Investigating the effectiveness of different types of conservation treatments in controlling the soil nutrients loss from sideslopes of forest roads

Document Type : Complete scientific research article

Authors

1 Corresponding Author, Associate Prof., Dept. of Forestry, Faculty of Forest Sciences, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran.

2 Professor, Dept. of Forestry and Forest Economics, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.

Abstract

Investigating the effectiveness of different types of conservation treatments in controlling the soil nutrients loss from sideslopes of forest roads

Abstract
Background and Objectives: In the mountainous forests of northern Iran, without the help of nature and the intervention of experts, there is no possibility of early stabilization of shallow landslide spots where the rich soil of the forest is often wasted due to leaching. Therefore, in this situation, timely implementation of soil protection techniques and identification of their effectiveness becomes necessary, especially in the steep sideslopes of forest roads.
Materials and Methods: In this research and along the network of forest roads of Shastkalateh plan of Golestan province, the location of earthen seideslopes, including cutslope and fillslopes with a slope of 45-60 degrees, was recorded with the help of GPS. Then, hydromulching operation with hydromulch, absorption bag, geo-cell, stabilization with geotextile, dead hedge, and alive hedge with 4 repetitions were carried out on the road sideslopes. 4 replications were also examined as controls without any treatment. Sampling was carried out by placing traps in the side air and at the beginning (retention trap) and the end of treated and control plots. At the end of a 6-month period (autumn and winter), five samples of sediments accumulated in the traps were collected to measure the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and organic matter elements. The amount of absorbable potassium was determined by the ammonium acetate and chloride method, the amount of absorbable phosphorus was determined by the spectrophotometer method, the percentage of total nitrogen was determined by the Kjeldahl method, and the percentage of organic matter was determined by the nitration method.
Results: The results showed that the loss of soil nutrients, especially organic matter and nitrogen, from the surface of the cutslope was more than that of the fillslope. While in geo-cell treatment, there was no significant difference between the loss of soil nutrients from the surface of cutslope and fillslope. The highest loss of soil nutrients was observed in the control treatment. In total, geo-cell treatment (83.7 percent) and alive hedge (75.2 percent) are the most efficient treatments, and hydromulch treatment (45.3 percent) and absorption bag (53.2 percent) are the most ineffective treatments in order to control nutrient loss.
Conclusion: Soil stabilization methods can preserve soil nutrients, prepare a suitable substrate for the regrowth of native plants, preserve soil microorganisms, and increase the resistance of road construction with minimal costs. The ability of soil protection methods to prevent runoff, sediments and loss of nutrients is different, and this depends to a large extent on the climatic conditions of the region. It was concluded that geo-grid and water absorption bags can be used to control soil nutrient loss from forest road sideslopes.

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References

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Journal of Water and Soil Conservation
Volume 30, Issue 2
July 2023
Pages 141-159

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