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Abstract
Thirteen years of hydrologic data from two contiguous small watersheds in West Virginia were analyzed to determine the effects on streamflow of natural reforestation on abandoned farmlands. During the study period (1958-1970), streamflow on the watersheds was unchanged. The history of land use on the study area helps explain the apparent lack of hydrologic effects of reforestation. Aerial photographs taken in 1933, 1945, 1956, and 1968 documented the rapid advance of reforestation. Observations of streamflow began about 25 years after farming had terminated; any measurable hydrologic effects of natural reforestation probably occurred before these observations.
Citation
Lima, W.P.; Patric, J.H.; Holowaychuk, N. 1978. Natural Reforestation Reclaims a Watershed: A Case History from West Virginia. Res. Pap. NE-392. Broomall, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 7p.
