Changes in hillslope hydrology in a perched, shallow soil system due to clearcutting and residual biomass removal
Colin P. R. McCarter
Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
Search for more papers by this authorStephen D. Sebestyen
Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Grand Rapids, Minnesota, USA
Search for more papers by this authorSusan L. Eggert
Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Grand Rapids, Minnesota, USA
Search for more papers by this authorRandall K. Kolka
Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Grand Rapids, Minnesota, USA
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Carl P. J. Mitchell
Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
Correspondence
Carl P. J. Mitchell, Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Scarborough, ON M1C 1A4, Canada.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorColin P. R. McCarter
Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
Search for more papers by this authorStephen D. Sebestyen
Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Grand Rapids, Minnesota, USA
Search for more papers by this authorSusan L. Eggert
Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Grand Rapids, Minnesota, USA
Search for more papers by this authorRandall K. Kolka
Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Grand Rapids, Minnesota, USA
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Carl P. J. Mitchell
Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
Correspondence
Carl P. J. Mitchell, Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Scarborough, ON M1C 1A4, Canada.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorFunding information: Great Lakes Air Deposition Program, Grant/Award Number: GLAD 2010-7; Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Grant/Award Number: 355866-18
Abstract
Sustainable fuels legislation and volatility in energy prices have put additional pressures on the forestry sector to intensify the harvesting of biomass for “advanced biofuel” production. To better understand how residual biomass removal after harvest affects forest hydrology in relatively low slope terrain, a Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) study was conducted in the USDA Forest Service's Marcell Experimental Forest, Minnesota, USA. Hydrological measurements were made from 2010–2013 on a forested hillslope that was divided into three treatment blocks, where one block was harvested and residual biomass removed (Biomass Removed), the second was harvested and residual biomass left (Biomass Left), and the last block was left as an Unharvested Control. The pre-harvest period (2 years) was 2010–11 and post-harvest (2 years) was 2012–13. Water table elevation at the upslope and downslope position, subsurface runoff, and soil moisture were measured between May–November. Mixed effect statistical models were used to compare both the before-after and “control” treatment ratios (ratios between harvested hillslopes and the Unharvested Control hillslope). Subsurface runoff significantly increased (p < .05) at both harvested hillslopes but to a greater degree on the Biomass Left hillslope. Greater subsurface runoff volumes at both harvested hillslopes were driven by substantial increases during fall, with additional significant increases during summer on the Biomass Left hillslope. The hydrological connectivity, inferred from event runoff ratios, increased due to harvesting at both hillslopes but only significantly on the Biomass Left hillslope. The winter harvest minimized soil disturbance, resulting in no change to the effective hydraulic conductivity distribution with depth. Thus, the observed hydrological changes were driven by increased effective precipitation and decreased evapotranspiration, increasing the duration that both harvested hillslopes were hydrologically active. The harvesting of residual biomass appears to lessen hydrological connectivity relative to leaving residual biomass on the hillslope, potentially decreasing downstream hydrological impacts of similar forestry operations.
Open Research
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
All data used in this publication is available at https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2020-0049.
Supporting Information
Filename | Description |
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hyp13948-sup-0001-supinfo.docxWord 2007 document , 314.1 KB | Figure S1. Comparison between the Marcell Experimental Forest bulk precipitation gauge, located ~1 km away, and the precipitation gauge on located on the Biomass Removed hillslope. The comparison is only for the post-harvest period (2012, blue, and 2013, orange), when no tree canopy was present. Figure S2. Boxplots of annual soil moisture at the Biomass Removed and Biomass Left Control hillslopes. Table S1. Results of the soil moisture mixed effect models. Table S2. Results of the overall treatment effect mixed effect models. Table S3. Results of the pair-wise comparison of least-square means of the overall treatment effects. The estimate of differences and SEs are on the loge-scale. Significant p-values (<.05) are bolded, while p-values <.10 are italicized. Table S4. Results of the seasonal treatment effect mixed effect models. Table S5. Selected results of the pair-wise comparison of least-square means of the seasonal treatment effects presented in Figure 8. The estimate of differences and SEs are on the loge-scale. Significant p-values (<.05) are bolded. |
Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.
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