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A Small Catchment Scale Approach for Modeling Effects of Forest Management on Water Cycle in Boreal Landscape

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Forest Management and the Water Cycle

Part of the book series: Ecological Studies ((ECOLSTUD,volume 212))

Abstract

Forested areas in Europe are part of a mosaic-structured landscape with high diversity of land use types, soils, and vegetation. Quantification of hydrological processes in such areas deals with range of temporal and spatial scales. In the boreal region a large share of landscape is covered with managed forests. Such forest is typically a mosaic of tree stands with patches having relatively homogeneous species composition and age. Hydrological processes are one of the key factors controlling the growth condition of forests and the environmental impacts of forest management. Soil moisture conditions in the root zone affect stand transpiration and runoff is the carrier for nutrients and sediment from managed areas to lakes and rivers. There is a need to develop modelling tools where hydrological processes, solute transport, and forest management scenarios are implemented and integrated in the same scale. We address the questions related to water balance and forest management in boreal forests and provide an example of modelling approach in small catchment scale. The methodology demonstrated here is applicable to other land-use scenarios as well.

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Acknowledgments

Finnish Forest Research Institute research projects ‘Hydrological nutrient losses and methods of water quality protection on peatlands drained for forestry purposes’ and ‘Prediction and mitigation of nutrient and sediment load from forested catchments’ are acknowledged for permitting the authors to participate in this COST action.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Aalto University School of Science and Technology, FI-00076, Aalto, Finland

    Harri Koivusalo

  2. Rovaniemi Research Unit, Finnish Forest Research Institute, FI-96301, Rovaniemi, Finland

    Hannu Hökkä

  3. Joensuu Research Unit, Finnish Forest Research Institute, FI-80101, Joensuu, Finland

    Ari Laurén

Authors
  1. Harri Koivusalo
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  2. Hannu Hökkä
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  3. Ari Laurén
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Harri Koivusalo .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Forschungszentrum Waldökosysteme, Universität Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, Göttingen, 37077, Germany

    Michael Bredemeier

  2. , ARO Volcani Center, Institute of Soil, Water and Environment, Bet Dagan, 50250, Israel

    Shabtai Cohen

  3. College of Natural Sciences, School of the Environment & Natural Reso, University of Wales, Bangor, LL57 2UW, Gwynedd, United Kingdom

    Douglas L. Godbold

  4. , Institute of Ecology, Tallinn University, Uus-Sadama 5, Tallinn, 10120, Estonia

    Elve Lode

  5. Faculty of Forestry, Department of Natural Environment, Technical University Zvolen, T.G. Masaryka 24, Zvolen, 96053, Slovakia

    Viliam Pichler

  6. Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow, Zürcherstr. 111, Birmensdorf, 8903, Switzerland

    Patrick Schleppi

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Koivusalo, H., Hökkä, H., Laurén, A. (2010). A Small Catchment Scale Approach for Modeling Effects of Forest Management on Water Cycle in Boreal Landscape. In: Bredemeier, M., Cohen, S., Godbold, D., Lode, E., Pichler, V., Schleppi, P. (eds) Forest Management and the Water Cycle. Ecological Studies, vol 212. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9834-4_23

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