Vegetation survey in nature-friendly small streams for each protection method

Puntius bandula is an endemic fish restricted to two unprotected small streams at Galapitamada. The streams are surrounded by habitats subjected to frequent anthropogenic threats such as destruction of floral assemblages of the catchment and stream banks, releasing of agrochemicals, fertilizers and kitchen waste, artificial constructions of the stream bank, narrowing of the stream and collapsing of the stream bank due to expanding paddy cultivations and illegal collection of fish by unauthorized parties. The population size of P. bandula has declined rapidly during the past two decades making it a Critically Endangered species. The main aim of this programme was to ensure long term survival of this species through a participatory conservation approach. First, a standardized questionnaire survey was done to determine the degree of awareness, the willingness of the community to conserve P. bandula, obtain a profile of the community and to introduce the objectives of the programme. Further, awareness was raised in the community through presentations and discussions held at monthly community meetings. An environment protection committee was established and an action plan was drawn up. Under this; two community awareness workshops, transect walk, school environment programmes and monthly community meetings were conducted. Further, several communication tools such as calendars, a brochure, a time table, powerpoint presentations, video clips and sign boards were produced. The degree of awareness of the community was increased up to 85% after the awareness programme from 54%. Also a tree planting campaign was conducted with the community to enhance the habitat of P. bandula. Finally a small stock of adult P. bandula (15 females and 5 males) was translocated to a new locality as a participatory approach to establish a second population and 10 adults and 7 fry were observed in the new locality three months after the translocation. It can be concluded that, this approach is useful in conserving endemic freshwater fish species in Sri Lanka by minimizing threats via self awareness, since most of them are located outside of the protected area net work and subjected to anthropogenic threats.

We examined the effect of sustained stream bank seepage during base flow conditions on the pore water nitrogen biogeochemistry of two riparian zones in lowland agricultural areas in southern Ontario, Canada. Nitrate, ammonium and dissolved oxygen concentrations in riparian subsurface water over a two-year period showed well-organized spatial patterns along stream bank seepage flow paths that extended seasonally up to 25 m inland. High levels of dissolved oxygen and NO 3 − in stream inflow were depleted rapidly at the stream bank interface suggesting the occurrence of aerobic microbial respiration followed by denitrification. A zone of NH 4 + accumulation persisted in more anaerobic sediments inland from the bank margin, although the magnitude and intensity of the pattern varied seasonally. A bromide tracer and NO 3 − co-injection at the stream bank interface indicated that bank seepage occurred along preferential flow paths in a poorly sorted gravel layer in the two riparian zones. Depletion of NO 3 − in relation to co-injected bromide confirmed that the bank margin was a hot spot of biogeochemical activity within the riparian zone. Conceptual models of humid temperate riparian zones have focused on nitrogen biogeochemistry in relation to hillslope to stream hydrologic flow paths. However, our results suggest that sustained stream bank inflow during low flow conditions can exert a dominant control on riparian nitrogen cycling in lowland landscapes where level riparian zones bounded by perennial streams receive limited subsurface inflows from adjacent slopes.

An emerging challenge in watershed-scale research is to quantify the extent of sediment contributed to receiving waters from stream banks versus overland flow from critical source areas, and to develop management strategies to reduce stream bank erosion. The objective of this research was to compare the amounts of sediment and phosphorus loss from critical stream bank source areas to receiving waters via overland flow and stream bank erosion from riparian grazed pasture under different stocking densities (cow-calf pair ha -1). Rainfall simulations were used to calculate sediment and P loads from overland flow from stream-side livestock loafing and access points and lengths of stream banks not directly impacted by livestock (defined as control areas) in central, northeast, and southeast Iowa. Water samples from runoff were analyzed for suspended sediment and total phosphorus. Soil bulk density and moisture samples were also collected around rainfall simulation plots to evaluate differences in compaction between grazing practices. Stream bank erosion rates on these pasture sites were also observed over two years using the erosion pin method. Eroded stream bank length, height and soil bulk density and total soil phosphorus concentration were used to calculate total phosphorus and soil loss via stream bank erosion.;Within 15 m wide strips located on both side of the stream, livestock access paths and loafing areas together accounted for only 2.7% of the total source areas, their suspended sediment and total P contributions to streams accounted for up to 72% (86 kg ha-1), and 55% (78 g ha -1) of total sediment and phosphorus, respectively. Control areas of the riparian source areas contributed high levels of total P in surface runoff accounting for 45% (64 g ha-1) of total P loads. In some cases, significant correlations were found between stocking vi densities and soil bulk density and sediment and total phosphorus loss indicating that use of low stocking density can reduce total phosphorus and sediment loss from surface runoff.;Sediment and phosphorus loss via stream bank erosion did not reveal significant differences among the examined grazing practices. However, a highly correlated parallel relationship was found between the precipitation rates and erosion rates in given pasture sites suggesting that precipitation is one of the major controlling factors of stream bank erosion. Besides precipitation impact, lower stream bank soil bulk density significantly increased soil loss.;Results of this study would suggest that regardless of stocking densities the highly attractive nature of riparian areas within pastures results in significant contributions of sediment and total P to channel waters and the only was to effectively reduce that impact is to exclude direct access of livestock to the channel unless it is carefully armoured.

In the last 30 years, bioindication has become one of the pillars of modern environmental sciences and an essential part of conservation biology. In riparian ecosystems, a variety of biological assemblages have been used worldwide as bioindicators to assess the ecological status of lakes and rivers. Benthic macroinvertebrates, periphyton and fishes are the most commonly employed in national monitoring programs. For better understanding the dynamics in riparian ecosystems, it is important to study interactions between terrestrial and aquatic systems. Insectivorous bats are a promising link between both of them. Several studies showed that bats depend strongly on water habitat, not only for drinking. As linear landscape elements, rivers are used as preferential pathways for movement and migration. Their general activity is higher on rivers and lakes than over other habitats and some species forage exclusively over water or close to riparian vegetation. Moreover, bats have all the characteristics of a “good bioindicator”. Their taxonomy is stable, they are geographically widespread and are among the mammal orders with higher diversity, with more than 1300 species covering several ecological niches. They provide crucial ecosystem services worldwide, i.e. seed dispersal and pollination in tropic regions or pest control in agricultural systems. Bats are also highly sensitive to human-driven environmental alteration. However, few studies have tested their bioindication performances for main habitat categories, including rivers. The main objective of this thesis was to test bats as bioindicators in river ecosystems. We sampled bat community over five rivers in central-south Italy, using stationary and automatically triggered bat detectors, to measure species composition, commuting, foraging and drinking activity. For a comparison of biological responses, we evaluated the ecological status using the multimetric STAR_ICM index, based on the macrobenthic community. Contemporary we calculated the Fluvial Functionality Index (IFF), which considers biotic and abiotic factors for a comprehensive survey of river and riparian ecosystem functionality. In the studied area, the ecological status quality varies from “High” to “Moderate” in the different parts of the five rivers and the most part of them has a level of functionality “Good” or “Good-Moderate”. We found that bat species richness is not related to river quality or functionality, while total activity is negatively associated with STAR_ICMi values. Pipistrellus pygmaeus/Miniopterus schreibersii activity is also negatively related to river quality, probably because they mostly feed on nematoceran dipteran that are usually abundant in eutrophic waters. Eptesicus/Nyctalus activity is the only one that increases with increasing IFF values. The width of riparian forests is one of the parameters included in evaluation of IFF and riparian trees such as Salix alba or Populus may bear cavities used as roosts by Eptesicus/Nyctalus species, so the link with IFF might reflect roost availability. We have not found species exclusive of particular quality levels and the general increase of bat activity with lower ecological status shows that the effects of river ecosystems degradation on bats are more complex and probably at the opposite of what expected. Further studies on different areas will help explain the relations we found till now. For bioindication purpose, according to our results it is possible to lay the foundations for a bioacoustic index based on the analyses of total bats activity or bioacoustic group activity, which could be successfully applied by other than bat experts.

<p>Vegetation is used as a nature-based solution (NBS) to restore rivers and mitigate water triggered processes along stream banks, such as soil erosion or floods. Furthermore, roots are well-known to improve the overall stability of slopes through hydro-mechanical reinforcement within the rooted zone. Vegetation based solutions require selection of species which are most suitable for specific locations, aimed at restoring the natural state and function of river systems in support of biodiversity, flood management and landscape development. Selecting a combination of different species (trees, shrubs and grasses) along different zones of the riverbank (upper part, along the slope, at the toe of the slope) can improve the conditions for the river system regarding biodiversity and flood management. However, how the combination of different plant species can improve the stability of the stream bank needs to be further studied. Relevant factors are both related to the improved mechanical strength of the soil from the roots and the changed pore pressure conditions. This work presents a methodological approach for slope stability modelling including vegetation. We present the results obtained from a series of slope stability analyses carried out by using the proposed methodology, for different topographical conditions (slope inclination), and different plant combinations for species typically found along streams in south-eastern Norway.</p><p>In this study, two types of tree species were selected, respectively Norway Spruce (<em>Picea Abies</em>) and Downy birch (<em>Betula pubescens</em>). The Goat willow (<em>Salix caprea</em>) was selected as shrub while a common mixed-grass was chosen as grass. Vegetation features were obtained from the literature. The plant combinations considered were: <em>i)</em> only grass, <em>ii)</em> grass and shrubs, <em>iii) </em>only trees, and <em>iv)</em> trees, shrubs and grass. The commercial software GeoStudio (GEO-SLOPE International, Ltd.) was used. The module SEEP/W was used for the hydrological modelling and the calculation of pore-water pressure distribution while SLOPE/W was used for the slope stability modelling and calculation of the safety factor through the rotational failure model proposed by Bishop.</p><p>Although one of the main outcomes is that the purely mechanical contribution of vegetation to slope stability could not be decoupled from the hydrological reinforcement (as the most critical shear surface occurred outside the rooted zone), the combinations including trees (both only trees and trees, shrubs and grass) gave the highest mechanical improvement to the stability. To assess the hydro-mechanical reinforcement played by the combined vegetation, two seasons of the year were analysed (spring and autumn) and it was found that the main reinforcement occurs in the spring season, due to the favourable weather (more days of drying and lower rainfall intensity), and for combinations including low height vegetation ( i.e. grass and shrubs) because of their better aboveground vegetation features. In conclusion, a mixed combination of vegetation (trees, shrubs and grass) is the most suitable for reaching the highest hydro-mechanical reinforcement of streambanks, and in the meantime boosting the ecosystem biodiversity. </p>

Freshwater ecosystems represent hotspots for the world’s total diversity and human well-being. However, they are also subjected to threats across the globe as a result of localised human activities, broad scale catchment clearance, climate change and invasive species. The increased degradation of freshwater habitats and their ecological functions as a consequence of these threats, at local and global scales, has led to significant freshwater problems for human existence and the world’s biodiversity. There is growing evidence that the loss of biodiversity is one of the most complex environmental issues facing the world; however, the importance of understanding species distribution patterns and the ecological differentiation among species that are reflected as species-specific responses or tolerances to environmental drivers is less well understood. In particular, when a morphological approach is used as a taxonomic tool for investigating species diversity and species level responses to environmental drivers, the diversity of responses hidden within species complexes may not be realized, and the conclusion of generality may mask specific cryptic species responses. In South-East Queensland, Australia, European occupation since the mid 1800’s has seen large scale clearing of native vegetation along streams and rivers in nearly all catchments. As a consequence of this land-use change catchment hydrology has been substantially altered, which, combined with the presence of dams and weirs, has resulted in a decline in water quality of streams in some catchments, which is of growing concern for conservation of species biodiversity. This study aimed to explore cryptic diversity in two species complexes of freshwater aytid shrimps common in South-East Queensland and elucidate species level responses to environmental variation that could explain their spatial distribution. This broad aim was met through three specific studies. First, using regional scale data of cryptic species diversity and water quality, the importance of species-specific responses to environmental conditions in determining spatial distribution patterns and environmental relationships of cryptic species in the Caridina indistincta and Paratya australiensis species complexes was examined. To accomplish this aim, DNA sequences were used to identify shrimp specimens from 89 sites in 17 catchments spanning the study area. In addition, an assessment of eight morphological traits was used to test whether these cryptic species could be morphologically identified. Use of these eight traits did allow species level identification, at least in South-East Queensland. However, caution is suggested in the use of these morphological traits for recognising species, due to the probability of morphological plasticity within a species across broad spatial scales. Ordination analysis of presence-absence data showed that the five cryptic species within the two species complexes showed spatially distinct distributions across streams in SEQ, with each cryptic species displaying different relationships with individual environmental variables. For species in the Caridina indistincta complex, C. indistincta sp. B was significantly associated with elevation, C. indistincta sp. D was significantly correlated with dissolved oxygen range, whilst, individuals of C. indistincta sp. A were negatively associated with elevation and dissolved oxygen range. This may indicate that C. indistincta sp. A tended to inhabit sites with low elevation and perhaps having a higher tolerance to a low range of dissolved oxygen. For the Paratya australiensis species complex, P. australiensis lineage 4 and 6 showed significant correlations with elevation and conductivity, respectively. The second broad aim of the study was to explore these spatial patterns at smaller geographical scales and with greater detail about water quality to understand and quantify the fundamental environmental factors (e.g., physical chemical water parameters and concentrations of heavy metals) that are potentially shaping the current distribution patterns and abundance of cryptic species within the two species complexes. To explore this aim, sediment samples from 22 sites in 13 catchments in SEQ were analysed to determine concentrations (mg/kg dry weight) of 11 heavy metals. Additionally, a number of water quality variables were measured in situ, including: elevation, stream width, stream temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, pH, total dissolved solids, and turbidity. Also, a water sample was taken from each site for laboratory analysis of: Ammonium nitrogen (NH4-N), Dissolved oxidized nitrogen (Nitrate+Nitrite) (NOX-N), Total nitrogen (TN), Total kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), Total kjeldahl phosphorus (TKP), Orthophosphate-P (PO4-P). Shrimps were collected from each site and identified to species using both morphology and DNA sequencing. The morphological identification of each adult individual (except juveniles which were genetically analysed) was used as a measure of absolute abundance and the genetic ‘checking’ of a set number of individuals in each sample was used to compute relative abundance. Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that the spatial distribution and absolute and relative abundance of C. indistincta sp. D and sp. B were significantly positively influenced by elevation, while the relative abundance of P. australiensis Lin.6 was significantly positively affected by the concentration of manganese (Mn). Stream Total nitrogen (TN) was significantly positive driver of the spatial distribution and relative abundance of C. indistincta sp. A, while Orthophosphate-P (PO4-P) was significantly positive driver for the absolute and relative abundance of this species. Further analysis, this study confirms that P. australiensis Lin.6 was more tolerant of heavy metal concentrations compared with other cryptic species, as its distribution and absolute and relative abundance were significantly positively correlated with the concentrations of manganese, iron and cobalt. In contrast, C. indistincta sp. A was more sensitive to these metals than other study species. These results demonstrated that cryptic species of freshwater atyid shrimps of the C. indistincta and P. australiensis species complexes were different in their environmental requirements. As well, the cryptic species of both complexes were identified to have different associations with heavy metal concentrations, indicating that these species were different in their tolerance to toxicants. Finally, the third aim of the study was to further examine the differences in sensitivity to heavy metals (Copper and Zinc) among cryptic species of the two study complexes experimentally in the laboratory. Two cryptic species of each complex were used as study species, C. indistincta sp. A and sp. D and P. australiensis Lin.4 and Lin.6. The field studies showed differences among these species in their correlations with metal concentrations, and therefore they were seen as good candidate species for testing differences in the sensitivity to metal toxicants. Each cryptic species was exposed to six concentrations of each metal Cu or Zn using an acute (96-h) toxicity test. The results from this study were generally showed contrasting correlation between species and heavy metals; P. australiensis Lin.6 was the most tolerant species to both study metals, while C. indistincta sp. A was more sensitive to copper, and C. indistincta sp. D was more sensitive to Zn compared with the other tested species. Furthermore, the exposure of individuals of each species to the heavy metals caused changes in both their behaviour and their colour during exposure time. Overall, this study has shown cryptic species within broad species complexes can vary in their spatial distribution and their tolerance and response to water quality parameters. This highlights the advantage of using analyses of biotic and abiotic variables for ecological management and biodiversity conservation and the need to understand true species diversity when looking at species level responses to environmental degradation.

Since 1981 permanent plots in riparian areas aside the Oder river have been established. High hydroand morphodynamics of the river result in a high diversity of plant species and communities. Three plots on different levels above the river water have been investigated: A (since 1981), B (since 1986), and C (since 2000), with special emphasis (vegetation table) to B. While on the amphibic bank of the river (C) a permanent pioneer community with a high plant diversity has established, in A and B a progressive succession took place on newly accumulated gravel, from a Chenopodium polyspermum- Persicaria lapathifolia phase (similar to C) over a Carduus crispus-Artemisia vulgaris phase to an Aegopodium podagraria-Petasites hybridus phase. The first and second phase were rather short (1–2 respectively 4–5 years) whereas the third forms a rather stable tall-forb fringe community (Phalarido- Petasitetum hybridi). – Special attention is given to Impatiens glandulifera which has been detected first in 1987 and has spread afterwards very quickly. Finally the dynamics and constancy of riparian areas are discussed, also the spread of Impatiens glandulifera in northern Central Europe.

Effects of prescribed burning on soil and vegetation

Water scarcity is one of the factors limiting plant growth and development. More than onethird of the global terrestrial ecosystems is located in arid and semi-arid regions. The mostimportant limiting factor for plant growth is water shortage. Drought could significantlychange the natural vegetation cover. Rainfall reduction in Iraq, Turkey and Syria hasreduced vegetation cover so that dust storms have increased. Therefore, these areas have ahigh potential to increase dust particles in the environment. To investigate the temporalchanges of vegetation, we focused on the source of dust particles between Tigris andEuphrates rivers and some parts of the west bank of these rivers in Iraq. The NormalizedDifference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was used. In addition, the standard precipitation indexwas calculated to assess drought events in the region. The results show that the vegetationand rainfall indexes are inversely correlated in the study area.

Widespread deforestation, agriculture, and construction of milldams by European settlers greatly influenced valley-bottom stream morphology and riparian vegetation in the northeastern USA. The former broad, tussock-sedge wetlands with small, anastomosing channels were converted into today’s incised, meandering streams with unstable banks that support mostly weedy, invasive vegetation. Vast accumulations of fine-grained “legacy” sediments that blanket the regional valley-bottom Piedmont landscape now are being reworked from stream banks, significantly impairing the ecological health of downstream water bodies, most notably the Chesapeake Bay. However, potential restoration is impaired by lack of direct knowledge of the pre-settlement riparian and upslope floral ecosystems. We studied the subfossil leaf flora of Denlingers Mill, an obsolete (breached) milldam site in southeastern Pennsylvania that exhibits a modern secondary forest growing atop thin soils, above bedrock outcrops immediately adjacent to a modified, incised stream channel. Presumably, an overhanging old-growth forest also existed on this substrate until the early 1700s and was responsible for depositing exceptionally preserved, minimally transported subfossil leaves into hydric soil strata, which immediately underlie post-European settlement legacy sediments. We interpret the eleven identified species of the subfossil assemblage to primarily represent a previously unknown, upland Red Oak-American Beech mixed hardwood forest. Some elements also appear to belong to a valley-margin Red Maple-Black Ash swamp forest, consistent with preliminary data from a nearby site. Thus, our results add significantly to a more complete understanding of the pre-European settlement landscape, especially of the hardwood tree flora. Compared with the modern forest, it is apparent that both lowland and upslope forests in the region have been modified significantly by historical activities. Our study underscores that generally overlooked subfossil leaves can provide important, local, temporally constrained paleoecological data, with much potential value in this case for stream and wetland restoration decisions in the mid-Atlantic region.

Groundwater delivery of greenhouse gases (GHGs) to stream banks and riparian areas, before mixing with surface waters, has not been well quantified. We measured preferential groundwater delivery of GHGs to stream banks within three stream reaches, and found that stream banks with discharging groundwater emitted more CO2 and were sources of N2O compared to stream banks without actively discharging groundwater, which emitted less CO2 and were N2O sinks. At one of our stream reaches, groundwater CO2 and N2O concentrations were 1.4–19.2 and 1.1–40.6 times higher than those in surface water, respectively, and groundwater delivery rates of CO2 and N2O were 1.5 and 1.6 times higher than surface water emissions per unit area. On average, 21% (range 0%–100%) of CO2 and N2O were emitted at the stream bank before mixing with surface waters. Preferential groundwater GHG emissions may contribute substantially to stream corridor emissions and may be underestimated when using a channel‐centric approach to estimate riverine GHG budgets.

Land-use changes have been blamed for creating disturbance in the morphology of streams in the Ozark Plateaus, Missouri (hereafter referred to as the Ozarks). Historical evidence and stratigraphic observations document that streams have been aggraded by substantial quantities of gravel beginning sometime at or near the time of European settlement of the Ozarks. Before European settlement, streams were depositing a mixed sediment load of gravel bedload and silty overbank sediment. Observations of early explorers conspicuously lack descriptions of extensive gravel bars; observations of geologists working during the middle to late 1800's before significant land-use disturbance, however, include descriptions of large quantities of gravel in stream banks and beds. The first change in land cover as settlement progressed from the early 1800's to approximately 1880 was replacement of valley-bottom forest with cultivated fields and pastures. At the same time, suppression of wildfires in the uplands caused an increase of woodland with woody understory at the expense of grassland and oak savannah. Valley-bottom clearing probably initiated some direct disturbance of stream channels, but fire suppression would have decreased runoff and sediment yield from uplands. Beginning sometime from 1870 to 1880 and continuing until 1920, commercial timber companies began large operations in the Ozarks to harvest shortleaf pine for sawlogs and oak for railroad ties. Selective cutting of large timber, use of livestock for skidding logs from the forest, and avoidance of the steeper slopes minimized the effect of this phase of logging on runoff and sediment supply of uplands and valley-side slopes. Continued decreases in the erosional resistance of valley bottoms through clearing and road building and the incidence of extreme regional floods from 1895 to 1915 probably caused initiation of moderate stream disturbance. This hypothesis is supported by historical and oral-historical observations that stream instability began before the peak of upland destabilization from 1920 to 1960. The post-Timber-boom period (1920-60) included the institution of annual burning of uplands and cut-over valley-side slopes, increased grazing on open range, and increased use of marginal land for cultivated crops. Models for land-use controls on annual runoff, storm runoff, and soil erosion indicate that this period should have been the most effective in creating stream disturbance. Written historical sources and oral-historical accounts indicate that erosion was notable mainly on lands in row-crop cultivation. Oral-history respondents consistently recall that smaller streams had more discharge for longer periods from 1920 to 1960 than from 1960 to 1993; many additionally observed that floods are flashier under present-day (1993) conditions. Changes in the timing of hydrographs probably relate to changes in upland and riparian zone vegetation that decreased storage and flow resistance. Probably the most destabilizing effect on Ozarks stream channels during this period was caused by livestock on the open range that concentrated in valley bottoms and destroyed riparian vegetation in the channels and on banks. Destruction of riparian vegetation in small valleys may have encouraged headward migration of channels, resulting in extension of the drainage network and accelerated release of gravel from storage in the small valleys.

Two-dimensional physical habitat modeling of effects of habitat structures on urban stream restoration

A methodology for a cost-effective and detailed assessment of the riparian zone of segments (/spl sim/30 km) of the Brisbane River and Lockyer Creek in Queensland, Australia is described. Digital terrain models (DTMs) of the stream banks as well as detailed maps of the riparian vegetation type and structure were produced using airborne laser scanner and digital video data. The methodology is applicable to almost any stream or river system worldwide. DTMs of the river banks and adjacent land approximately 100 m from the waters edge were produced from the laser scanner data with an accuracy of 30 cm or better for 80% of the data. Open areas with little understorey or grass cover tended to be accurate to approximately 10 cm. Vegetation maps at a scale of approximately 1:4,000 were produced. Each clump of shrubs or small trees as well as larger individual trees were delineated and attributed with species, weed infestation levels, height and foliage projected cover (FPC) values. The vegetation mapping was completed through classification of the laser data and manual interpretation of the video imagery supported by field verification. The accuracy of the floristic components of the vegetation map is estimated to be approaching 100% although validation has not yet been completed. The spatial accuracy of vegetation polygons delineated is approximately one meter. The laser data as captured for this project allows for maps to be produced at a scale of 1:1000.

Riparian areas are an integral component of the forest hydrologic system. However, systematic management and conservation of riparian vegetation remains a challenge when the extent and nature of riparian vegetation is not easily characterized. Thus, describing riparian vegetation structural attributes and mapping riparian extent is important for stream protection and restoration. This study discriminated riparian and upland vegetation zones in two watersheds on Vancouver Island, Canada, and characterized vegetation attributes ascribed to streamside forest vegetation using fine-scale airborne laser scanning (ALS) data with field-based measurements for controls. Comparison of ALS metrics for riparian and upland vegetation plots indicated metrics of canopy cover, height, and vertical canopy complexity were significantly different. Machine learning was used to model the probability of riparian and upland vegetation zone extent in each watershed and to determine which ALS metrics were the most important for discriminating between these two zones. Separate models were built for each watershed and results indicated that each watershed's model had different ALS metrics that were important for model development, reflecting the different management histories associated with each watershed. Models achieved overall classification accuracies of 65–77% using a 10-fold cross validation. Probability maps were then developed to characterize riparian extent, indicating that the majority of riparian areas in these watersheds were within 20 m of a stream. Additionally, riparian areas were found up to 200 m away from the stream, which is beyond the current provincial regulation widths set for riparian buffers in forested areas in British Columbia, Canada. However, the majority (roughly 75%) of vegetation within existing management buffers was riparian, although this differed by stream classification. We conclude that ALS data provides a potentially useful source of information for determining the characteristics and extent of riparian vegetation.