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How management alternatives of fast-growing forests affect water availability in southeastern Brazil: insights from a paired catchment experiment
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  • Silvio Ferraz,
  • Carolina Rodrigues,
  • Lara Gabrielle Garcia,
  • Diana Peña,
  • Aline Fransozi,
  • Matheus Ogasawara,
  • Katherine Vasquez,
  • Rildo Moreira,
  • Carla Cassiano
Silvio Ferraz
Universidade de São Paulo

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Carolina Rodrigues
Prática Sócio Ambiental
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Lara Gabrielle Garcia
Forestry Science and Research Institute
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Diana Peña
Universidade de São Paulo
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Aline Fransozi
Universidade de Sao Paulo
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Matheus Ogasawara
Universidade de São Paulo
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Katherine Vasquez
Universidade de Sao Paulo
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Rildo Moreira
Universidade de São Paulo
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Carla Cassiano
Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso
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Abstract

Fast-growing plantations have been expanding in Brazil in the last 50 years, increasing productivity by over 40 m3 / ha in reduced cycles between 5 and 15 years. In the 1990s, environmental warnings about these plantations guided research projects seeking to understand their effects on water and propose forest management actions to minimize them. The assessment of forest management effects on water resources is conducted by long-term experiments in paired catchments. In this study, we present some studies conducted at the hydrological monitoring center of Itatinga Experimental Station, of the University of São Paulo, where hydrological monitoring began in 1987, and currently conduct 4 catchments under different forest management regimes: fast-growing industrial management, long-term forest mosaic management, native forest restoration and long-term coppiced management. Results show that in a site with deep soils and good natural water regulation, main hydrological effects still occur when forest management intensifies, increasing water consumption and making the flow regime vulnerable to intra- and inter-annual seasonality. Regarding water quality, weekly sampling showed little interference of forest management on water chemistry; besides, more intensive management increased the concentration of nutrients in the water. There were no differences in water use in Eucalyptus plantations aged between 10 and 17 years and the use of coppice management had in the first 2 years higher water use than new plantations. The different types of management adopted directly affected the amount of water used, showing that high water demand forest plantations at water deficit regions, water availability is directly controlled by the forest management regime.
30 Sep 2020Submitted to Hydrological Processes
03 Oct 2020Submission Checks Completed
03 Oct 2020Assigned to Editor
03 Oct 2020Reviewer(s) Assigned
09 Dec 2020Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
15 Dec 2020Editorial Decision: Revise Major
02 Feb 20211st Revision Received
03 Feb 2021Assigned to Editor
03 Feb 2021Submission Checks Completed
03 Feb 2021Reviewer(s) Assigned
28 Feb 2021Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
21 Apr 2021Editorial Decision: Revise Major
04 Jun 20212nd Revision Received
15 Jun 2021Submission Checks Completed
15 Jun 2021Assigned to Editor
15 Jun 2021Reviewer(s) Assigned
28 Jun 2021Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
30 Jun 2021Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
12 Jul 20213rd Revision Received
13 Jul 2021Submission Checks Completed
13 Jul 2021Assigned to Editor
13 Jul 2021Reviewer(s) Assigned
17 Jul 2021Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
19 Jul 2021Editorial Decision: Accept