A Water Yield‐Oriented Practical Approach for Multifunctional Forest Management and its Application in Dryland Regions of China

Abstract

Mountainous forest areas are vitally important for water supply in dryland regions which suffer from high erosion risk and severe water shortage. Massive afforestation, mainly for erosion control, may reduce the water yield and threaten local water supply security. Moreover, many over-dense forests due to a strict logging ban policy have produced remarkably negative impacts for both forests (e.g., low timber quality, restricted natural regeneration, and high stand instability) and water yield. To satisfy the rapidly increasing demands on water supply and other services, a practical approach for managing forest stands in a multifunctional way, which particularly addresses water yielding, is urgently required. For this purpose, we integrated the existing knowledge and experience, designed an "ideal" stand structure to represent multifunctional forest (MFF) and determined its key parameters (a ground coverage of >0.7, a canopy density around 0.7, and an H/DBH ratio (tree height [m] to the diameter at breast height [cm]) of <0.7). Moreover, a decision process for MFF stand management was recommended as: (1) investigating the site quality; (2) identifying the site-specific main forest functions; (3) quantifying the stand structure; (4) diagnosing the stand structure by comparing with the "ideal" one; and (5) arranging the functions/structure-oriented management measures. In this way, the water-yielding function can be improved and meanwhile other forest functions can be promoted.(KEY TERMS: dryland regions; forest hydrology; mountain forests; multifunctionality; best management practices; water allocation; water supply; runoff.)

Water Yield Analysis on Area Coveredby Pine Forest at Kedungbulus Watershed Central Java, Indonesia

“…In this research, the main forests are dominated by pines. Based on the previous studies, the conifer forests consumed more water than the other forest type [24]- [25]. A similar result was also found in another study as reported in [26] when a paired catchment was used.…”

“…They found that evapotranspiration was not only affected by climate factors but also depend on vegetation parameters including LAI. The higher value of LAI may cause a lower water yield [25]. In term of LAI, the evapotranspiration depends on solar radiation or the length of seasonal transpiration, stand density, and soil and water content [27], [33]- [34].…”

Estimation of Rural Households’ Willingness to Accept Two PES Programs and Their Service Valuation in the Miyun Reservoir Catchment, China

“…converted all 6867 ha of rice fields to dryland crops [46]. In addition the JAPEWP program initiated in 2009 is restoring forest landscapes in key source water areas to sustain and improve ES related to water yield and purification, as moderate forest cover can have positive effects on these [3,47]. A total of 1.1 billion yuan has been invested to build 66,666 ha of water protection forest within the key areas of Miyun and Guanting Reservoir Catchment of Hebei Province [48].…”

Featured Collection Introduction: Water for Megacities — Challenges and Solutions

“…The last paper in this collection by Wang et al . () addresses issues related to tradeoffs between water yield and growing plantation forests in the mountainous areas in arid northern China. The authors design an “ideal” stand structure for multifunctional forests (MFF) and determine its key parameters by integrating existing forest hydrology knowledge and experience.…”