Abstract
Purpose
Forests play a key role in providing protection against soil erosion. Particularly, the role of vertical forest structure in increasing rainfall interception capacity is crucial for mitigating raindrop impact and reducing splash and rill erosion. For this reason, studies on the relationships between forest structures, the past management, and the observed rates of soil loss are needed. In the last few decades, importance was given to the use of cesium-137 (137Cs) as radioactive tracer to estimate soil erosion rates. The 137Cs technique is linked to the global fallout of bomb-derived radiocesium which occurred during a period extending from the mid 1950s to the late 1970s.
Materials and methods
The 137Cs technique, providing long-term retrospective estimates, could be related to forest treatments applied during the last decades in different sites, also considering the tree species composition. This approach could be useful to compare the effect of different canopy cover and biomass on soil erosion rates related to different tree species. In the work proposed here, a study area dominated by pine and beech high forests located in the Aspromonte Mountains (Calabria, Italy) was selected. The measurements, related to forest structural traits, focusing on canopy cover and biomass, and also on management approaches and forest types, are compared with rates of soil erosion provided by 137Cs.
Results and discussion
The overall results suggest that the minimum values of soil loss are documented in areas with higher canopy cover and biomass evidencing the protective effect provided by forests against soil erosion. Also, techniques based on the use of tracers like 137Cs proved to be helpful to select the best forest management options useful to optimize the protective role of forests, with the aim to reduce erosion processes in a long-term perspective.
Conclusions
The experiment indicates that care must be taken when new silviculture treatments are planned. These findings are in agreement with what documented by other authors in similar environments but need further studies to confirm the effectiveness of using 137Cs in different forest ecosystems.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles and news from researchers in related subjects, suggested using machine learning.References
Alcamo J, Flörke M, Märker M (2007) Future long-term changes in global water resources driven by socio-economic and climatic changes. Hydrol Sci J 52(2):247–275
Alewell C, Meusburger K, Juretzko G, Mabit L, Ketterer ME (2014) Suitability of 239+240Pu and 137Cs as tracers for soil erosion assessment in mountain grasslands. Chemosphere 103:274–280
Bagarello V, Ferro V, Giordano G (2010) Testing alternative erosivity indices to predict event soil loss from bare plots in Southern Italy. Hydrol Process 24(6):789–797
Bosch JM, Hewlett JD (1982) A review of catchment experiments to determine the effect of vegetation changes on water yield and evapotranspiration. J Hydrol 55(1–4):3–23
Bruijnzeel LA, Wiersum KF (1987) Rainfall interception by a young Acacia auriculiformis (A. Cunn) plantation forest in West Java, Indonesia: application of gash’s analytical model. Hydrol Process 1:309–319
Bunzl K, Kracke W, Schimmack W (1995) Migration of fallout 239+240Pu, 241Am and 137Cs in the various horizons of a forest soil under pine. J Environ Radioactiv 28:17–34
Capra A, Porto P, La Spada C (2017) Long-term variation of rainfall erosivity in Calabria (Southern Italy). Theor Appl Climatol 128:141–158
Chapman G (1948) Size of raindrops and their striking force at the soil surface in a red pine plantation. Eos Trans AGU 29(5):664–670
Conacher AJ, Sala M (1998) Land degradation in Mediterranean environments of the world: nature and extent, causes and solutions. John Wiley and Sons Ltd, Chichester, p 491
Crank J (1975) The mathematics of diffusion. 2nd ed. Clarendon Press, p 414
Elliot WJ, Page-Dumroese D, Robichaud PR (1999) The effects of forest management on erosion and soil productivity. Proceedings of the Symposium on Soil Quality and Erosion Interaction, Keystone, CO, 1996. Ankeney, IA: Soil and Water Conservation Society, p 195
Estrany J, López-Tarazón JA, Smith HG (2016) Wildfire effects on suspended sediment delivery quantified using fallout radionuclide tracers in a Mediterranean catchment. Land Degrad Dev 27:1501–1512
Evans R, BoardmanJ (2016) The new assessment of soil loss by water erosion in Europe. Panagos P. et al. 2015. Environmental Science & Policy 54 438–447- a response. Environ Sci Pol58:11–15
Evans R, Collins AL, Foster IDL, Rickson RJ, Anthony SG, Brewer T, Deeks L, Newell-Price JP, Truckell IG, Zhang Y (2016) Extent, frequency and rate of water erosion of arable land in Britain – benefits and challenges for modelling. Soil Use Manag 32(supplement S1:149–161
Garcia-Oliva F, Martinez Lugo R, Maass JM (1995) Long-term net soil erosion as determined by 137Cs redistribution in an undisturbed and perturbed tropical deciduous forest ecosystem. Geoderma 68:135–147
Golosov VN, Belyaev V, Markelov MV (2013) Application of Chernobyl-derived 137Cs fallout for sediment redistribution studies: lessons from European Russia. Hydrol Process 27(6):781–794
Gray AN, Spies TA (1996) Gap size, within-gap position and canopy structure effects on conifer seedling establishment. J Ecol 8:635–645
Hartanto H, Prabhu R, Widayat AS, Asdak C (2003) Factors affecting runoff and soil erosion: plot-level soil loss monitoring for assessing sustainability of forest management. Forest Ecol Manag 180(1):361–374
Helvey JD, Patric JH (1965) Canopy and litter interception of rainfall by hardwoods of eastern United States. Water Resour Res 1:193–206
Kanji GK (1993) 100 statistical tests. Sage publications, London, Newbury Park, New Delhi
Lee R (1980) Forest hydrology. Columbia University Press, New York, pp 1–349
Lindstrom FT, Boersma L (1971) A theory on the mass transport of previously distributed chemicals in a water-saturated sorbing porous medium. Soil Sci 111:192–199
Mabit L, Benmansour M, Walling DE (2008) Comparative advantages and limitations of the fallout radionuclides 137Cs, 210Pbex and 7Be for assessing soil erosion and sedimentation. J Environ Radioactiv 99:1799–1807
Miura S, Yoshinaga S, Yamada T (2003) Protective effect of floor cover against soil erosion on steep slopes forested with Chamaecyparis obtusa (hinoki) and other species. J Forest Res-JPN 8(1):27–35
Montanarella L (2007) Trends in land degradation in Europe. In: MVK S, Ndiang’ui N (eds) Climate and land degradation. Environmental Science and Engineering (Environmental Science), Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, pp 83–104. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-72438-4_5
Moore R, Wondzell SM (2005) Physical hydrology and the effects of forest harvesting in the Pacific Northwest: a review. J Am Water Resour Assoc 41(4):763–784
Officer CB, Lynch DR (1982) Interpretation procedures for the determination of sediment parameters from time-dependent flux inputs. Earth Planet Sci Lett 61:55–62
Ollesch G, Vacca A (2002) Influence of time on measurement results of erosion plot studies. Soil Till Res 67(1):23–39
Pennock DJ, Van Kessel C (1997) Clear-cut forest harvest impacts on soil quality indicators in the mixedwood forest of Saskatchewan, Canada. Geoderma 75(1–2):13–32
Porto P, Walling DE (2012a) Validating the use of 137Cs and 210Pbex measurements to estimate rates of soil loss from cultivated land in southern Italy. J Environ Radioactiv 106:47–57
Porto P, Walling DE (2012b) Using plot experiments to test the validity of mass balance models employed to estimate soil redistribution rates from 137Cs and 210Pbex measurements. Appl Radiat Isotopes 70:2451–2459
Porto P, Walling DE, Ferro V (2001) Validating the use of caesium-137 measurements to estimate soil erosion rates in a small drainage basin in Calabria, southern Italy. J Hydrol 248(1):93–108
Porto P, Walling DE, Ferro V, Di Stefano C (2003) Validating erosion rate estimates provided by caesium-137 measurements for two small forested catchments in Calabria, southern Italy. Land Degrad Dev 14:389–408
Porto P, Walling DE, Callegari G, Catona F (2006) Using fallout lead-210 measurements to estimate soil erosion in three small catchments in southern Italy. Water Air Soil Poll: Focus 6:657–667
Porto P, Walling DE, Callegari G (2009) Investigating the effects of afforestation on soil erosion and sediment mobilisation in two small catchments in Southern Italy. Catena 79:181–188
Porto P, Walling DE, Callegari G (2013) Using 137Cs and 210Pbex measurements to investigate the sediment budget of a small forested catchment in southern Italy. Hydrol Process 27(6):795–806
Porto P, Walling DE, Alewell C, Callegari G, Mabit L, Mallimo N, Meusburger K, Zehringer M (2014) Use of a 137Cs re-sampling technique to investigate temporal changes in soil erosion and sediment mobilisation for a small forested catchment in southern Italy. J Environ Radioactiv 138:137–148
Reich P, Eswaran H, Beinroth F (2000) Global dimensions of vulnerability to wind and water erosion. USDA, Washington
Sanchis MP, Torri D, Borselli L, Poesen J (2008) Climate effects on soil erodibility. Earth Surf Proc Land 33(7):1082–1097
Soil Survey Staff (1993) Keys to soil taxonomy, 10th edn. USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Washington, DC
Strebl F, Gerzabek MH, Bossew P, Kienzl K (1999) Distribution of radiocaesium in an Austrian forest stand. Sci Total Environ 226:75–83
Takenaka C, Onda Y, Hamajima Y (1998) Distribution of cesium-137 in Japanese forest soils: correlation with the contents of organic carbon. Sci Total Environ 222:193–199
Verheijen FGA, Jones RJA, Rickson RJ, Smith CJ (2009) Tolerable versus actual soil erosion rates in Europe. Earth-Sci Rev 94:23–38
Walling DE, He Q (1999) Improved models for estimating soil erosion rates from cesium-137 measurements. J Environ Qual 28(2):611–622
WischmeierWH, SmithDD (1978) Predicting rainfall erosion losses—a guide to conservation planning. Agriculture Handbook No. 537, U.S. Govt. Printing Office: Washington, DC
Zanchi C (1988) Soil loss and seasonal variation of erodibility in two soils with different texture in the Mugello valley in Central Italy. Catena Suppl 12(1):167–174
Zapata F, Garcia-Agudo E, Ritchie JC, Appleby PG (2002) Introduction. In: Zapata F (ed) Handbook for the assessment of soil erosion and sedimentation using environmental radionuclides. Kluwer, Dordrecht, pp 1–13
Zinke PJ (1967) Forest interception studies in the United States. In: Sopper WE, Lull HW (eds) International symposium on forest hydrology. Pergamon Press, New York
Funding
This study was supported by the Coordinated Research Project (CRP) D1.50.17 within the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The authors are also indebted to the ARPACAL for providing rainfall data used in this study.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Responsible editor: Vito Ferro
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Altieri, V., De Franco, S., Lombardi, F. et al. The role of silvicultural systems and forest types in preventing soil erosion processes in mountain forests: a methodological approach using cesium-137 measurements. J Soils Sediments 18, 3378–3387 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-018-1957-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-018-1957-8