Forest Soil Erosion in Karst Areas: Patterns, Processes and Mechanisms

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Soil".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 September 2024 | Viewed by 970

Special Issue Editors

College of Forestry and Grassland & College of Soil and Water Conservation, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210000, China
Interests: global climate change; ecological restoration; soil carbon; soil erosion; ecohydrology

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Guest Editor
College of Forestry, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Interests: soil erosion; soil and water conservation; soil hydrology; underground leakage; rainfall runoff; nutrient loss; karst hydrology; rocky desertification; ecological restoration
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Guest Editor
Chongqing Key Laboratory of Surface Process and Environment Remote Sensing in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing 401331, China
Interests: hydrological; ecological restoration; soil carbon; soil erosion; ecohydrology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleague,

Karst areas are highly fragile environments that account for approximately 12% of the world’s total land area. Nevertheless, natural factors (such as extreme rainfall, drought, karst rocky desertification and wildfire events) and unreasonable human activities cause forest degradation, resulting in severe soil erosion, which presents unparalleled challenges for the functionality and stability of forest soil ecosystems in karst areas. Despite years of research on soil erosion in karst regions, there remains a dearth of understanding regarding the patterns, processes and mechanisms of forest soil erosion within these areas. Additionally, it is crucial to investigate the impact of forest management techniques and ecological engineering measures, such as restoration and afforestation, on forest soil properties, hydrological processes and erosion features. This research is vital for comprehending forest soil erosion patterns, processes and mechanisms, and facilitating the regeneration and restoration of ecological functions in mountainous forest soils.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Soil characteristics under erosion environment;
  • Hydrological processes;
  • Soil erosion process and mechanism;
  • Soil erosion model;
  • Role of forestry measures in preventing soil erosion;
  • Forestry strategies for preventing soil erosion.

Dr. Youjin Yan
Prof. Dr. Quanhou Dai
Dr. Fengling Gan
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • forest soil
  • soil erosion
  • processes and mechanisms
  • hydrological process
  • soil erosion reduction
  • soil and water conservation

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

23 pages, 28227 KiB  
Article
Effect of Vegetation Restoration on Soil Humus and Aggregate Stability within the Karst Region of Southwest China
by Yuanfeng Yang, Hui Wei, Liwen Lin, Yusong Deng and Xiaoqian Duan
Forests 2024, 15(2), 292; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15020292 - 03 Feb 2024
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Abstract
This study aims to investigate the impact of vegetation restoration on soil humus and aggregate stability within the karst region of Southwest China. This study focused on soils at five vegetation succession stages (abandoned land, grassland, shrub rangeland, shrubland, and secondary forest) in [...] Read more.
This study aims to investigate the impact of vegetation restoration on soil humus and aggregate stability within the karst region of Southwest China. This study focused on soils at five vegetation succession stages (abandoned land, grassland, shrub rangeland, shrubland, and secondary forest) in the typical karst region, and the aggregate stability was determined using wet sieving and the Le Bissonnais method. Simultaneously, the Pallo method and separation extraction were used to determine the humus composition, aiming to analyze the distribution of humus content in the soil aggregates and its effect on aggregate stability. The results revealed the following: (1) The mean weight diameter of soil aggregates significantly increased with vegetation restoration stages. Soil water-stable aggregates at each vegetation stage mainly included particles over 2 mm in size. (2) The humic acid and fulvic acid contents consistently increased with vegetation restoration, and the precipitation quotient value of the humification degree showed an increasing trend. At each vegetation restoration stage, the percentage of each humus component was, from highest to lowest, as follows: insoluble HM, fulvic acid, humic acid, clay-bound HM, and iron-bound HM. (3) Through stepwise regression analysis, humic acid content in >2 mm aggregates, fulvic acid and clay-bound HM contents in 1–2 mm aggregates, and insoluble HM content in <0.25 mm aggregates were the dominant factors affecting soil aggregate stability in the karst region. These results aim to provide novel insights for a more in-depth comprehension of the restoration and rehabilitation of vegetation within the karst region of Southwest China, thereby laying a robust foundation for scientific theories and further investigations. Full article
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