Developing a decision support tool for China's re-vegetation program: Simulating regional impacts of afforestation on average annual streamflow in the Loess Plateau

McVicar, Tim R.; Li, Lingtao; Niel, Tom Van; Zhang, Lu; Li, Rui; Yang, Qinke; Zhang, Xiaoping; Mu, Xingmin; Wen, Zhu; Liu, Wenzhao; Zhao, Yong’An; Liu, Zhihong; Gao, Peng

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2007.06.025

Cited by 257 publications

(182 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…However, some concerns have been raised with argument that large-scale afforestation in the water-limited arid and semiarid regions may increase the severity of water shortages on the ground that plantation forests consume more water than grassland or degraded lands (Eastham and Rose, 1988;Sun et al, 2006;Zhang et al, 2008a;Wang et al, 2011). McVicar et al (2007) conduct a comprehensive literature review on relations between land use and hydrology for the Loess Plateau region. The results overwhelmingly confirm that annual streamflow is reduced by forestation in this arid region.…”

Section: M Feng Et Al: Regional Effects Of Vegetation Restoratiomentioning

confidence: 99%

Regional effects of vegetation restoration on water yield across the Loess Plateau, China

Feng

Sun

et al. 2012

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

194

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Abstract. The general relationships between vegetation and water yield under different climatic regimes are well established at a small watershed scale in the past century. However, applications of these basic theories to evaluate the regional effects of land cover change on water resources remain challenging due to the complex interactions of vegetation and climatic variability and hydrologic processes at the large scale. The objective of this study was to explore ways to examine the spatial and temporal effects of a large ecological restoration project on water yield across the Loess Plateau region in northern China. We estimated annual water yield as the difference between precipitation input and modelled actual evapotranspiration (ET) output. We constructed a monthly ET model using published ET data derived from eddy flux measurements and watershed streamflow data. We validated the ET models at a watershed and regional levels. The model was then applied to examine regional water yield under land cover change and climatic variability during the implementation of the Grain-for-Green (GFG) project during 1999-2007. We found that water yield in 38 % of the Loess Plateau area might have decreased (1-48 mm per year) as a result of land cover change alone. However, combined with climatic variability, 37 % of the study area might have seen a decrease in water yield with a range of 1-54 mm per year, and 35 % of the study area might have seen an increase with a range of 1-10 mm per year. Across the study region, climate variability masked or strengthened the water yield response to vegetation restoration. The absolute annual water yield change due to vegetation restoration varied with precipitation regimes with the highest in wet years, but the relative water yield changes were most pronounced in dry years. We concluded that the effects of land cover change associated with ecological restoration varied greatly over time and space and were strongly influenced by climatic variability in the arid region. The current regional vegetation restoration projects have variable effects on local water resources across the region. Land management planning must consider the influences of spatial climate variability and long-term climate change on water yield to be more effective for achieving environmental sustainability.

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Section: M Feng Et Al: Regional Effects Of Vegetation Restoratiomentioning

confidence: 99%

Regional effects of vegetation restoration on water yield across the Loess Plateau, China

Feng

Sun

et al. 2012

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

194

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“…About 78 % of annual precipitation occurs from May to October. The northwestern part of the CSHC is considerably flat and the southeastern part is characterized by a heavily dissected landscape with gully densities ranging from 2 to 8 km km −2 (Chen et al, 1988;McVicar et al, 2007). The wind-deposited loess soils, developed during Quaternary Period, cover the study area with a thickness of 50-200 m. Coarse sandy soils are common in the northwest and finer clay-rich soils occur in the southeast.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends of streamflow, sediment load and their dynamic relation for the catchments in the middle reaches of the Yellow River over the past five decades

Gao

Fu²,

et al. 2012

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. To control severe soil erosion on the Loess Plateau, China, a great number of soil conservation measures have been implemented since 1950s and subsequently, the "Grain for Green" project was implemented in 1999. The measures and the project resulted in a large scale land use/cover change (LUCC). Understanding the impacts of the measures and the project on streamflow, sediment load and their dynamic relation is essential because the three elements are closely related to the sustainable catchment management strategy on the Loess Plateau. The data for seven selected catchments in the middle reaches of the Yellow River were used and standardized with the precipitation and the controlling area for analysis. The nonparametric Mann-Kendall test and the Pettitt test were employed to detect trends and change points of the annual streamflow and annual sediment load. Simple linear regressions for the monthly streamflow and sediment load from May to October were made to express their relationship. Based on the change point identification and the time when the project began to be implemented on the Loess Plateau, the complete time for the data records was divided into three periods to compare the change degrees of streamflow, sediment load and their relation for the catchments.Results show that there are three types of responses in streamflow, sediment load, and their dynamic relations for the seven catchments. The effects of the LUCC on streamflow, sediment load, and their relationships are greatest in the three transition zone catchments followed by the two rocky mountain catchments. The effects are much weaker in the two loess hilly-gully catchments. In general, the change degrees for sediment load are much greater than those for streamflow, which results from the decreased streamflow and weakening trend of their dynamic relation period by period in catchments.

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“…They suggested that the reduction in water yields due to afforestation was on average approximately 50% (or 50 mm) each year. McVicar et al (2007) conducted a literature review of land use-hydrology studies in the Loess Plateau region and confirmed that the annual stream flow is reduced by afforestation. Bi et al (2009) showed that afforestation reduced stream flow by 49.6% (or 6.5 mm) each year in paired catchments on the Nanxiaohegou watershed on the Loess Plateau.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 83%

“…and Seabuckthorn shrub (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) in plantations. However, due to water limitations, these planted trees grow quite slowly, appearing ''small but old '' (McVicar et al 2007). …”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Scale effects and variability of forest–water yield relationships on the Loess Plateau, China

Sun

et al. 2014

The Forestry Chronicle

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The relationship between forests and water yield on the Loess Plateau is a concern to forest hydrologists and local governments. Most research indicates that forests reduce runoff but the degree of reduction is different at different sites. Data on precipitation, runoff depth, evapotranspiration and forest cover were collected for 67 watersheds through synthesizing published literature. Results suggest that afforestation on sparsely vegetated catchments reduces runoff and that this effect decreased with increasing forest cover. Annual runoff coefficients fluctuate around 4.1%. Catchment scales influence the relationship between percent forest and runoff coefficient. We believe that afforestation-water yield relationships are variable. Large-scale watersheds may have a relatively high buffering capacity that masks forest cover effects on runoff because of a number of interacting factors. Results from this research will support the implementation of large-scale afforestation programs on the Loess Plateau.Keywords: afforestation, hydrologic impact, water yield RÉSUMÉ La relation entre les forêts et l'apport en eau sur le Plateau de Loess est au coeur des interrogations des hydrologistes forestiers et des gouvernements locaux. La plupart des recherches indiquent que les forêts réduisent le ruissellement mais le niveau de ré-duction est différent selon les sites. Les données sur les précipitations, la profondeur du ruissellement, l' évapotranspiration et le couvert forestier ont été recueillies dans 67 bassins hydrographiques à partir de la synthèse des documents publiés. Les résultats indiquent que le boisement effectué sur des bassins hydrographiques à végétation rare réduit le ruissellement et que cet effet diminue selon l'accroissement du couvert forestier. Les coefficients de ruissellement annuel fluctuent aux environs de 4,1%. La taille du bassin hydrographique influence la relation entre le pourcentage de forêt et le coefficient de ruissellement. Nous croyons que les relations entre le boisement et le ruissellement sont variables. Les bassins hydrographiques de grandes dimensions peuvent présenter un pouvoir tampon relativement supérieur qui masque les effets du couvert forestier sur le ruissellement à cause de l'interaction de plusieurs facteurs. Les résultats de cette recherche aideront à la mise en place de programmes de boisement de grande envergure sur le Plateau de Loess.

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Developing a decision support tool for China's re-vegetation program: Simulating regional impacts of afforestation on average annual streamflow in the Loess Plateau

Cited by 257 publications

References 61 publications

Regional effects of vegetation restoration on water yield across the Loess Plateau, China

Regional effects of vegetation restoration on water yield across the Loess Plateau, China

Trends of streamflow, sediment load and their dynamic relation for the catchments in the middle reaches of the Yellow River over the past five decades

Scale effects and variability of forest–water yield relationships on the Loess Plateau, China

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