Runoff and Sediment Transport from Compost Mulch Berms on a Simulated Military Training Landscape

Abstract

Soil erosion and runoff due to mechanical disturbances on military training ranges can cause problems such as land degradation and environmental pollution of downstream ecosystems. This paper discusses runoff and sediment transport from compost mulch berms on a simulated military training landscape. The berms were constructed using mixtures of municipal yard waste (YW), wood chips (WC), pine bark fines (PB), and sub-soil (SL) in eight different proportions at Hazel Green, North Alabama, in Fall 2006. Berms made from 100% soil, which had over 140 000 L ha−1 of runoff and 13.3 kg ha−1 of sediment transport over the study period, had the greatest risk of causing off-site negative environmental effects. Berms made from 100% PB and 100% WC or combinations of compost materials without soil had the lowest risk of causing environmental pollution from runoff and sediment transport. Compared to soil, compost mulches can significantly reduce negative environmental effects to downstream ecosystems when used for berm construction on military training ranges. However, measures to minimize transport of C and N in runoff sediment, such as planting grass cover crops, need to be evaluated to make the technology more environmentally sustainable.