Abstract
The main aim of this research was to determine the magnitude of geomorphologic changes within a section of a forest road. The research was carried out in the Lejowa Valley in the Tatra Mountains. The measurements of the surface of the road were performed using a RIEGL VZ-4000 terrestrial laser scanner (TLS). TLS models for 2017, 2018, and 2019 served as the basis for the determination of quantitative and spatial relief transformations. The net annual change on the studied road within the first period equaled −884 m3 ha−1 year−1, and for the second period −370 m3 ha−1 year−1. Changes across the accumulation fan ranged from −265 m3 ha−1 year−1 to +36 m3 ha−1 year−1. The average rate of erosion on the studied abandoned road is similar, and sometimes even greater than that on roads which are still in use. Our research shows that improper road location may lead to irreversible changes to the natural environment. The planning of a forest road must take into account natural conditions, otherwise progressive relief transformations may lead to significant surface changes and the road may be excluded from use.
Highlights
Forest management is one of the most important factors influencing the intense transformation of relief in forested areas [1,2]
Forest roads may cause significant changes in water and matter circulation on a mountain slope, which has been shown in many places all over the world, including the Tatra Mountains in Poland [3], the Olympic Mountains in the USA [4,5], tropical forests on the Malay Peninsula [6,7,8], Western Cascades in the USA [9], Penteli Mountain in Greece [10], and Rio das Pedras watershed valley in Brazil [11]
The greatest relief transformation after abandonment of the studied road occurred on July 18–19, 2018 and was associated with a heavy rainfall event (Figure 2b)
Summary
Forest management is one of the most important factors influencing the intense transformation of relief in forested areas [1,2]. The construction and use of forest roads may contribute to the development of numerous erosional and depositional landforms including erosional cuts, landslides, and accumulation fans This is confirmed by research work performed in Poland, and in the Karkonosze Mountains [12], Gorce Mountains [13], Beskidy Mountains [1], and Tatras Mountains [3] as well as in other locations in the world, for example in the Olympic Mountains, USA [4], Cascade Range, USA [14], in the mountain areas of northeastern Italy [15,16], and on the Darab Kola Mountain in Iran [17]. Sustainable development and protection of forest resources should be the leading goals in forest management in mountain areas [22]
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