Vegetation structure controls on snow and soil moisture in restored ponderosa pine forests

Thinning of semi-arid forests to reduce wildfire risk is believed to improve forest health by increasing soil moisture. Increased snowpack, reduced transpiration and reduced rainfall interception are frequently cited mechanisms by which reduced canopy density may increase soil moisture. However, the relative importance of these factors has not been rigorously evaluated in field studies. We measured snow depth, snow water equivalent (SWE) and the spatial and temporal variation in soil moisture at four experimental paired treatment-control thinning sites in high elevation ponderosa pine forest northern Arizona, USA. We compared snow and soil moisture measurements with forest structure metrics derived from aerial imagery and 3-dimensional lidar data to determine the relationship between vegetation structure, snow and soil moisture throughout the annual hydrologic cycle. Soil moisture was consistently and significantly higher in thinned forest plots, even though the treatments were performed 8–11 years before this study. However, we did not find evidence that SWE was higher in thinned forests across a range of snow conditions. Regression tree analysis of soil moisture and vegetation structure data provided some evidence that localized differences in transpiration and interception of precipitation influence the spatial pattern of soil moisture at points in the annual hydrologic cycle when the system is becoming increasingly water limited. However, vegetation structure explained a relatively low amount of the spatial variance (R² < 0.23) in soil moisture. Continuous measurements of soil moisture in depth profiles showed stronger attenuation of soil moisture peaks in thinned sites, suggesting differences in infiltration dynamics may explain the difference in soil moisture between treatments as opposed to overlying vegetation alone. Our results show limited support for commonly cited relationships between vegetation structure, snow and soil moisture and indicate that future research is needed to understand how reduction in tree density alters soil hydraulic properties.     

Quaternary exhumation history of the NE Tibetan Plateau revealed by peculiar distributions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in core extracts from the Sanhu depression,eastern Qaidam basin

Reworked organic matter (ROM) has been frequently encountered in fresh organic matter (FOM) in young sedimentary basins. Our study reports an ROM-dominated sequence from 21 borehole cores of the Late Pliocene–Quaternary strata in the Sanhu depression of the eastern Qaidam basin in northwestern China. Reworked organic matter occurrence is confirmed by Rock-Eval pyrolysis results, high Ro values, and reversed polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) maturity trends showing elevated maturities. Rock–source correlation using molecular fingerprints of biomarkers shows ROM was derived from Jurassic freshwater lacustrine source rocks dominated by terrestrial input, contrasting the immature Quaternary FOM developed in anoxic, saline lacustrine facies. The ROM provenance is traced northward to the southern Qilian Mountains. Maximum burial depths of ROM prior to erosion have been inferred by a burial depth–Rc (calculated vitrinite reflectance) correlation. Two chronological boundaries (1.83 Ma and 3.12 Ma) displaying distinct biomarker fingerprints are obtained from a previously reported chronological framework in the study area. Accordingly, an eroded thickness of 1214 m and an average erosion rate of 94 cm/ka of the ROM provenance areas during this temporal interval are derived. Our study has illustrated the potential value of geochemical compositions of ROM with constrained provenances in investigating the exhumation history of a mountain.     

Bog surface oscillation (mire breathing): A useful measure in raised bog restoration

Oscillation of the peat surface is an important mechanism for hydrological self‐regulation in bogs. As the water table rises in the wet season, the peat body expands, raising the bog surface and increasing water storage. With seasonal drying, the water table declines, the peat loses volume, and the bog surface drops, thereby keeping Sphagnum mosses in close contact with the water table. The oscillation of surface elevation in a Pacific coastal temperate raised bog was monitored at multiple sites for 4–12 years in 8 different plant communities of both peat‐harvested and unharvested sites to determine how bog surface oscillation relates to site conditions. The multiyear averages of bog surface oscillation for the different sites ranged from 2 to 34 cm (mean: 10.8 cm). In harvested sites, surface oscillation was linked to a larger water level amplitude and a shallower water table. In unharvested sites, a shallow water table was also a strong predictor of surface oscillation, but water level amplitude was negatively correlated to surface oscillation. This discrepancy was attributed to rewetting and regeneration of harvested sites, as well as historic drainage in many of the unharvested sites that reduced the elasticity of the peat. Surface oscillation differed significantly between some of the plant communities, generally between drier and wetter sites. In disturbed bogs, regeneration of a more elastic surface peat can increase the magnitude of peat volume change and bring about the return of self‐regulating mechanisms. Bog surface oscillation may be an important metric for assessing the restoration success or storage capacity of raised bogs in similar climatic settings.     

Tree Planting:How Fast Can It Accelerate Post-fire Forest Restoration?——A Case Study in Northern Da Hinggan Mountains,China

In 1987,a catastrophic fire burned over 1330000 ha in the densely forested area of the Da Hinggan Mountains in the northeastern China.After the fire,intensive management including burned trunk harvesting and coniferous tree planting had been conducted to accelerate forest restoration.To study the long term effect of these activities on forest recovery,we used a simulation modeling approach to study long-term(300 years) forest dynamics under current planting and natural regeneration scenarios.Results indicat...     

首都生态经济区的提出及其战略构想

北京作为全国的政治、经济、文化中心,具有强大的综合创新优势,必须在实现经济体系高效性与生态系统稳定性上做出表率,建设首都生态经济区是北京山区科学发展的必然趋势。首都生态经济区地域范围为北京的七山区县,其建设要以"两山、五河、七组团"为空间结构,以"一区、三基地、一平台"为框架性目标。作为探索北京山区环境、经济与社会协调发展的路径,建设首都生态经济区是优化山区生态环境建设的现实需要,符合山区发展转型的客观要求,具有重要的科学意义、实践基础和理论依据,应遵循打破行政界限、生态主导发展等原则,力争用10-15年的时间,建设生态产业经济带(走廊)、拓展生态经济区地域空间范围、打造中国北部生态经济增长极,以建设成北京绿色崛起先导区和全国生态经济示范区。     

Soil restoration research advances of artificial sand-binding vegetation ecosystem in the Tengger Desert,Northern China

Soil plays an important role in desert ecosystem, and is vital in constructing a steady desert ecosystem. The management and restoration of desertified land have been the focus of much discussion. The soil in Shapotou desert region has developed remarkably since artificial sand-binding vegetation established in 1946. The longer the period of dune stabilization, the greater the thickness of microbiotic crusts and subsoil. Meanwhile, proportion of silt and clay increased significantly, and soil bulk density declinced. The content of soil organic matter, N, P, and K similarly increased. Therefore, soil has developed from aeolian sand soil to Calcic-Orthic aridisols. This paper discusses the effects brought about by dust, microbiotic soil crust and soil microbes on soil-forming process. Then, we analyzed the relation between soil formation and sand-binding vegetation evolution, in order to provide a baseline for both research on desert ecosystem recovery and ecological environment governance in arid and semi-arid areas.     

平朔露天煤矿复垦区土壤中多环芳烃分布特征、来源解析及风险分析

原煤的开采、储存、运输及其加工利用过程是多环芳烃(PAHs)污染的主要来源。由于缺乏相关系统调查数据,其对煤矿复垦区土壤环境质量的影响尚不明确。平朔煤矿复垦土地主要作为耕地利用,了解其PAHs污染状况直接关系粮食安全和人体健康。该研究通过野外实地调查,开展了平朔煤矿复垦区表层土壤中多环芳烃(PAHs)的毒性风险分析研究。在整个平朔煤矿45 km2范围内,以500 m×500 m间距为基准,按照不同用地类型,采集了0~20 cm深度土壤样品179个,再按照1 km×1 km单元格组合后分析。使用安捷伦高分辨气相色谱低分辨质谱进行目标物的检测。加入代用标准2氟联苯(2 FBP)以进行回收率控制。研究结果表明：土壤中16种EPA PAHs的含量范围为213.60~2 513.20 ng·g-1,均值为717.09 ng·g-1。PAHs成分特征显示主要以3~4环为主(52%),5~6环次之(42%),2环所占比例最低(6%)。使用相关分析法判定,主要污染来源为原煤。毒性风险分析结果显示,平朔煤矿土壤PAHs存在一定生态风险,当土地重新作为农田加以利用时,需要加以关注。     

Beach–dune sediment budgets and dune morphodynamics following coastal dune restoration,Wickaninnish Dunes,Canada

The results from three years of surveying and monitoring a dynamic foredune and dunefield restoration effort on Vancouver Island, Canada is presented. Complete removal of foredune vegetation occurred in three phases spaced a year apart in an effort to control invasive Ammophila spp. The collection of airborne LiDAR, orthophotographs, and bi‐monthly topographic surveys provided a means to quantify and examine sediment budgets and geomorphic responses. Three survey swaths, corresponding with each phase of vegetation removal, were established to provide detailed topographic coverage over the impacted beach, foredune, and dunefield landscape units. The swath corresponding with the first phase of removal recorded a positive sediment budget of 1·3 m³ m^?2 after three years. A control swath, with data collected for a year prior and two years following removal, exhibited a distinct pulse of sediment delivery into the dunefield unit with a maximum gain of 0·03 m³ m^?2 pre‐removal compared to 0·11 m³ m^?2 post‐removal. Vegetation analysis zones, associated with each of the three swaths, demonstrate a range of vegetation responses due to variation in the vegetation removal and subsequent re‐invasion or removal methods employed. The first site to be cleared of vegetation, received ongoing invasive re‐growth control, and three years following removal vegetation cover dropped from 57% in 2009 to 13% in 2012 (?44%). An adjacent site was cleared of vegetation two years later (only one year of recovery) but experienced rapid Ammophila re‐invasion and percent cover changed from 61% in 2009 to 26% in 2012 (?35%). The data presented provides insights for improving the application of sediment budget monitoring in dynamic restorations and discusses the potential for detailed spatial–temporal survey data to improve our understanding of meso‐scale landscape morphodynamics following foredune disturbance. Overall, the vegetation removal treatments reduced the extent of invasive grass and increased dunefield mobility and dynamic activity. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effects of river restoration on catchment scale flood risk and flood hydrology

A rising exposure to flood risk is a predicted consequence of increased development in vulnerable areas and an increase in the frequency of extreme weather events due to climate change. In the face of this challenge, a continued reliance on engineered at‐a‐point flood defences is seen as both unrealistic and undesirable. The contribution of ‘soft engineering’ solutions (e.g. riparian forests, wood in rivers) to integrated, catchment scale flood risk management has been demonstrated at small scales but not larger ones. In this study we use reduced complexity hydrological modelling to analyse the effects of land use and channel changes resulting from river restoration upon flood flows at the catchment scale. Results show short sections of river‐floodplain restoration using engineered logjams, typical of many current restoration schemes, have highly variable impacts on catchment‐scale flood peak magnitude and so need to be used with caution as a flood management solution. Forested floodplains have a more general impact upon flood hydrology, with areas in the middle and upper catchment tending to show reductions in peak magnitude at the catchment outflow. The most promising restoration scenarios for flood risk management are for riparian forest restoration at the sub‐catchment scale, representing 20–40% of the total catchment area, where reductions in peak magnitude of up to 19% are observed through de‐synchronization of the timings of sub‐catchment flood waves. Sub‐catchment floodplain forest restoration over 10–15% of total catchment area can lead to reductions in peak magnitude of 6% at 25 years post‐restoration. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.