to NetMap's Road Erosion and Sediment Delivery (READI) tool

Pre Wildfire Planning

Where in my watershed is the greatest chance of wildfire? Where is the highest 10% or 1% of fire risk located?
Where is the predicted highest fire severity located across the landscape?
Where does the highest chance of fire overlap with the highest fire severity? Where are those stressors located?
Where does the highest fire severity overlap with the highest chance of post wildfire erosion?
Where does the highest fire risk overlap with the highest fire severity, and where does that pair overlap the best aquatic habitats?

Post Wildfire Planning (Burned Area Emergency Response, BAER)

Where in my watershed is the highest burn severity located? Top 10%, top 1% etc.
Where is the post fire surface erosion potential the most extreme?
Where is the post fire landslide and debris flow risk the highest?
At what locations does the highest fire severity overlap with the highest erosion potential, and where do those locations overlap with quality aquatic habitats?
Where do roads intersect burned areas with the highest erosion potential?
Which streams in the burned area have the highest exposure to increased thermal loading because of loss of riparian vegetation?

Climate Change Vulnerability

Identify the largest predicted climate change in your watershed for temperature, precipitation, snow accumulation and summer and winter flows.
Where do the largest predicted changes in temperature and flow intersect the highest fire risk?
Where are the largest changes in summer flow predicted to occur and where does they intersect sensitive and valuable aquatic habitats?
Where are the largest changes in winter flow predicted to occur and where do they intersect valuable habitats and infrastructure, such as roads?

2. Step-Wise Guide to Applications

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