The Influence of Recreation on the Processes of Soil Erosion in the Forests of the West Kazakhstan Region

Abstract

The relevance of the topic is determined by the increasing demand for forest recreational resources of the West Kazakhstan region. The forests of the West Kazakhstan region are under the influence of recreational activity, which is growing every year and leads to the transformation of the natural environment. The purpose of the study is to determine the influence of recreation on the processes of soil erosion in the forests of the West Kazakhstan region. An increase in the recreational load and the steepness of the slopes leads to degradation of the forest floor and grassy cover. The remnants of these materials move downhill under the influence of visitors, and the soil surface is compacted. The porosity coefficient of the upper soil layer decreases as recreational loads increase. This leads to a decrease in soil water permeability and an increase in surface water runoff. The study showed that the runoff coefficient, the air-dry mass of the forest floor and the porosity coefficient are closely related. These relationships characterize an increase in the water runoff coefficient with a decrease in the air-dry mass of the forest litter and the porosity coefficient. In the field in 2023, based on the morphological description of the profiles, the degree of soil erosion in the selected woodlands was determined.