Proposed Countermeasures against Woody Debris Damage Considering Runoff Characteristics

Abstract

In recent years, a combination of forestry decline and global climate change has led to heavy rains and landslides in Japan that have caused extensive forest damage through woody debris outflow. The current configuration of impermeable sabo dams has insufficient capacity to capture woody debris under these conditions; therefore, improvements to permeable sabo dams, which have a high woody debris capture capacity, are underway; these sometimes involve the addition of steel fittings. In this study, we examined the effectiveness of such measures in consideration of the factors affecting woody debris flow. After reviewing a woody debris outflow that occurred during a heavy rain disaster in northern Kyushu, Japan, we propose woody debris countermeasures that consider basin and runoff characteristics. Our results indicate that woody debris flow occurs later than sediment flow. Therefore, we performed experiments to test the effectiveness of various methods to slow water flow using the terrain conditions at the nearest valley outflow point. Finally, we propose woody debris countermeasure policies considering basin characteristics, to promote the future preservation of river basins.