Water yield following forest–grass–forest transitions
Many currently forested areas in the southern Appalachians were harvested in the early 1900s and cleared for agriculture or pasture, but have since been abandoned and reverted to forest (old-field succession). Land-use and land-cover changes such as these may have altered the timing and quantity of...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2017-02-01
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| Series: | Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |
| Online Access: | http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/21/981/2017/hess-21-981-2017.pdf |
| _version_ | 1818616847845556224 |
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| author | K. J. Elliott P. V. Caldwell S. T. Brantley C. F. Miniat J. M. Vose W. T. Swank |
| author_facet | K. J. Elliott P. V. Caldwell S. T. Brantley C. F. Miniat J. M. Vose W. T. Swank |
| author_sort | K. J. Elliott |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Many currently forested areas in the southern Appalachians were
harvested in the early 1900s and cleared for agriculture or pasture, but
have since been abandoned and reverted to forest (old-field succession).
Land-use and land-cover changes such as these may have altered the timing
and quantity of water yield (<i>Q</i>). We examined 80 years of streamflow and
vegetation data in an experimental watershed that underwent
forest–grass–forest conversion (i.e., old-field succession treatment). We hypothesized that changes in forest species composition and water use would largely explain long-term changes in <i>Q</i>. Aboveground biomass was comparable among watersheds before the treatment (208.3 Mg ha<sup>−1</sup>), and again after 45 years of forest regeneration (217.9 Mg ha<sup>−1</sup>). However, management practices in the treatment watershed altered resulting species composition compared to the reference watershed. Evapotranspiration (ET) and <i>Q</i> in the treatment watershed recovered to pretreatment levels after 9 years of abandonment, then <i>Q</i> became less (averaging 5.4 % less) and ET more (averaging 4.5 % more) than expected after the 10th year up to the present day. We demonstrate that the decline in <i>Q</i> and corresponding increase in ET could be explained by the shift in major forest species from predominantly <i>Quercus</i> and <i>Carya</i> before treatment to predominantly <i>Liriodendron</i> and <i>Acer</i> through old-field succession. The annual change in <i>Q</i> can be attributed to changes in seasonal <i>Q</i>. The greatest management effect on monthly <i>Q</i> occurred during the wettest (i.e., above median <i>Q</i>) growing-season months, when <i>Q</i> was significantly lower than expected. In the dormant season, monthly <i>Q</i> was higher than expected during the wettest months. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-16T16:56:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-841a743063784b24bdee5742fe8be1a4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1027-5606 1607-7938 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-16T16:56:19Z |
| publishDate | 2017-02-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-841a743063784b24bdee5742fe8be1a42022-12-21T22:23:52ZengCopernicus PublicationsHydrology and Earth System Sciences1027-56061607-79382017-02-0121298199710.5194/hess-21-981-2017Water yield following forest–grass–forest transitionsK. J. Elliott0P. V. Caldwell1S. T. Brantley2C. F. Miniat3J. M. Vose4W. T. Swank5USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Coweeta Hydrologic Lab, Otto, NC 28763, USAUSDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Coweeta Hydrologic Lab, Otto, NC 28763, USAJoseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center, Ichauway, Newton, GA 31770, USAUSDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Coweeta Hydrologic Lab, Otto, NC 28763, USAUDSA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Center for Integrated Forest Science, Raleigh, NC 27695, USAUSDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Coweeta Hydrologic Lab, Otto, NC 28763, USAMany currently forested areas in the southern Appalachians were harvested in the early 1900s and cleared for agriculture or pasture, but have since been abandoned and reverted to forest (old-field succession). Land-use and land-cover changes such as these may have altered the timing and quantity of water yield (<i>Q</i>). We examined 80 years of streamflow and vegetation data in an experimental watershed that underwent forest–grass–forest conversion (i.e., old-field succession treatment). We hypothesized that changes in forest species composition and water use would largely explain long-term changes in <i>Q</i>. Aboveground biomass was comparable among watersheds before the treatment (208.3 Mg ha<sup>−1</sup>), and again after 45 years of forest regeneration (217.9 Mg ha<sup>−1</sup>). However, management practices in the treatment watershed altered resulting species composition compared to the reference watershed. Evapotranspiration (ET) and <i>Q</i> in the treatment watershed recovered to pretreatment levels after 9 years of abandonment, then <i>Q</i> became less (averaging 5.4 % less) and ET more (averaging 4.5 % more) than expected after the 10th year up to the present day. We demonstrate that the decline in <i>Q</i> and corresponding increase in ET could be explained by the shift in major forest species from predominantly <i>Quercus</i> and <i>Carya</i> before treatment to predominantly <i>Liriodendron</i> and <i>Acer</i> through old-field succession. The annual change in <i>Q</i> can be attributed to changes in seasonal <i>Q</i>. The greatest management effect on monthly <i>Q</i> occurred during the wettest (i.e., above median <i>Q</i>) growing-season months, when <i>Q</i> was significantly lower than expected. In the dormant season, monthly <i>Q</i> was higher than expected during the wettest months.http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/21/981/2017/hess-21-981-2017.pdf |
| spellingShingle | K. J. Elliott P. V. Caldwell S. T. Brantley C. F. Miniat J. M. Vose W. T. Swank Water yield following forest–grass–forest transitions Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |
| title | Water yield following forest–grass–forest transitions |
| title_full | Water yield following forest–grass–forest transitions |
| title_fullStr | Water yield following forest–grass–forest transitions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Water yield following forest–grass–forest transitions |
| title_short | Water yield following forest–grass–forest transitions |
| title_sort | water yield following forest ndash grass ndash forest transitions |
| url | http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/21/981/2017/hess-21-981-2017.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kjelliott wateryieldfollowingforestndashgrassndashforesttransitions AT pvcaldwell wateryieldfollowingforestndashgrassndashforesttransitions AT stbrantley wateryieldfollowingforestndashgrassndashforesttransitions AT cfminiat wateryieldfollowingforestndashgrassndashforesttransitions AT jmvose wateryieldfollowingforestndashgrassndashforesttransitions AT wtswank wateryieldfollowingforestndashgrassndashforesttransitions |