Sediment and wood accumulations in humid tropical headwater streams: Effects of logging and riparian buffers

Abstract

The amount of sediment, wood, and detritus (leaves and small branches) accumulations were examined in four headwater tributaries subjected to different treatments (unlogged, logged with riparian buffer, and logged with no buffer) 16 and 40 months after timber harvesting in the Bukit Tarek Experimental Watershed, Peninsular Malaysia. Sediment transport from hillslope logging roads and skid trails resulted in large sediment storage in the stream channels. Riparian reserves appear to mitigate logging impacts to streams; however, more sediment was found in a tributary channel with a 20-m buffer than an unlogged channel because some of the nearby roads and skid trails were connected to the stream. Sediment storage in channels declined within 40 months after logging in catchments with and without riparian buffers. Vegetation recovery on skid trails and logging roads reduced both sediment supply and delivery. The volume of large wood was 1.5 to 2-times greater in the stream without riparian reserves than the stream of an unlogged catchment or in a stream with a riparian buffer. No consistent change in detritus accumulations was found among streams in 2001 and 2003, although more detritus was present in 2003 in all streams. The effects of logging and the effectiveness of riparian buffers appear to depend on the hydrologic connections between hillslopes and headwater streams.