Snow-Buried Young Forest Trees Growing on Steep Slopes

Abstract

It was studied in the wintertime of 1967 and 1968 at the same places in Niigata prefecture, northern central Japan, that to what extent the young forest trees growing on steep slopes would be buried in snow. Summary of the findings is as follows : 1) The snow cover with the depth of three meters or so on the slopes can be stabilized when the number of trees overtopping the snow cover is about at least five hundred per hectare.2) The trees with the height of one and a half times the depth of snow come to appear above the snow. When the height of trees reachs about twice the depth of snow cover, more than fifty per cent of the whole trees in number will appear above the snow surface. Trees of less than five centimeters in diameter breast high are scarcely found above the snow cover.3) Tree trunks are more subject to being buried in snow with their increasing inclination. No trees, for example, with the height of five to six meters equivalent to about twice the depth of snow cover and the trunk inclination of over thirty five degrees appear above the snow.