Hydrological Effects of Forest selective harvesting on runoff and sediment yields (case study: Kheyrud Forest)

Reduction of vegetative cover by forest harvesting generally increases the average surface runoff volume and sediment yield for a given area of land. Forest harvesting in northern forests of Iran is managed using a selective harvesting and logging system. Towards this attempt, the present study has been conducted to investigate the effect of forest harvesting on hydrological components in plot scale (2m*1m) with four replicates in tow slope scale (0-20%, 20-40%) in the northern forests of Iran during December 2014, December 2015. The rain depth was measured by using a rain gauge installed in the study area. The runoff volume and coefficient and sediment yield were also measured through field data collection and lab analyses by weighting and decantation methods. The results of the study showed that there was no significant effects of forest harvesting (P