The effects of forest clearance for peatland restoration on water quality

Shah, Nadeem; Nisbet, T. R.

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.133617

Cited by 23 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…In restoration stream sites, there was also a larger amplitude in seasonal stream PO 4 3concentrations post-restoration (increasing from June 2015; up to * 800 lg L -1 ). This is similar to that found in other studies regarding peatland felling impacts on stream water (Cummins and Farrell 2003a;Finnegan et al 2014;Shah and Nisbet 2019). These trends have been found to persist for up to 4 years post felling (Rodgers et al 2010; Table 2), continuing to be clearly observable as seasonal peaks in summer months (Cummins and Farrell 2003a).…”

Section: Effects Of Forest-to-bog Restoration On Water Chemistrysupporting

confidence: 90%

“…Furthermore, our univariate analyses, which controlled for upstream variation, confirmed that there was a significant concentration increase in restoration affected stream sites, post-restoration, by 4.4-fold (range 1.7-6.2). Significant increases in stream PO 4 3have also been found by others following forest felling, which has been directly related to the post-felling decomposition of tree biomass; the left over needles and branches (Cummins and Farrell 2003a;Kaila et al 2012;Asam et al 2014a;Shah and Nisbet 2019; Table 2).…”

Section: Effects Of Forest-to-bog Restoration On Water Chemistrymentioning

confidence: 53%

“…Although the greatest water quality effects of restoration are likely to occur in the first-year post-restoration, they may last up to four years post-restoration (Rodgers et al 2010;Shah and Nisbet 2019), thus we were not able to quantify the longer-term duration of effects on water quality in this study.…”

Section: Limitations Of Study Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, the choice of harvesting method (selected depending on tree size, the timber quality/value, site accessibility to machinery and funding available e.g. government grants), can have differing impacts on surface water quality (Nieminen et al 2017;Shah and Nisbet 2019). For example, in stem-only harvesting restoration sites (where brash remains on site) greater quantities of nutrients (P and N) may be released to watercourses (Asam et al 2014b;O'Driscoll et al 2014b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The biogeochemical effects of restoration, may be largest within the first year post-harvesting (Shah and Nisbet 2019), as rewetting of peat can be rapid (Gaffney et al 2020b) and fresh brash residues begin to decompose (Kaila et al 2012). This is additionally concerning where restoration areas drain into streams or rivers, where (for example) Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) breed: a species of high economic and nature conservation importance peatlands (Butler et al 2009;Martin-Ortega et al 2014), which may be negatively affected by these changes in water quality (Andersen et al 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Catchment water quality in the year preceding and immediately following restoration of a drained afforested blanket bog

et al. 2021

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The restoration of drained afforested peatlands, through drain blocking and tree removal, is increasing in response to peatland restoration targets and policy incentives. In the short term, these intensive restoration operations may affect receiving watercourses and the biota that depend upon them. This study assessed the immediate effect of ‘forest-to-bog’ restoration by measuring stream and river water quality for a 15 month period pre- and post-restoration, in the Flow Country peatlands of northern Scotland. We found that the chemistry of streams draining restoration areas differed from that of control streams following restoration, with phosphate concentrations significantly higher (1.7–6.2 fold, mean 4.4) in restoration streams compared to the pre-restoration period. This led to a decrease in the pass rate (from 100 to 75%) for the target “good” quality threshold (based on EU Water Framework Directive guidelines) in rivers in this immediate post-restoration period, when compared to unaffected river baseline sites (which fell from 100 to 90% post-restoration). While overall increases in turbidity, dissolved organic carbon, iron, potassium and manganese were not significant post-restoration, they exhibited an exaggerated seasonal cycle, peaking in summer months in restoration streams. We attribute these relatively limited, minor short-term impacts to the fact that relatively small percentages of the catchment area (3–23%), in our study catchments were felled, and that drain blocking and silt traps, put in place as part of restoration management, were likely effective in mitigating negative effects. Looking ahead, we suggest that future research should investigate longer term water quality effects and compare different ways of potentially controlling nutrient release.

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Section: Effects Of Forest-to-bog Restoration On Water Chemistrysupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Effects Of Forest-to-bog Restoration On Water Chemistrymentioning

confidence: 53%

Section: Limitations Of Study Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Catchment water quality in the year preceding and immediately following restoration of a drained afforested blanket bog

et al. 2021

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The effect of forest‐to‐bog restoration on the hydrological functioning of raised and blanket bogs

et al. 2021

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The carbon sequestration potential of peatlands has led to increasing interest in the restoration of bogs previously subjected to plantation forestry. However, little information exists about the effects on hydrological processes of what has become known as forest-to-bog restoration. The hydrological functioning of three afforested, two intact and four forest-to-bog restoration sites was compared at a raised bog and blanket bog location. For the raised bog location, the annual runoff/rainfall coefficient was 59.7% for the intact site, 41.0% for the afforested site and 53.1% for the oldest restoration site (9 years post-felling). At the blanket bog location, the coefficient was 80.6% for the intact site, 63.0% for the afforested site and 71.6% for the oldest restoration site (17 years post-felling). Compared with intact bog, median peak storm discharge was significantly greater in the restoration sites for the raised bog location but not for the blanket bog location. Water-table peak lag times were greatest, and water-table depths deepest in the afforested sites and the most recent raised bog restoration site and least in the oldest blanket bog restoration site. The estimated contribution of overland flow in the afforested sites was 2.9% for the raised bog and 11.9% for the blanket bog, increasing to 8.7% and 32.2% at the oldest restoration sites for the raised bog and blanket bog, respectively. Overall, hydrological functioning of the raised bog and blanket bog restoration sites was different from the intact sites but was most similar to intact bog in the oldest restoration sites.

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The medium‐term effects of forest operations on a mixed broadleaf forest: Changes in soil properties and loss of nutrients

et al. 2023

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This study took place in a mixed deciduous forest located in Northern Iran to investigate the effects of two types of silvicultural methods, specifically the single-selection method and the group-selection method. The study also included the observation of skid trails in terms of runoff, sediment yield, and the loss of NO 3 -N and PO 4 -P. The process of recovery was studied by the assessment of these characteristics after the completion of forest operations for a period of 3 years. Although there is a considerable amount of literature on the topic of soil erosion caused by forest harvesting, there is little information regarding the medium-term effects of different sizes of gaps in the forest canopy. The attempt to gather data was done by designating hillslope plots on the soil directly affected by machinery passage on skid trails, as well as on the felling gaps in correlation with the two types of silvicultural methods. Plots were also marked on an unharvested area as a control. The results confirmed the suitability of retention forestry within the framework of sustainable forest management. A majority of the data gathered showed no difference between the single selection and the control area. What is more, the values obtained from the felling gaps correlated to the group selection resulted to be the same as the control values 2 years after harvesting. However, the disturbance caused by machinery passage on skid trails showed a significantly higher level of impact, and the recovery time needed was at least 3 years.

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The effects of forest clearance for peatland restoration on water quality

Cited by 23 publications

References 67 publications

Catchment water quality in the year preceding and immediately following restoration of a drained afforested blanket bog

Catchment water quality in the year preceding and immediately following restoration of a drained afforested blanket bog

The effect of forest‐to‐bog restoration on the hydrological functioning of raised and blanket bogs

The medium‐term effects of forest operations on a mixed broadleaf forest: Changes in soil properties and loss of nutrients

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