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Author(s):
William J. Elliot, Peter R. Robichaud, I. Sue Miller
Year Published:
Editor(s):
A. McFarland, A. Saleh

Cataloging Information

Topic(s):
Soils
Water
Erosion Control

NRFSN number: 28485
FRAMES RCS number: 20467
Record updated:

In both forest and rangelands, fuel reduction operations are now common practices. Mechanical thinning followed by prescribed fire is common in forests, while fire is frequently applied to rangelands. Studies at different scales (50 sq m to 389 ha) measure the erosion from fuel management. This presentation compares runoff and erosion from these studies. Plot size has the greatest influence on runoff, with larger watersheds generating more runoff. Runoff ranged from zero on a number of 4-ha forested watersheds to 376 mm on a 386 ha forested watershed. Erosion rates were most influenced by surface cover. Observed erosion rates on rangelands were about 0.04 Mg ha-1 on undisturbed plots and 0.06 Mg ha-1 on burned plots. On forests, measured erosion rates were zero to 0.03 Mg ha-1 y-1, increased up to 0.1 Mg ha-1 y-1 for prescribed fire, and up to 6.7 Mg ha-1 y-1 following wildfire.

Citation

Elliot, William J.; Robichaud, Peter R.; Miller, I. Sue. 2007. Erosion rates from forests and rangelands following fuel management. Pages 493-499. In: McFarland, A.; Saleh, A. (editors). Proceedings of the Fourth Conference: Watershed Management to Meet Water Quality Standards and TMDLs (Total Maximum Daily Loads); 10-14 March 2007; San Antonio, TX. ASABE Publication Number 701P0207. St. Joseph, MI: American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.

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