Enhancing Overland Flow Infiltration through Sustainable Well-Managed Thinning: Contour-Aligned Felled Log Placement in a Chamaecyparis obtusa Plantation

Moein Farahnak (), Nobuaki Tanaka, Takanori Sato, Anand Nainar, Mie Gomyo, Koichiro Kuraji, Toko Suzaki, Haruhiko Suzuki and Yoshimasa Nakane
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Moein Farahnak: Ecohydrology Research Institute, Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo, Aichi 489-0031, Japan
Nobuaki Tanaka: Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo Hokkaido Forest, Furano 079-1563, Japan
Takanori Sato: Faculty of Regional Environment Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Tokyo 156-8502, Japan
Anand Nainar: Faculty of Tropical Forestry, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu 88-400, Malaysia
Mie Gomyo: Ecohydrology Research Institute, Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo, Aichi 489-0031, Japan
Koichiro Kuraji: Executive Office, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
Toko Suzaki: Toyota Yahagi River Institute, Aichi 471-0025, Japan
Haruhiko Suzuki: Industrial Affairs Department, Forestry Division, Toyota City 444-2424, Japan
Yoshimasa Nakane: Industrial Affairs Department, Forestry Division, Toyota City 444-2424, Japan

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 19, 1-12

Abstract: Contour felling is a restoration method used to decrease overland flow (OF) and soil erosion in the world. However, the impact of thinning and the placement of felled logs on OF remains inconclusive. Low ground cover and soil permeability promote OF in Chamaecyparis obtusa (Siebold et Zucc.) Endl plantations, making thinning a method for reducing runoff. We examined the relationship between OF and ground cover in a C. obtusa plantation in Japan. Event-based runoff was monitored in three plots from 2016 to 2021, with 40% thinning conducted in 2019. In plot T1, logs were randomly scattered, and, in T2, logs followed contour lines, while control plots stayed the same. After thinning, both treatment plots showed lower OF than the control plot. The ANCOVA test shows a significant slope reduction in treatment plots compared to the control plot from pre-thinning to post-thinning (T1: 0.67 to 0.26, T2: 0.66 to 0.12, p < 0.001, Tukey HSD test). However, in plot T2, OF remained stable for two years post-thinning, affirming the enduring effectiveness of contour-aligned log placement. This study backs the notion that aligning fallen logs with contour lines boosts long-term OF infiltration, supporting sustainable forest and soil management.

Keywords: contour felling; Japanese plantations; infiltration; slope runoff; thinning (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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