Effectiveness of Three Post-Harvest Rehabilitation Treatments for Runoff and Sediment Reduction on Skid Trails in the Hyrcanian Forests

Contour-felled logs (CFL) are significantly more effective than straw or leaf litter mulch in reducing runoff and sediment yield on skid trails in the Hyrcanian Forests, with CFL treatments showing up to 94.7% reduction in sediment yield compared to untreated areas. The study, conducted by Jourgholami et al. (2020), tested three post-harvest rehabilitation treatments—litter mulch (LM), straw mulch (SM), and contour-felled logs (CFL)—at varying rates or distances on 30 runoff plots in machine operating trails. Results indicated that while both LM and SM reduced runoff by 41.5–60.6% and sediment yield by 42.9–71.8%, CFL treatments were more efficient, particularly at a distance of 20 meters, which achieved the highest reduction in runoff and sediment. The study also developed polynomial regression models to predict runoff and sediment yield based on mulching rates, log distances, and rainfall intensity. These findings suggest that contour-felled logs could be an optimal management strategy for stabilizing skid trails and mitigating soil erosion in post-harvest forest areas.

Jourgholami, M., Ahmadi, M., Tavankar, F., & Picchio, R. (2020). Effectiveness of Three Post-Harvest Rehabilitation Treatments for Runoff and Sediment Reduction on Skid Trails in the Hyrcanian Forests. Croatian Journal of Forest Engineering, 41(2), 309–324. https://doi.org/10.5552/crojfe.2020.732