Potential sediment production within vegetative communities in Oregon's Blue Mountains

John C. Buckhouse; Ronald E. Gaither

ABSTRACT:

A Rocky Mountain infiltrometer that simulated convectional rainstorms of 10 centimeters (3.9 inches) in 28 minutes was used to generate potential sediment losses from 10 natural ecosystems in Oregon's Blue Mountains. Potential sediment losses in meadow and forested ecosystems proved statistically similar, ranging from 15 to 217 kilograms per hectare (13.4-193.6 pounds/acre). In dry grassland ecosystems potential sediment production was similar to that in most forested ecosystems with the exception of the larch ecosystem. Potential sediment production in the larch ecosystem also differed from that in the meadow ecosystem. The grassland ecosystem produced a potential sediment loss of 431 kilograms per hectare (384.5 pounds/acre). Sagebrush and juniper eco-systems showed potential sediment losses exceeding the losses in all other ecosystems with rates of 1,284 and 1,572 kilograms per hectare (1,45.6 and 1,402.5 pounds/acre), respectively. As ecological condition class and/or vegetative productivity class changed within ecosystems, statistically significant changes in potential sediment production occurred.

Footnotes

John C. Backhouse is an associate professor of rangeland resources at Oregon State University, Corvallis, 97331. Ronald E. Gaither, formerly a graduate research assistant in rangeland resources at OSU, now teaches at the Monument Elementary School in Monument, Oregon. Submitted as Technical Paper No. 5833. Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station. This research was supported financially by the U.S. Forest Service, Range Evaluation Project. The authors thank Jon Skovlin and Reed Sanderson for their cooperation throughout the study.
Copyright 1982 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society

This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.