FLOOD09816

• County: Statewide
• Basin: Statewide
• Title: Forest- Fire Devegetation and Drainage Basin Adjustments in Mountenous Terrain
• Date: 1/1/1977
• Prepared By: Department of Geology University of New Mexico
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Educational/Technical/Reference Information

.

W. D. White and S. G. Wells

in northern New Mexico. Systematic relationships between runoff and sediment
yield in undisturbed watersheds occur, in part, because the processes are ad-
justed to watershed vegetational characteristics. Changes in the vegetation of
watersheds cause other geomorphic parameters to become influential in con-
trolling sediment and wat~r discharge. In de vegetated watersheds, runoff
depends on the amount of devegetation, basin relief, and drainage density;
sediment yield is dependent upon complex factors which control sediment pro-
duction and availability. Parameters such as slope and basin size are not as
important process controls as needlecast cover or furrowing-animal activity.
Quantitative expressions of drainage basin adjustments in undisturbed water-
sheds often do not apply to forest-fire devegetated watersheds.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors express their thanks to Burchard Heede, Wayne Lambert, and
Thomas Gardner for reviewing the manuscript. Special thanks are given to
Raymond Ingersoll. Milford Fletcher, and Ro Wauer for their comments and
criticism on the paper and to Sandra Anderson for her field assistance.
Photographs in the paper were provided by Rick Dingus (Fine Arts Dept.,
UNM); thanks are given to Rick's artistic and scientific contribution. This
paper and research is supported by Grant No. PX7029-7-0809 of the National
Park Service (Southwest Regional Office), U, S. Department of Interior.

REFERENCES

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ables on a major flood: Journal of Forestry, v. 47, p. 347-356.

Brater, E.F.. 1939. The unit hydrograph principle applied -to small water-
sheds: American Society of Civil Engineers Proceedings, v. 65, p. 1191-
1215.

Campbell, I.A.. 1974, Measurements of erosion on badlands surfaces: Zeit-
schrift flir Geomorphologie. suppl. bd. 21. p, 122-137.

Connaughton, C.A.. 1935. Forest fire and accelerated erosion: Journal of
Forestry, v. 33, p. 751-752.

DeBano, L.F.. Mann. L.D., and Hamilton, D.^-., 1970, Translocation of
hydrophobic substances into soil by burning organic litter:- Soil Science
Society of America Proceedings. v. 34, p. 130-133.

Dodge. R.E.. 1902, Arroyo formation [abs.]: American Geologist, v.29.p. 32'2.

Dryness. C.T., 1965. Erosion potential of-forest watershe"'ds; in Sopper, W.E.,
and Lull. H.W., eds.. Forest hydrology: New York, Pergamon Press,
p. 59'r-61l.

Hadley, R.F., and Schu.mm, S.A. ~ 1'961, Sediment sources and drainage basin
characteristics in upper Cheyenne River basin: U.$. Geological Survey
Water-Supply Paper 1531B, p. 137~196.

Harris. D.D.. 1977. Hydrologic changes after logging in two small Oregon
coastal watersheds: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2037,
31 p.