Measuring low rates of erosion from forest fuel reduction operations

William J. Elliot; Ina Sue Miller

Measuring low rates of erosion from forest fuel reduction operations

Informally Refereed

Authors:

William J. Elliot, Ina Sue Miller

Year:

2004

Type:

Paper

Station:

Rocky Mountain Research Station

Source:

Presented at the 2004 ASAE/CSAE Annual International Meeting; 1-4 August 2004; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. ASAE paper number 045018. St. Joseph, MI: American Society of Agricultural Engineers. 9 p.

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Abstract

A study was carried out to evaluate three methods for measuring low levels of hillside soil erosion associated with forest fuel management activities, and to measure erosion from cable logging and skid trails. The tipping bucket device with a sediment basin appears to be a better tool for this application than silt fences or rillmeter analysis. The greatest erosion following disturbance was measured with the tipping buckets on the cable trail and with silt fences on the high traffic skid trails. Further work is required to analyze the impacts of slope, cover, and compaction on these two treatments. Some of the control plots generated significant sediment from pocket gophers, which did not occur on any of the treated sites.

Keywords

forest engineering, soil erosion, fuel management

Citation

Elliot, William J.; Miller, Ina Sue. 2004. Measuring low rates of erosion from forest fuel reduction operations. Presented at the 2004 ASAE/CSAE Annual International Meeting; 1-4 August 2004; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. ASAE paper number 045018. St. Joseph, MI: American Society of Agricultural Engineers. 9 p.