Exotic tree plantations in the Chilean Coastal Range: Balancing effects
of discrete disturbances, connectivity and a persistent drought on
catchment erosion
Abstract
The Coastal Range in the Mediterranean segment of the Chilean active
margin is a soil mantled landscape able to store fresh water and
potentially support a biodiverse native forest. In this landscape, human
intervention has been increasing soil erosion for ∼200 yr, with the last
∼45 yr experiencing intensive management of exotic tree plantations.
Such intense forest management practices come along with rotational
cycles as short as 9-25 yrs, the construction of dense forest road
networks, and the fostering of wildfire susceptibility due to the high
amounts of fuel provided by dense plantation stands. Here we first
compare decadal-scale catchment erosion rates from suspended sediment
loads with a 10^4-years-scale catchment erosion rate estimated from
detrital 10 Be. We then explore these erosion rates against the effects
of discrete disturbances and hydroclimatic trends. Erosion rates are
similar on both time scales, i.e. 0.018 ±0.005 mm/yr and 0.024 ±0.004
mm/yr, respectively. Recent human-made disturbances include logging
operations during each season and a dense network of forestry roads,
which increase structural sediment connectivity. Other disturbances
include the 2010 M w 8.8 Maule earthquake, and two widespread wildfires
in 2015 and 2017. A decrease in suspended sediment load is observed
during the wet seasons for the period 1986-2018 coinciding with a
decline in several hydroclimatic parameters. The low 10^4-years
erosion rate agrees with a landscape dominated by slow soil creep. The
low 10-years-scale erosion rate and the decrease in suspended sediments,
however, conflicts with both the observed disturbances and increased
structural (sediment) connectivity. These observations suggest that,
either suspended sediment loads and, thus, catchment erosion, are
underestimated, and/or that decennial sediment detachment and transport
were smeared by decreasing rainfall and streamflow. Our findings
indicate that human-made disturbances and hydrometeorologic trends may
result in opposite, partially offsetting effects on recent sediment
transport.