Comparison of WEPP:Road Batch Model and ABAG Model for Estimating Amount of Top Soil Erosion in Forest Road Fill Slopes

Year 2022, Volume: 8 Issue: 1, 26 - 34, 30.06.2022

Gizem Mısırlıoğlu , Selçuk Gümüş , Tetsuhiko Yoshimura

https://doi.org/10.33904/ejfe.1105553

Cited By: 1

Abstract

The bare surfaces formed on slopes in construction of forest roads become the most important sediment sources due to erosion. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate effectiveness of the WEPP (Water Erosion Prediction Project): Road Batch model in estimation of the annual soil loss from forest roads by comparing its performance with ABAG (Allgemeine Boden Abtrags Gleichung) model which is a metric system of the USLE (Universal Soil Loss Equation) model. In the study, analyzes were made on newly built (road coded 315), 5-year (road coded 307), and 10-year (road coded 269) sample forest roads located in the city of Trabzon in Türkiye. WEPP: Road Batch model and ABAG model were implemented on the sample roads to estimate for the amount of top soil erosion in fill slopes. The results indicated that for WEEP and ABAG models, annual soil loos per hectare were 7.93 and 15.5 T/ha/year, 1.46 and 1.59 T/ha/year, and 1.58 and 1.75 T/ha/year on newly built, 5-year, and 10-year forest roads, respectively. It was concluded that it would be more accurate to determine the annual soil loss precisely by taking samples only from newly built roads, where it is possible to use WEPP: Road Batch software on aged roads. Thus, a practical solution can be found for measuring the amount of erosion on forest roads.

Keywords

WEPP, forest road, fill slope, ABAG, soil erosion

Supporting Institution

Office of Scientific Research Projects of Karadeniz Technical University

Project Number

FHD-2021-9268

References

• Breibart, A. 2007. The WEPP Road Batch Model: A Tool for Reducing Erosion from Trails. Stream Notes, Stream Systems Technology Center, USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain. Research Station, pp. 1-6.
• Borelli, P., Panagos, P., Märker, M., Modugno, S., Schütt, B. 2017. Assessment of the impacts of clear-cutting on soil loss by water erosion in Italian forests: first comprehensive monitoring and modeling approach. Catena, 149:770-781.
• Elliot, W.E., Foltz, R.B., Robichaud, P.R. 2009. Recent findings related to measuring and modeling forest road erosion. In Anderssen, R.S.; Braddock, R.D.; Newham, L.T.H., eds. Proceedings of the 18th World IMACS / MODSIM Congress. International Congress on Modelling and Simulation. Interfacing Modelling and Simulation with Mathematical and Computational Sciences. 13-17 July, Cairns, Australia. pp. 4078-4084.
• Dube, K., McCalmon. M. 2004. Technical documentation for SEDMODL, Version 2.0 road erosion/delivery model. Research Triangle Park, NC: National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc.
• Flanagan, D.C., and Livingston S.J. (eds). 1995. WEPP user summary. NSERL Report No. 11. W. Lafayette, IN: USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Soil Erosion Research Lab. 131 p.
• Hacisalihoğlu, S., Gümüş, S., Kezik, U., Karadağ, H. 2019. Impact of Forest Road Construction on Topsoil Erosion and Hydro-Physical Soil Properties in a Semi-Arid Mountainous Ecosystem in Turkey. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, 28(1), 113-121.
• Hosseini, S.A, Omidvar, E., Naghavi, H., Parsakhoo A. 2012. Estimation of sediment yield from forest roads using SEDMODL, J. Wood For. Sci. Technol., 19 (1): 23-41.
• MGM, 2022. Climatic Data of Trabzon. https://www.mgm.gov.tr/veridegerlendirme/il-ve-ilceler-istatistik.aspx?m=TRABZON
• GDF, 2008. Orman Yolları Planlaması, Yapımı ve Bakımı’na ait 292 sayılı tebliğ. https://www.ogm.gov.tr/tr/e-kutuphane-sitesi/mevzuatsitesi/Tebligler/Orman%20Yollar%C4%B1%20Planlamas%C4%B1,%20Yap%C4%B1m%C4%B1%20ve%20Bak%C4%B1m%C4%B1%20(292%20Say%C4%B1l%C4%B1%20Tebli%C4%9).pdf
• Parsakhoo, A., Lotfalian, M., Kavian, A., Hosseini, S.A. 2014. Prediction of the soil erosion in a forest and sediment yield from road network through GIS and SEDMODL. International Journal of Sediment Research, 29(1): 118-125.
• US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (ARS). 2008. WEPP Software Water Erosion Prediction Project.
• US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS). 2009. WEPP Forest Road Erosion Predictor, FSWEPP.
• Trabzon Governorship, 2022. Geographical Features of Trabzon.http://www.trabzon.gov.tr/cografiozellikleri
• Türk, Y., Gümüş, S. 2010. Orman Yollarında Meydana Gelen Toprak Kaybı Sorunları, III. Ulusak Karadeniz Ormancılık Kongresi, Cilt II, s. 544-553
• WEPP:Road Batch, 2022. https://forest.moscowfsl. wsu.edu/cgibin/fswepp/wr/wepproadbat.pl
• Wischmeier, W.H., Smith, D.D. 1978. Predicting rainfall erosion losses – a guide to conservation planning. Handbook 537. Washington, DC: USDA. 58 p.
• Woolhiser, D.A., Smith, R.E. Goodrich, D.C. 1990. KINEROS, a Kinematic runoff and erosion model: Documentation and User Manual. Tucson, AZ: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, ARS-77. 130 p.
• Yorulmaz, G. 2021, Orman Yolu Dolgu Şevlerinde Zamana Bağlı Doğal Bitkilenme Ve Erozyonun Azalmasındaki Etkileri (Trabzon:Karadeniz Technical University, Institute of Science, Master's Thesis), 110 p.
• Zhang, D., Pearse, P.H. 2011. Figures accompanying Forest Economics, UBC Press. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.14288/ 1.0108017.