Effect of Straw Checkerboards on Wind Proofing, Sand Fixation, and Ecological Restoration in Shifting Sandy Land

Shuai Zhang, Guo-dong Ding, Ming-han Yu, Guang-lei Gao, Yuan-yuan Zhao, Guo-hong Wu and Long Wang
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Shuai Zhang: Yanchi Research Station, School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Guo-dong Ding: Yanchi Research Station, School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Ming-han Yu: Yanchi Research Station, School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Guang-lei Gao: Yanchi Research Station, School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Yuan-yuan Zhao: Yanchi Research Station, School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Guo-hong Wu: Yanchi Research Station, School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Long Wang: Yanchi Research Station, School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 10, 1-17

Abstract: Due to their simple layout and adaptability to various environments, straw checkerboards are widely used to control windblown sand in China. To fully understand the wind proofing and sand-fixing benefits of different board specifications, and to determine the restorative effects of straw checkerboard, we tested different sizes of checkerboard, determined their performance as a windbreak and in trapping shifting sand, and constructed models based on wind tunnel tests, enabling the wind speed flow field to be analysed. We also sampled the soil in areas where straw checkerboards had been established for several years and analysed the trends in soil physical and chemical properties over time. We found that all sizes of straw checkerboard effectively reduced the wind speed near the surface and formed a protected area, with the best protective effect achieved for a one-meter board. All sizes of straw checkerboard effectively intercepted windblown sand to form surface accumulation, with the one-meter board again showing the best performance. The use of a straw checkerboard also effectively improved the physical and chemical properties of soil and promoted ecological restoration. These results indicate that straw checkerboards are a low-cost engineering measure that could play an important role in desertification control and the ecological restoration of sandy land ecosystems.

Keywords: straw checkerboard; wind velocity flow field; surface erosion; soil physical and chemical properties; vegetation restoration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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