Impact of rainfall intensity and cutslope material on sediment concentration from forest roads in northern Iran

doi:10.3832/ifor0097-007

Impact of rainfall intensity and cutslope material on sediment concentration from forest roads in northern Iran

Saeed Rahbari Sisakht⁽¹⁾ , Baris Majnounian⁽¹⁾, Mohsen Mohseni Saravi⁽²⁾, Ehsan Abdi⁽¹⁾, Christoper Surfleet⁽³⁾

iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry, Volume 7, Issue 1, Pages 48-52 (2014)
doi: https://doi.org/10.3832/ifor0097-007
Published: Oct 21, 2013 - Copyright © 2014 SISEF

Research Articles

PDF Version

Full Text

Citation

Geo-mapping

Forest roads are important for adequate management of natural resources, but they are also a dominant contributor of sediment to forest streams and water pollution. This study measured road sediment concentration from forest roads to determine the impact of rainfall intensity and cutslope types on sediment concentration in the Patom district of northern Iran. Two 110 m road segments with variable soil and rock fragment cover exposed at the cutslopes were studied. Seven rainfall and corresponding runoff events were measured in 1-liter bottle samplers every 10 minutes at the outlet of cross sectional culverts, and from two 3 m² plots on the roadbeds adjacent to each cutslope. A statistically significant difference at the 95% confidence level between two cutslope types and rainfall intensity on sediment concentration was determined from the field data based on nonparametric tests, though no statistically significant difference in the concentration of sediment between the two roadbeds plots were found. The average of sediment concentration of soil trench and the rock fragment cover cutslopes were 60.3 and 46.8 g/l, respectively. The results reported here should help forest road managements to improve the understanding of cutslopes erosion and sediment production from forest roads and to employ suitable methods to reduce sediment production.

Keywords

Forest Road, Cutslope, Rainfall Intensity, Rock Fragment, Sediment Concentration

Authors’ address

(1)

Forestry and Forest Economics Department, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj (Iran)

(2)

Range and Watershed Management Department, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj (Iran)

(3)

Department of Forest Engineering, Resources and Management College of Forestry, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR (USA)

Corresponding author

Saeed Rahbari Sisakht
s_rahbari@ut.ac.ir

Citation

Rahbari Sisakht S, Majnounian B, Mohseni Saravi M, Abdi E, Surfleet C (2014). Impact of rainfall intensity and cutslope material on sediment concentration from forest roads in northern Iran. iForest 7: 48-52. - doi: 10.3832/ifor0097-007

Academic Editor

Roberto Tognetti

Paper history

Received: Mar 14, 2012
Accepted: Apr 08, 2013

First online: Oct 21, 2013
Publication Date: Feb 03, 2014
Publication Time: 6.53 months

Open Access

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.

Breakdown by View Type

(Waiting for server response...)

Article Usage

Total Article Views: 51152
(from publication date up to now)

Breakdown by View Type
HTML Page Views: 44089
Abstract Page Views: 2308
PDF Downloads: 3608
Citation/Reference Downloads: 14
XML Downloads: 1133

Web Metrics
Days since publication: 4049
Overall contacts: 51152
Avg. contacts per week: 88.43

Article Citations

Article citations are based on data periodically collected from the Clarivate Web of Science web site
(last update: Feb 2023)

Total number of cites (since 2014): 3
Average cites per year: 0.27

(no Plumx Metrics available for this paper)

Publication Metrics

by Dimensions ^©

Articles citing this article

List of the papers citing this article based on CrossRef Cited-by.

(1)

Abdi E, Majnounian B, Genet M, Rahimi H (2010)
Quantifying the effects of root reinforcement of Persian Ironwood (Parrotia persica) on slope stability. Ecological Engineering 36: 1409-1416.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(2)

Abdi E, Rahbari-SiSakht S, Moghdami-Rad M (2012)
Improving cross drain systems to minimize sediment delivery using GIS. Forestry Studies in China Journal 14 (4): 209-306.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(3)

Akay AE, Erdas O, Reis M, Yuksel A (2008)
Estimating sediment yield from a forest road network by using a sediment prediction model and GIS techniques. Building and Environment 43 (5): 687-695.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(4)

Boyd CE (1990)
Water quality management for pond fish culture. Elsevier Scientific Pub. Co., pp. 318.
Gscholar

(5)

Croke J, Wallbrink P, Fogarty H, Mockler P, McCormack S.B, Brophy J (1999)
Managing sediment sources and movement in forests: the forest industry and water quality. Cooperative research centre for catchment hydrology. Industry Report 99/11
Online | Gscholar

(6)

Croke J, Mockler S, Fogarty P, Takken I (2005)
Sediment concentration changes in runoff pathways from a forest road network and the resultant spatial pattern of catchment connectivity. Geomorphology 68 (3-4): 257-268.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(7)

Damian F (2003)
Cross-drain placement to reduce sediment delivery from roads to streams. MS Thesis, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA, pp. 207.
Gscholar

(8)

Dunne T (2001)
Problems in measuring and modeling the influence of forest management on hydrologic and geomorphic processes. In: “Land use and watersheds: human iInfluence on hydrology and geomorphology in urban and forest areas” (Wigmosta MS, Burges SJ eds). American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC, USA, pp. 77-83.
Gscholar

(9)

Elliot WJ, Foltz RB, Robichaud PR (2009)
Recent finding related to measuring and modeling forest road erosion. In: Proceedings of the “18^th World IMACS/MODSIM Congress” (Anderssen, RS, Braddock RD, Newham LTH eds). Cairns, (Australia) 13-17 July 2009
Online | Gscholar

(10)

Foltz RB, Copeland NS, Elliot WJ (2009)
Reopening abandoned forest roads in northern Idaho, USA: quantification of runoff, sediment concentration, infiltration, and interrill erosion parameters. Journal of Environmental Management 90: 2542-2550.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(11)

Fu BL, Newham LTH, Ramos-Scharrón CE (2010)
A review of surface erosion and sediment delivery models for unsealed roads. Environmental Modelling and Software 25: 1-14.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(12)

Gordon ND, McMahon TA, Finlayson BL, Gippel CJ, Nathan PJ (2004)
Stream hydrology an introduction for ecologists (2 edn). John Wiley and Songs Ltd., UK, pp. 423.
Gscholar

(13)

Gresswell S, Heller D, Swanston DN (1979)
Mass movement response to forest management in the central Oregon Cost ranges. Resource Bulletin PNW-84, USDA Forest Service, Portland, USA, pp. 26.
Gscholar

(14)

Gucinski H, Furniss M.J, Ziemer R.R, Brooks M (2001)
Forest roads: a synthesis of scientific information. Gen. Technol. Rep. PNW-GTR-509, USDA Forest Service, Portland, USA, pp. 120.
Gscholar

(15)

Hayati E, Majnounian B, Abdi E (2012)
Qualitative evaluation and optimization of forest road network to minimize total costs and environmental impacts. iForest 5: 121-125.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(16)

Jordán A, Martínez-Zavala L (2007)
Soil loss and runoff rates on unpaved forest roads in southern Spain after simulatied rainfall. Forest Ecology and Management 228: 913-919.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(17)

Khalilpoor H, Hosseini S.A, Lotfalian M, Kooch Y (2008)
The assessment of sediment production yield from forest road using sediment production model. Journal of Applied Science 8 (10): 1944-1949.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(18)

Khalilpoor H, Hosseini SA, Jalalvand H, Lotfalian M, Kooch Y, Akbari RAA, Sohrabi V (2010)
Determination of most effective factor on sediment production due to road in forest mountainous roads. Journal of Applied Science 10 (9): 1069-1076.
Gscholar

(19)

Lane PNJ, Sheridan GJ (2002)
Impact of an unsealed forest road stream crossing: water quality and sediment sources. Hydrological Processes 16 (13): 2599-2612.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(20)

Larsen MC, Parks JE (1997)
How wide a road? The association of roads and mass-wasting in a forested montane environment. Earth Surface Process Landforms 22: 835-848.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(21)

Lewis J (1996)
Turbidity-controlled suspended sediment sampling for runoff-event load estimation. Water Resources Research 32 (7): 2299-2310.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(22)

Luce CH, Black TA (1999)
Sediment production from forest roads in western Oregon. 18. Water Resources Research 35 (8): 2561-2570.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(23)

Jordán-López A, Martínez-Zavala L, Bellinfante N (2009)
Impact of different parts of unpaved forest roads on runoff and sediment yield in a Mediterranean area. Science of The Total Environment 407 (2): 937-944.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(24)

MacDonald LH, Coe DBR (2008)
Road sediment production and delivery: processes and management. In: Proceedings of the “First World Landslide Forum. International Program on Landslides and International Strategy for Disaster Reduction”. United Nations University, Tokyo, Japan, pp. 381-384.
Gscholar

(25)

MacDonald LH, Anderson DM, Dietrich WE (1997)
Paradise threatened: land use and erosion on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Environmental Management 21 (6): 851-863.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(26)

MacDonald LH, Sampson RW, Anderson DM (2001)
Runoff and road erosion at the plot and road segment scales, St. John, US Virgin Islands. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 26: 251-272.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(27)

MacDonald LH, Welsh M, Brown E, Libohova Z (2006)
Middle east watershed monitoring and evaluation project: accuracy and associated with erosion monitoring using sediment traps. [Unpublished Report].
Gscholar

(28)

Mahdavi M (2005)
Applied hydrology, vol. 1. University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran, pp. 342.
Gscholar

(29)

Malomo S, Obademi MO, Odedina PO, Adebo OA (1983)
An investigation of the peculiar characteristics of laterite soils from southern Nigeria. Bulletin of the International Association of Engineering Geology 28 (1): 197-206.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(30)

Meadows M (2007)
Personal communication and unpublished data of turbidity threshold measurements for Oak Creek Roads. Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon State, USA.
Gscholar

(31)

Nearing MA, Bradford JM, Parker SC (1991)
Soil detachment by shallow flow at low slopes. Soil Science Society of America Journal 55 (2): 339.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(32)

Poesen J, Lavee H (1994)
Rock fragments in top soils: significance and processes. Catena 23 (1-2): 1-28.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(33)

Ramos-Scharrón CE, MacDonald LH (2007)
Measurement and prediction of natural and anthropogenic sediment sources, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Catena 71 (2): 250-266.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(34)

Refahi HG (2006)
Soil erosion by water and conservation. University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran, pp. 671.
Gscholar

(35)

Rodríguez-Pérez JR, Álvarez MF, Sanz-Ablanedo E (2007)
Assessment of low-cost GPS receiver accuracy and precision in forest environments. Journal of Surveying Engineering 133 (4): 159-167.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(36)

Sarmadian F, Jafari M (2001)
Forest soils in Kheiroudkenar forests. Natural Resources Journal (special Issue), pp. 103
Gscholar

(37)

Sheridan GJ, Noske PJ, Whipp RK, Wijesinghe N (2006)
The effect of truck traffic and road water content on sediment delivery from unpaved forest roads. Hydrological Processes 20 (8): 1683-1699.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(38)

Sidle RC, Pearce AJ, O’Loughlin CL (1985)
Hillslope stability and land use. Water Resources Monograph Series No 11, American Geophysical Union,
CrossRef | Gscholar

(39)

Surfleet CG (2008)
Uncertainty in forest road hydrologic modeling and catchment scale assessment of forest road sediment yield. PhD thesis, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA, pp. 276.
Gscholar

(40)

Swift LW (1984)
Soil losses from roadbeds and cut and fill slopes in the southern application mountains. Southern Journal of Applied Forestry 8: 209-215.
Gscholar

(41)

Tague C, Band L (2001)
Simulating the impact of road construction and forest harvesting on hydrologic response. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 26 (2): 135-151.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(42)

Wischmeier WH, Smith DD (1958)
Rainfall energy and its relationship to soil loss. Transactions, American Geophysical Union 39 (2): 285.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(43)

Young RA, Wiersma JL (1973)
The role of rainfall impact in soil detachment and transport. Water Resources Research 9 (6): 1629-1636.
CrossRef | Gscholar

iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry

Contents

Search

Journal Info

Journal Subjects and Fields

For Authors

For Reviewers

For Readers

SISEF Publishing

Search iForest Contents