Jun’ichiro Ide, Yoshinori Shinohara, Naoko Higashi, Hikaru Komatsu, Kohei Kuramoto and Kyoichi Otsuki
Release Date: October 30, 2010

A preliminary investigation of surface runoff and soil properties in a moso-bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) forest in western Japan

Jun’ichiro Ide1), Yoshinori Shinohara2), Naoko Higashi3), Hikaru Komatsu3), Kohei Kuramoto2) and Kyoichi Otsuki3)

1) Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine and Engineering, International Research Center for River Basin Environment, University of Yamanashi
2) Department of Forest and Forest Products Sciences, Graduate School of Bioresources and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University
3) Department of Forest and Forest Products Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Graduate Schools of Kyushu University

(Received: March 31, 2010)
(Accepted for publication: September 30, 2010)

Abstract:
To clarify plot-scale runoff characteristics in bamboo forests, soil properties and surface runoff were measured in a preliminary study of a forested hillslope of moso-bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens). Infiltration capacities and saturated hydraulic conductivities at 10, 30 and 50 cm depths were similar to or greater in the moso-bamboo forest than in an adjacent broad-leaved forest. This suggests that surface runoff rarely occurs in the moso-bamboo forest. However, surface runoff was observed in seven of 14 storm events. The surface runoff responses to rainfalls were relatively rapid and the amount of surface runoff per storm event depended largely on rainfall. The proportion of the total amount of surface runoff to the total rainfall during the observation period ranged from 19 to 33%, depending on the observation system. This indicates that the greater portion of rainfall infiltrated into the soil. A high density of roots in the surface soil suggests that part of the rainfall was impeded and passed laterally through the surface soil as preferential flow around the root mats and/or the rhizomes, thereby contributing to surface runoff.

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To cite this article:
Jun’ichiro Ide, Yoshinori Shinohara, Naoko Higashi, Hikaru Komatsu, Kohei Kuramoto and Kyoichi Otsuki: “A preliminary investigation of surface runoff and soil properties in a moso-bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) forest in western Japan”, Hydrological Research Letters, Vol. 4, pp.80-84, (2010) .

doi:10.3178/hrl.4.80
JOI JST.JSTAGE/hrl/4.80
Copyright (c) 2010 Japan Society of Hydrology and Water Resources