Impact of Loggings on Water Resources is Under Study
Expedition consisting of Silver Taiga ecologist Alexander Borovlev and representatives of Institute of Biology of Komi Scientific Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexei Dymov, Viktor Startsev and Alexander Sharikov has returned from a short trip to Sedka River. The aim of the expedition was to evaluate the erosion processes and other changes on small and middle water passages after loggings.
The expedition was held under the project «Evaluation of the long term impact of forestry (logging) on water resource», which is being realized by Silver Taiga Foundation since 2014.
The project is being realized on different levels and pilot rivers of different scale have been chosen. On the big rivers (Mezen, Vychegda), where the fixed stage gauges are functioning, it is possible to carry out a comparative study of the situation over a period of several years using hydro-meteorological service data. On the middle-sized rivers, where the loggings have been carried out at different times and to different extents, methods of bioindication are used. As for small rivers and streams, where the loggings were carried out not long ago or are being carried out nowadays, it is possible to see the changes of the bottom-land, stream-flow itself and directly water-shed.
The Sedka River is a right tributary of Luza Riva, which in its turn has a number of smaller rivers and streams. Here forest operations are being carried out with the use of modern equipment, which leaves deep grooves, ravines on the slopes. As a result of it subsoil and sand fall into the streams – river tributaries, reallocate in its bottom-land, and form stream loads, aits and so on stepwise.
Unfortunately, this time the expedition could not get to all the observation sites due to the washed out roads. However, some of the distinctive points it was possible to note. Observations will be continued.
Besides, Silver Taiga has started to interview old residents of Udora district under the project «Evaluation of the long term impact of forestry (logging) on water resource». These people have valuable information as they have had an opportunity to observe the situation during a long period of time. Many of them remember about concrete examples of the local changes on Mezen and its tributaries due to the large-scale loggings. These data will be a good addition to the data received during the investigations.
