In collaboration with Iranian Watershed Management Association

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Researcher of Watershed Management and Forests and Rangelands Research Department, Guilan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and education Center, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Rasht, Iran

2 Professor, Department of forestry, Faculty of natural resources, University of Guilan, Sowme'eh Sara, I. R. Iran

3 Assistant Professor, Soil Conservation and Watershed Management Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Tehran, I. R. Iran

4 Associate Prof., Department of forestry, Faculty of natural resources, University of Guilan, Sowme'eh Sara, I. R. Iran

5 Professor, Department of forestry, Faculty of natural resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, I. R. Iran

Abstract

The method employed in this study was based on experimental research and field study. In this method, the stored radiocesium of the forest region which was supposed to be converted into Poplar plantation has been compared with the stored radiocesium of the reference region. 11 core samples were taken from reference region and then 7 core samples were selected from the transect which was a part of Poplar plantation that were taken by topographic characteristics in a depth of 25 centimeters, Having prepared the core samples according to the IAEA, they were packaged into the special Gama spectrometer containers. After that the amount of radiocesium of all samples has been measured by Bq kg-1 scale. The findings revealed that the amount of radiocesium in reference region was computed as 5894.1. Bq m-2 y-1. In the present study, soil loss rate during transect was estimated using proportional conversion models and mass balance I and II of 18.70, 22.72 and 18.64 ton / ha, respectively. These values were obtained for slope of 10-20%, canopy cover of 25% and clay loam soil under 1000 mm precipitation. This study recommended mass balance model II for estimation of erosion in changed land use areas and concluded that forest land use change to plantation due to reduction of long soil cover and plantation management by removing other seedlings and herbaceous cover increased the rate of soil erosion occurs. This process for many years has caused the erosion rate to exceed and has caused the loss of 0.1 cm of soil per year.

Keywords

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