TY - JOUR
T1 - The role of forest stand density in controlling soil erosion
T2 - Implications to sediment-related disasters in Japan
AU - Razafindrabe, Bam H.N.
AU - He, Bin
AU - Inoue, Shoji
AU - Ezaki, Tsugio
AU - Shaw, Rajib
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgements The first author gratefully acknowledges the Post-Doctoral Fellowship for Foreign Researchers provided by the Japanese Society for Promotion of Science (ID no. P 07014). Special thanks are also addressed to the Ehime University Forest Professors and Technicians for their support during data collection.
PY - 2010/1
Y1 - 2010/1
N2 - The role of forest stand density in controlling soil erosion was investigated in Ehime Prefecture, Japan. The main objective was to compare soil erosion under different forest conditions including forest type, species composition, and stand density as influenced by thinning operations. Relative yield index (Ry) was used as an indicator of stand density to reflect the degree of management operations in the watershed. Eleven treatments were established based on the above forest conditions. Soil loss was collected in each of the 11 treatments after each rainfall event for a period of 1 year. The paper presents summary data on soil loss as affected by forest conditions and rainfall patterns. Findings showed that an appropriate forest management operation, which can be insured by stand density control, is needed to reduce soil loss. The present study plays an important role in clarifying technical processes related to soil erosion, while it helps linking these elements to current Japanese forestry issues and bringing new inputs to reducing sediment-related disasters in Japan.
AB - The role of forest stand density in controlling soil erosion was investigated in Ehime Prefecture, Japan. The main objective was to compare soil erosion under different forest conditions including forest type, species composition, and stand density as influenced by thinning operations. Relative yield index (Ry) was used as an indicator of stand density to reflect the degree of management operations in the watershed. Eleven treatments were established based on the above forest conditions. Soil loss was collected in each of the 11 treatments after each rainfall event for a period of 1 year. The paper presents summary data on soil loss as affected by forest conditions and rainfall patterns. Findings showed that an appropriate forest management operation, which can be insured by stand density control, is needed to reduce soil loss. The present study plays an important role in clarifying technical processes related to soil erosion, while it helps linking these elements to current Japanese forestry issues and bringing new inputs to reducing sediment-related disasters in Japan.
KW - Forest management
KW - Sediment-related disasters
KW - Soil erosion
KW - Stand density
KW - Thinning operation
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U2 - 10.1007/s10661-008-0699-2
DO - 10.1007/s10661-008-0699-2
M3 - Article
C2 - 19105038
AN - SCOPUS:74349116103
SN - 0167-6369
VL - 160
SP - 337
EP - 354
JO - Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
JF - Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
IS - 1-4
ER -