| Abstract | Forests provide a number of ecological and hydrological services, for instance, contributing to decreased water and sediment yields through increased infiltration and reduced soil erosion. However, forest fires can turn positive forest services into drawbacks, enhancing surface runoff and soil erosion and damaging both hillslopes and downstream aquatic life in rivers. Therefore, appropriate mitigation strategies should be developed to limit these negative effects. Using a runoff and erosion model (the WaterSed model), we proposed forest fire and firebreak scenarios to analyse their respective effects on sediment loads. The model reproduced the measured discharge and sediment loads over an entire hydrological year, including 21 flood events occurring from November 2010 to May 2011 in a 72-km Mediterranean catchment (Celone catchment, Puglia, Italy). Eight different forest fire scenarios were then proposed. While the mean burnt areas remained below 2% of the total catchment area, forest fires significantly affected the sediment yield. Indeed, the sediment yield increased over the different forest fire scenarios, from 1.97 to 2.70 t ha.yr, corresponding to a 37% increase. At the flood-event scale, the sediment load after fire represented up to 324% of the unburnt catchment sediment load in the worst-case scenario. By using realistic firebreaks, the sediment load could be dramatically reduced, from 324% to 165%, in the worst-case scenario. Because rural catchments, such as the Celone catchment, are currently experiencing land abandonment, forested areas are expected to replace crops and expand in the future. This change will likely increase forest ecological services, which may, however, be punctually balanced by negative fire effects. More studies addressing the global impacts of forest growth, fires and firebreaks on sediment transfers are therefore needed in similar environments. |
| Text | 453757 2021 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112497 Scopus 2 s2.0 85103965129 Soil erosion Runoff Forest fires Firebreaks Flood events SWAT Modelling forest fire and firebreak scenarios in a mediterranean mountainous catchment Impacts on sediment loads Grangeon T.; Vandromme R.; Cerdan O.; De Girolamo A.M.; Lo Porto A. Bureau de Recherches Geologiques et Minieres, Departement Risques et Prevention, 3 Avenue Claude Guillemin, Orleans, 45100, Bureau de Recherches Geologiques et Minieres, Departement Risques et Prevention, 3 Avenue Claude Guillemin, 45100, Orleans, France, , France; Water Research Institute, National Research Council, Francesco De Blasio 5, Bari, 70132, Water Research Institute, National Research Council, Francesco De Blasio 5, 70132, Bari, Italy, , , Italy; Water Research Institute, National Research Council, Francesco De Blasio 5, Bari, 70132, Water Research Institute, National Research Council, Francesco De Blasio 5, 70132, Bari, Italy, , , Italy Forests provide a number of ecological and hydrological services, for instance, contributing to decreased water and sediment yields through increased infiltration and reduced soil erosion. However, forest fires can turn positive forest services into drawbacks, enhancing surface runoff and soil erosion and damaging both hillslopes and downstream aquatic life in rivers. Therefore, appropriate mitigation strategies should be developed to limit these negative effects. Using a runoff and erosion model the WaterSed model , we proposed forest fire and firebreak scenarios to analyse their respective effects on sediment loads. The model reproduced the measured discharge and sediment loads over an entire hydrological year, including 21 flood events occurring from November 2010 to May 2011 in a 72 km Mediterranean catchment Celone catchment, Puglia, Italy . Eight different forest fire scenarios were then proposed. While the mean burnt areas remained below 2% of the total catchment area, forest fires significantly affected the sediment yield. Indeed, the sediment yield increased over the different forest fire scenarios, from 1.97 to 2.70 t ha.yr, corresponding to a 37% increase. At the flood event scale, the sediment load after fire represented up to 324% of the unburnt catchment sediment load in the worst case scenario. By using realistic firebreaks, the sediment load could be dramatically reduced, from 324% to 165%, in the worst case scenario. Because rural catchments, such as the Celone catchment, are currently experiencing land abandonment, forested areas are expected to replace crops and expand in the future. This change will likely increase forest ecological services, which may, however, be punctually balanced by negative fire effects. More studies addressing the global impacts of forest growth, fires and firebreaks on sediment transfers are therefore needed in similar environments. 289 Published version http //www.scopus.com/record/display.url eid=2 s2.0 85103965129 origin=inward Modelling forest fire and firebreak scenarios in a mediterranean mountainous catchment Impacts on sediment loads On line published version 1 s2.0 S0301479721005594 main 2 .pdf Articolo in rivista Academic Press. 0301 4797 Journal of environmental management Journal of environmental management J. environ. manag. antonio.loporto LO PORTO ANTONIO annamaria.degirolamo DE GIROLAMO ANNA MARIA DTA.AD001.130.007 ERA4CS IRSA |
