title: Forest harvest increases runoff most during low flows in two boreal streams.
abstract: To understand how forest harvest influences the aquatic environment, it is essential to determine the changes in the flow regime. This paper presents changes in the hydrological regime during the first 2 y after harvest in two catchments of the Balsjö Catchment Study in Sweden. The changes were judged relative to a reference catchment, calibrated during an 18-mo pretreatment period starting in September 2004. From August 2006 through March 2008, there was an average of 35% more runoff from the harvested catchments relative to the reference. The flow increased most during the growing seasons and at base flows (<1 mm d(-1); 58-99% increase), followed by dormant season and intermediate flows (30-43%). No significant changes were observed during the highest flows (over 5 mm d(-1)), except for the spring flood a few weeks after harvest, which was delayed and attenuated. Large relative changes in low flow may influence the ecosystem by altering the aquatic habitat.
authors: Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, SLU, Uppsala, Sweden. rasmus.sorensen@vatten.slu.se
authors: Rasmus
authors: R
authors: Sørensen
authors: Eva
authors: E
authors: Ring
authors: Markus
authors: M
authors: Meili
authors: Lars
authors: L
authors: Högbom
authors: Jan
authors: J
authors: Seibert
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Grabs
authors: Hjalmar
authors: H
authors: Laudon
authors: Kevin
authors: K
authors: Bishop
mesh_terms: D003081:Cold Climate; D016468:Forestry; D012621:Seasons; D013548:Sweden; D014872:Water Movements; D014876:Water Pollution