The Effect of Pre-Afforestation Drainage on the Streamflow and Water Quality of Small Upland Catchment

摘要

Drainage of upland areas is a widespread practice in land management, yet little quantitative information is available concerning its effects. To this end a small upland catchment on peat was instrumented prior to its drainage by open ditches for forestry. Sediment concentrations in the stream increased by over two orders of magnitude during the draining, and took a number of years to decline to a new equilibrium several times higher than before the drains were cut.