Logging Sediment Control Act and Forestry Best Management Practices in West Virginia: A Review

Best management practices (BMP) for controlling soil erosion and sedimentation are the operational guidelines for logging in the state of West Virginia, which have been revised in 1989, 1995, 1996, 2001, and 2002. The West Virginia legislature passed the Logging Sediment Control Act (LSCA) in 1992. This Act specifically mandates logger licensing, logger certification, harvesting operation notification, and enforcement capability for activities causing erosion and sedimentation on logging sites. Since the first BMP assessment conducted in 1981, the West Virginia Division of Forestry has periodically evaluated compliance with BMP. The evaluations have taken place in 1986, 1991, and 1996 respectively. The state LSCA, BMP, and compliance evaluations were reviewed, and the results indicate a trend of increasing compliance with BMP in West Virginia.