New research finds long-term impacts on flood size and frequency decades after trees are removed.
New research finds long-term impacts on flood size and frequency decades after trees are removed.
Clear-cutting can make catastrophic floods 18 times more frequent with effects lasting more than 40 years, according to a new UBC study.
In one watershed, these extreme floods also became more than twice as large, turning a once-in-70-years event into something that now happens every nine.
“This research challenges conventional thinking about forest management’s impact on flooding,” said senior author Dr. Younes Alila, a hydrologist in the UBC faculty of forestry. “We hope the industry and policymakers will take note of the findings, which show that it matters not only how much forest you remove but also where, how and under what conditions.”
Read More: University of British Columbia
Photo Credit: reijotelaranta via Pixabay
