Determining the Anti-Erosion Efficiency of Forest Stands Installed on Degraded Land

Abstract

Erosion caused by human activities is one of the reasons for forest soil degradation worldwide, with a direct impact on forest stands development, including reduced forest productivity. Therefore, in order to establish sustainable stand management practices, it is essential to assess soil losses in various forestry activities. Moreover, this phenomenon is studied little in stands, especially those established on degraded land. In Romanian geographical conditions, where sloping land is up to 67% of the territory and is influenced by natural factors as well as intense human activities, the soil and vegetation suffer serious ecological imbalances. In order to achieve the proposed objectives regarding the evaluation of stands in terms of anti-erosion effectiveness, we analyzed the consistency and the number of trees on the surface, the weight of the seedlings, and the surface runoff from the perspectives of rainfall and soil retention. In the two stands included in this study, the influence of rain intensity was 39% in compartment 49 and 38% in compartment 73, directly influencing surface runoff. The ground retention’s influence on surface runoff was 28% in both compartments. The indirect surface runoff was influenced by the consistency of the stands and by the degree of proximity of the crowns, which directly influenced the intensity of rain. In addition to analyzing these two parameters (rain intensity and ground retention), it was also observed that the degree of proximity to the crowns directly influenced the intensity of the rainfall within the forest, which, in turn, indirectly affected the runoff.

Impact of Rock Fragment Shapes and Soil Cohesion on Runoff Generation and Sediment Yield of Steep Cut Slopes under Heavy Rainfall Conditions

“…In general, the flow velocity of each slope gradually decreased with time, which was consistent with the conclusion of many studies regarding the flow velocity change during rill erosion on slopes [50,51]. However, the flow velocity change trend of the uncemented slope significantly differed from that of the cemented slope.…”

Agricultural Practices for Hillslope Erosion Mitigation: A Case Study in Morocco

“…In this regard, many countries of the southern Mediterranean have started, in the last decades, a proactive policy of land development and conservation. Several anti-erosion techniques have been introduced and popularized on sloping land [6][7][8][9][10]. Some countries adopted traditional practices or improved them; others took inspiration from technologies developed in Europe or the United States [11].…”