Modelling the Event-Based Hydrological Response of Mediterranean Forests to Prescribed Fire and Soil Mulching with Fern Using the Curve Number, Horton and USLE-Family (Universal Soil Loss Equation) Models

Bruno Gianmarco Carra, Giuseppe Bombino, Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja, Pietro Denisi, Pedro Antonio Plaza-Álvarez and Demetrio Antonio Zema
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Bruno Gianmarco Carra: AGRARIA Department, Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria, Località Feo di Vito, I-89122 Reggio Calabria, Italy
Giuseppe Bombino: AGRARIA Department, Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria, Località Feo di Vito, I-89122 Reggio Calabria, Italy
Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja: Department of Agroforestry Technology, Science and Genetics, School of Advanced Agricultural and Forestry Engineering, Campus Universitario s/n, Castilla La Mancha University, E-02071 Albacete, Spain
Pietro Denisi: AGRARIA Department, Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria, Località Feo di Vito, I-89122 Reggio Calabria, Italy
Pedro Antonio Plaza-Álvarez: Department of Agroforestry Technology, Science and Genetics, School of Advanced Agricultural and Forestry Engineering, Campus Universitario s/n, Castilla La Mancha University, E-02071 Albacete, Spain
Demetrio Antonio Zema: AGRARIA Department, Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria, Località Feo di Vito, I-89122 Reggio Calabria, Italy

Land, 2021, vol. 10, issue 11, 1-31

Abstract: The SCS-CN, Horton, and USLE-family models are widely used to predict and control runoff and erosion in forest ecosystems. However, in the literature there is no evidence of their use in Mediterranean forests subjected to prescribed fire and soil mulching. To fill this gap, this study evaluates the prediction capability for runoff and soil loss of the SCS-CN, Horton, MUSLE, and USLE-M models in three forests (pine, chestnut, and oak) in Southern Italy. The investigation was carried out at plot and event scales throughout one year, after a prescribed fire and post-fire soil mulching with fern. The SCS-CN and USLE-M models were accurate in predicting runoff volume and soil loss, respectively. In contrast, poor predictions of the modelled hydrological variables were provided by the models in unburned plots, and by the Horton and MUSLE models for all soil conditions. This inaccuracy may have been due to the fact that the runoff and erosion generation mechanisms were saturation-excess and rainsplash, while the Horton and MUSLE models better simulate infiltration-excess and overland flow processes, respectively. For the SCS-CN and USLE-M models, calibration was needed to obtain accurate predictions of surface runoff and soil loss; furthermore, different CNs and C factors must be input throughout the year to simulate the variability of the hydrological response of soil after fire. After calibration, two sets of CNs and C-factor values were suggested for applications of the SCS-CN and USLE-M models, after prescribed fire and fern mulching in Mediterranean forests. Once validated in a wider range of environmental contexts, these models may support land managers in controlling the hydrology of Mediterranean forests that are prone to wildfire risks.

Keywords: runoff; erosion; soil loss; hydrological modeling; oak; chestnut; pine; calibration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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