Abstract
Land use plays an important role in soil loss and other environmental problems. Correct prediction of soil loss from different types of land use is very important to land use policy making in the Dabie Mountains, China. Field observations of water and soil loss were carried out in the Shangshe catchment on land in four types of use from 1999 to 2007. This chapter reports the study of soil loss in the sub-catchment of Chinese fir forest and the sub-catchment of pine forest. Field observations of water and soil loss were carried out at the micro-plot scale, the USLE (universal soil loss equation)-plot scale, and the sub-catchment scale in the sub-catchment of Chinese fir forest, as well as of pine forest. Analysis of these field observation data shows that litter in forest has an important hydrological function. In the Chinese fir forest and pine forest, the micro-plots without litter and grass produced more than 71 times the soil loss of micro-plots with litter and grass at the same gradient in 2000. By integrating a linear regression method with GIS and USLE, a so-called FUSLE (USLE in forest with a focus on litter) model was developed to predict soil loss in forest. The rain erosivity factor is turned into a modified rain erosivity factor when litter is added as a new factor. These measures are believed more practical for soil loss prediction in forest areas because the litter factor is a key factor in soil loss on forestland. Furthermore, the meter-scale plot method is able to get enough field observation data in a few years for soil loss prediction and it is less expensive.
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Acknowledgments
The work reported in this paper was undertaken within the framework of a research project funded by the Forestry Department of Anhui Province, China. We appreciate the help of Luo Hongyan, Yang Yan, HuangXiaying, Hu Zhidong, Liu Caihong, Wu Zhongneng, Chu Chengdong, and Hu Bingqi for sediment/sample collection and processing. Collaboration of the Forestry Department of Yuexi prefecture in maintaining the monitoring stations at the Shangshe catchment are gratefully acknowledged.
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Zhang, J., DeAngelis, D., Zhuang, J. (2011). Development and Test of GIS-Based FUSLE Model in Sub-catchments of Chinese Fir Forest and Pine Forest in the Dabie Mountains, China. In: Theory and Practice of Soil Loss Control in Eastern China. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-9679-4_5
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