Effects of Different Restoration Practices on Nutrient Loss from Sediments after a Forest Fire in Two Watersheds

The loss of nitrogen and phosphorus from sediments in two watersheds, one naturally regenerating and one artificially planted, in Sacheon-myun, Gangneung-si, Gangwon Province, were measured two years after a forest fire in 2000. Sediment losses occurred five times in the course of the year. In the artificially planted watershed, $50{\sim}140$ times more nitrogen and $54{\sim}139$ times more phosphorus were lost with sediments during heavy rains, from July to August, than in the naturally regenerating watershed. When the typhoon Rusa struck the country, 1,389 times more nitrogen and 1,647 times more phosphorus were lost from the artificial watershed. In spite of the limited scope of this study, these results suggest that artificially planted watersheds are extremely vulnerable to catastrophic natural disasters such as typhoons. Elevated loss of nutrients in the artificially planted watershed might have resulted from the mechanized silvicultural practices employed immediately after the fire. To maximize soil preservation, the timing and necessity of plantation practices should be reconsidered, and rapidly regenerating vegetation should be protected to promote nutrient uptake and to mitigate nutrient loss from burned forests.