Function and structure of the farmland shelterbelts in northern area of Shanxi Province

From the 1950s to 1960s, large area of Populus simonii shelterbelts system was established in northern area of Shanxi Province. For reconstructing the old shelterbelts, more attentions should be paid to selecting suitable tree species and design of logical shelterbelts structure. In order to provide a profound basis for the efficient establishment of shelterbelts, the study on function and structure of the farmland shelterbelts was conducted in Shuozhou and Datong areas, both are semi-arid areas in Northern Shanxi Province during 1996-2001. The wind-control effects of shelterbelts with different structures (close-spaced, wider-spaced, and widest-spaced) were investigated by portable wind vane and anemometer, wet and dry bulb thermometer, ground thermometer, glass service instrument. The results showed that the wind-control capacity of the shelterbelts during the leafing period should be thought as the criteria index in shelterbelts established. The wider-spaced shelterbelt that was made of 4-6 rows of trees, with a spacing of 2.0 m×3.0 m, had the best wind-control result.

Changes in and evaluation of surface soil quality in Populus×xiaohei shelterbelts in midwestern Heilongjiang province,China

To examine changes in surface soil quality over time in Populus×xiaohei shelterbelts,we collected soil samples from five shelterbelts of different ages and also from former cropland left fallow for 25 years.Twenty-one surface soil(0–20 cm)properties were measured,and variation in soil quality was assessed using one-way ANOVAs and multiple comparison tests.Based on this analysis,16 soil indexes were used in a model evaluating soil quality,with each index given weight as determined by the correlation coefficient.Compared with the control,the postmature forest had greater soil moisture content but lower bulk density(P<0.05).The mature forest also had higher soil pH,total organic carbon,alkali-hydrolyzed nitrogen,available phosphorus,and biomass nitrogen content,but reduced nitrate-nitrogen and total phosphorus content than the control(P<0.05).Total porosity was highly positively correlated with aeration,nitrate-nitrogen,alkali-hydrolyzed nitrogen,available phosphorus,microbial biomass carbon and microbial biomass nitrogen.Soil total organic carbon,ammonium nitrogen,nitrate-nitrogen,alkali-hydrolyzed nitrogen,total nitrogen,available phosphorus,microbial biomass carbon and microbial biomass nitrogen were all strongly correlated.In the soil quality evaluation model,total organic carbon was assigned the highest weight and total potassium content the lowest.The soil quality index was lowest in the near-mature forest and greatest in the postmature forest.Generally,soil quality in P opulus×xiaohei shelterbelts varied with age and was higher in the 10–20 cm versus 0–10 cm soil layer.After a single forest generation,surface soil quality was significantly improved.

Effect of farmland shelterbelts on gully erosion in the black soil region of Northeast China

The black soil region of northeast China is one of the most important grain-producing areas in China. Increasingly severe gully erosion in this region has destroyed much farmland and reduced grain production. We analyzed SPOT5 imagery from 2007 and TM imagery from 2008 to describe the distributions of gullies and farmland shelterbelts in Kedong County and to assess the effect of farmland shelterbelts on gully erosion. The ima- gery revealed 2311 gullies with average density of 418.51 m km-2, indicating very serious gully erosion. With increasing slope gradient there was an inverse trend between gully density and shelterbelt density, indicating that farmland shelterbelts can prevent gully erosion. The defense effect of farmland shelterbelts against gullyerosion varied with distance： for distances 〈120 m, the defense effect was consistent and very strong; for distances of 120-240 m, a weak linear decrease was found in the defense effect; and for distances 〉240 m, the defense effect of the shelterbelts was significantly weaker. We recommend an optimal planting density of farmland shel- terbelts for the prevention of gully erosion at 1100-1300 m km-2.

Effects of Spatial Density of Farmland Shelterbelts on NDVI on the Northern Slope of Tianshan Mountains

[Objectives]To explore the effects of spatial density of farmland shelterbelts on NDVI on the northern slope of Tianshan Mountains.[Methods]Taking the economic belt of the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains as the research area and using the grid method,the spatial density distribution of farmland shelterbelts can be known.Combining the grid method with NDVI data,the average value of normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI)during the growing period of crops can be obtained.In addition,the protection benefits of the shelterbelts on crops were analyzed through comparing the growth of crops within the protection zone with and without protection.[Results]The grids with shelterbelt distribution were better than the grids without shelterbelt distribution,and the shelterbelt played a great role in promoting crop growth.In the middle stage of crop growth,the protection benefit of shelterbelt was significant.The spatial density of shelterbelts was unevenly distributed in the range of 0.6 to 0.8,and the protection benefits were poor.[Conclusions]It is expected to explore the effects of shelterbelts on crop growth at a larger regional scale,so as to provide a basis for the management and design of shelterbelts in the future,and to provide a theoretical basis for studying the protective effect of farmland shelterbelts on crops.

The dynamics variation of soil moisture of shelterbelts along the Tarim Desert Highway

We studied the variation of soil moisture as well as its regularity over the irrigation cycle at shelterbelts along the Tarim Desert Highway at different site types and different planting years. The results show that: (1) There is an obvious temporal variation of soil moisture within a typical irrigation period in shelterbelts along the Tarim Desert Highway, and the soil water storage varied linearly with the number of days after irrigation. Along the direction perpendicular to the soil top, the soil profile can be divided into four layers and each shows different dynamics of soil moisture variation, including the quickly changing layer (0—20 cm), the active layer (20—60 cm), the weakly layer (60—100 cm), and the regulated layer (under 100 cm). (2) Both the soil moisture and soil water content decreased gradually with the number of planting year, while the soil water deficit increased. It indicates that shelterbelts along the Tarim Desert Highway can retain the water accumulated from previous years. (3) The soil water storage of harden sand is the maximum among all types of sites. Specifically, it is about 1.58 times higher than that of longitudinal dune, 1.15 times higher than clay, and 1.43 times higher than flat sand. Its soil water deficit was over 900 mm.

A TWO-DIMENSIONAL NUMERICAL STUDY OF WIND SHELTERING EFFECTS OF SHELTERBELTS

Based on the dynamic and thermodynamic equations in the SBL,the protection characteristics and mech- anism of shelterbelts are numerically studied in this paper.The results are in consistent with those ob- served in fields and wind-tunnels.Research shows that the belts with a permeability of 0.3—0.4 have the maximum sheltering effects.The distance where wind speed reduces at least by 20% is at 18—19 times of tree height(H)behind belts.The protection distance reduces fast with the increase of the permeability and slowly with its decrease.The belts have weaker sheltering effects in upstream,generally beyond 6H in front of belts there are no sheltering effects.In addition,the belts with low permeability at top and high permeability at bottom have much better sheltering effects than the belts with high permeability at top and low permeability at bottom.The belts with 50% overall permeability reduce wind speed at least,by 20% at the distance of 5H on the leeward side and by 10% at 11H.When the air is unstable,the protecting effects will be reduced.For the uniform belts with a permeability of 0.35,the distance where wind speed reduces at least by 20% is 15H under the unstable air and 13H under very unstable air.The belts reduce the turbulent diffusion coefficient at the bottom of belts,but increase it at the top.

Algorithm Derivation of Winter Facies Wind Protection of Shelterbelts Structural Parameters and Wind Permeability Coefficient

To solve the problem in the absence of permeability algorithm in China’s forestry industry standard "Technical Specification for Oasis Shelter Belt Construction(LY/T 1682—2006)",by defining and calculating the forest structural parameters-porosityβ,stumpage surface porosity S",stumpage volume porosity V’,aboveground surface area density C,aboveground bulk density W,the relations among these structural parameters and their relations with wind permeability coefficientα,shelterbelt width D and mean diameter of branch d were calculated,which is expressed as:W=V’/D=dC/4 =dS’/4D=-πdlnβ/4D = -0.1πZdlnα/D.It is proofed that the main structural parameters have homogeneity and different structural parameters are of inheritance and consistency on the nature,there is no exclusivity in the strict sense,and is convertible under certain conditions,which is convenient for evaluating the wind-resistance effect of shelterbelt. A set of computational formulas for wind effect evaluation of farmland shelterbelt in dry and sandy area in northern China is derived.

Structural Parameters of Wind Protection of Shelterbelts and Application

A new structural parameter of shelterbelts, above-ground density of biomass volume, was putforward in this paper. Its practicality in managements of the shelterbelts and its physical meaning of windreduction were expounded. Analytical relations between the new parameter and often-used parameters(permeability and porosity) were deduced. An example was given to show the application of the newparameter in the management of shelterbelts.

Assessment of landscape ecology of agricultural protection forest system at Beizang Town, Daxing County, Beijing

Based on theories of protective forests and landscape ecology, the reasonableness of structures and patterns of shelterbelt system at Beizang Town, Daxing County, Beijing were analyzed and assessed from the two scales of forest belts and networks, by integrating uses of field investigation, GIS and RS techniques. Results showed that the existent main belt (3-12 m in width) was too narrow, while the assistant belt (3-27.1 m in width) was too wide; the species composition of the existent shelterbelts was single, and the structures and patterns of the shelterbelt system were unreasonable. It is suggested that the structure of the main and the assistant belts should be changed, such as increasing the width of main belts, decreasing the width of assistant belt, and planting more mixed species, and the pattern with arbores in the middle and shrubs in the sides of belts could be taken into account. For the landscape structure of forest network after regenerating or reconstruction, the grid number of closed network should be 13 per km2 and the minimum number of belts should be 34 per km2. This study also testified that integrating GIS and remote technique with landscape ecology could provide an effective method for reasonable reconstruction of the structures and patterns of shelterbelts system.

Study on specifications of farmland shelterbelt net in Northeastern Plain of China

s: The farmland shelterbelts in Northeastern Plain of China have formed relatively complete net system. The func-tions of shelterbelt net in omnibearing wind check and prevention of frostbite as well as the field of integrated climate effect within shelterbelt net were analyzed, through located observation of meteorological factors. Within the shelterbelt net, the area with more than 10% efficiency of omnibearing wind check was determined as benefited area. The analysis of yield and quality of crops indicated that the sheltering range of shelterbelt net was 25 times tree height. The mature heights of the various varieties of poplar composed the shelterbelts were determined according to their height growth. Based on the comprehensive analysis above, the suitable size of farmland shelterbelt net in Northeastern Plain of China was decided to be 400 m×400 m.

Evaluating the Role of Shelterbelt in Vegetation Development in a Semi Arid Zone of Yobe State, Nigeria

This study evaluates the role of shelterbelts on the development and dynamics of vegetation in relation to livelihoods in the study area using geo-information techniques. The study covered the period between 1972 and 2007. The results show that in 1972 vegetation cover in the study area extended over an area of 6955 hectares (i.e.?shrubs, grasses and trees) which represents 65% of the area;however there was a decrease in 1986 to an area of 5779 hectares (54%). Despite the establishment of shelterbelt in the area in 1987, the trend did not change. This is obvious in the reduction of vegetation cover between 1986 and 2000 to a total area of 3893 hectares (37%). The vegetation cover further decreased to 2791 hectares (26%) in 2005 and 1659 hectares (16%) in 2007 respectively. The study concludes that the establishment of shelterbelts alone cannot guarantee the success of vegetation cover development in the area without a sustainable plan which recognizes the local communities as critical stakeholders. Thus, variables like population growth and GDP have a role to play in vegetation cover depletion. The study recommends that efforts geared towards enlightenment of the local communities on the need for conservation should be encouraged by Government and Non-Governmental Organisations.

A Method for Spatial Heterogeneity Evaluation on Landscape Pattern of Farmland Shelterbelt Networks:A Case Study in Midwest of Jilin Province,China

On the basis of landscape ecology, combining the Spot 5 high resolution satellite imagery with GIS, a method evaluating the spatial heterogeneity of shelterbelts distribution at landscape scale is put forward in this paper. The distance coefficients of reasonable and existing landscape indexes of farmland shelterbelt networks were com-puted, and then through the classification of the distance coefficients, and the establishment of evaluation rules, the spatial heterogeneity of farmland shelterbelts was evaluated. The method can improve the evaluating system of previ-ous studies on shelterbelts distribution, resolve the disadvantages of lacking spatiality of overall evaluation, and make the evaluation results have more directive significance for shelterbelt management. Based on this method, spatial het-erogeneity of shelterbelt networks was evaluated in the midwest of Jilin Province, China. The results show that the re-gions with fewer shelterbelts and no closed network account for 34.7% of the total area, but only 4.9% of the area has relative reasonable pattern of shelterbelt networks. Many problems exist in the distribution pattern of shelterbelts, therefore, much attention should be paid to construct farmland shelterbelts in the study area.

Damage by wind-blown sand and its control measures along the Taklimakan Desert Highway in China

Desertification is one of the most serious environmental problems in the world,especially in the arid desert regions.Combating desertification,therefore,is an urgent task on a regional or even global scale.The Taklimakan Desert in China is the second largest mobile desert in the world and has been called the''Dead Sea''due to few organisms can exist in such a harsh environment.The Taklimakan Desert Highway,the longest desert highway(a total length of 446 km)across the mobile desert in the world,was built in the 1990s within the Taklimakan Desert.It has an important strategic significance regarding oil and gas resources exploration and plays a vital role in the socio-economic development of southern Xinjiang,China.However,wind-blow sand seriously damages the smoothness of the desert highway and,in this case,mechanical sand control system(including sand barrier fences and straw checkerboards)was used early in the life of the desert highway to protect the road.Unfortunately,more than 70%of the sand barrier fences and straw checkerboards have lost their functions,and the desert highway has often been buried and frequently blocked since 1999.To solve this problem,a long artificial shelterbelt with the length of 437 km was built along the desert highway since 2000.However,some potential problems still exist for the sustainable development of the desert highway,such as water shortage,strong sandstorms,extreme environmental characteristics and large maintenance costs.The study aims to provide an overview of the damages caused by wind-blown sand and the effects of sand control measures along the Taklimakan Desert Highway.Ultimately,we provide some suggestions for the biological sand control system to ensure the sustainable development of the Taklimakan Desert Highway,such as screening drought-resistant species to reduce the irrigation requirement and ensure the sound development of groundwater,screening halophytes to restore vegetation in the case of soil salinization,and planting cash crops,such as Cistanche,Wolfberry,Apocynum and other cash crops to decrease the high cost of maintenance on highways and shelterbelts.

An overview of the “Three-North” Shelterbelt project in China

The ＂Three-North＂ Shelterbelt is the largest and most distinctive artificial ecological engineering project in China. It has been conducted since November 25, 1978 in the ＂Three-North＂ （i.e., Northeast China, North China and Northwest China） regions. In this study, the background and the essential benefits of the ＂Three-North＂ Shelterbelt project are summarized. The basic status and future development of the ＂Three-North＂ Shelterbelt project are also studied. As well, we tried to discuss the problems existing in the current shelterbelt system and the strategies to conduct this ecological project rationally.

Protection efficiency assessment and quality of coastal shelterbelt for Dongshan Island at the coastal section scale

The coastal shelter forest in China is under threat of destruction and degradation because of the impact of human activities. Protection efficiency assessment of the coastal shelterbelt is an important component of shelterforest remediation planning and sustainable management. In this study, a protection efficiency index （PEI） model was established using the projection pursuit method to assess the protective quality of the coastal shelter forest at the coastal section scale of Dongshan Island, China. Three criteria were used, including forest stand structure, forest belt structure, and windbreak effect; each criterion further comprised multiple factors. Based on survey data of 31 plots in the coastal shelter forest of Dongshan Island, we calculated PEI values using a projection of a pursuit model. The result showed 64.5 % of the PEIs fell at or below the middle level, which can indicate the status of the coastal shelterbelt is unsatisfactory. To further explore whether the different bays and land use types create significant differences in PEIs and evaluation indices, we used an ANOVA to test the influence of various bays and forms of land use on coastal shelterbelts. The results showed that PEI and most of the indices differed significantly by bay; mean tree height, mean DBH, mean crown width, stand density, vegetation coverage, and wind velocity reduction differed significantly by land use. Therefore, relevant measures for different locations, bays and surrounding land use can be proposed to improve the existing conditions of the coastal shelterbelt. The results of this study provide a theoretical and technical framework for future changes and sustainable management of coastal shelterbelt on Dongshan Island.

Assessment of the effects of the shelterbelt on the soil temperature at regional scale based on MODIS data

At present, the most researches on the protected effect of shelterbelt are on the basis of the two scales of forest belts and networks. However, with the further research on the global environmental change, more attention was paid to the regional climate effect of shelterbelt. In present study, we analyzed the temperature effect of the shelterbelt at regional scale by using the land surface temperature （LST） data from the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer （MODIS） at Yushu, Nong＇an, Dehui, and Fuyu in Jilin Province of China from March to October in 2008. Results show that the shelterbelt can increase the soil temperature of the protected farmland as compared with no shelterbelt zone, with the increment of 0.57oC per day in fine shelterbelt and 0.38oC per day in the normal shelterbelt. Moreover, the correlation analysis of the air temperature, precipitation and the soil type and the shelterbelt effect shows that the air temperature and precipitation are negatively correlated with the shelterbelt effects, that is, the more the temperature and precipitation are, the less the effect produced. While the impact of the soil types on the shelterbelt＇s effect is not very obvious as a whole. This paper draws significance in terms of analyzing the effects of the shelterbelt on the soil temperature at regional scale utilizing the remotely sensed data and GIS technique.

A retrieval and validation method for shelterbelt vegetation fraction

Shelterbelts are important in defending against natural disaster and maintaining ecological balances in farmland. Understanding of the shelterbelt vegetation fraction is fundamental to regional research of shelterbelts using remote sensing. We used SPOT5 imagery with 10×10m spatial resolution in combination with knowledge of the characteristics of shelterbelts to develop a method for retrieval of the vegetation fraction of shelterbelts by the pixel un-mixing model. We then used the method to retrieve values for shelterbelts in study area. By combining the parameters of photographic images with characteristics of shelterbelts, we developed a method for measuring the vegetation fraction of shelterbelts based on an advanced photographic method. We then measured the actual values to validate the retrieval result. The multiple correlation coefficients between the retrieved and measured values were 0.715. Our retrieval and measuring methods presented in this paper accurately reflect field conditions. We suggest that this method is useful to describe shelterbelt structure using remote sensing.

"3Ns" Shelterbelt Network Project

In China’s three northern regions of the Northwest, North and Northeast (3Ns), there are 1.33 million sq km of desert and sand land, forming a 5,000-km-long wind-sand belt. In 1978, the Chinese government decided to build the "3Ns" shelterbelt network. The project covers 13 provinces, autonomous regions and cities including Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang, eovering an area of 4.06 million sq km, 42％ of the country’s total land. It plans to complete the project in 73 years, in three phases: the first phase

Comparison of the water consumption levels of four shelterbelt tree species in a typical arid oasis in Northwest China

The shelterbelt is an indispensable barrier to the ecological and economic development of an oasis.Soil moisture,groundwater and irrigation greatly affect the shelterbelt water consumption and development.In this study,the transpiration rate of shelterbelt trees,soil moisture and meteorological data were collected to determine the effects of soil moisture and meteorological factors on the water consumption of different shelterbelt tree species via multivariate statistical methods.The results showed that the water consumption rate was positively correlated with solar radiation,air temperature and precipitation.Moreover,the leaf transpiration rate exhibited the trend of P.Russkii Jabl.˃P.alba˃P.simonii Carr.>P.nigracv,while the average daily water consumption decreased in the order of P.alba>P.Russkii Jabl.>P.simonii Carr.>P.nigracv.The average daily water consumption levels of P.alba,P.Russkii Jabl.,P.simonii Carr.and P.nigracv were(9.15±0.92)kg/(tree∙d),(6.95±1.41)kg/(tree∙d),(4.43±1.32)kg/(tree∙d),and(1.58±0.18)kg/(tree∙d),respectively.Over the growing season,the soil water consumption levels of P.alba,P.Russkii Jabl.,P.simonii Carr.,and P.nigracv in each shelterbelt tree stand reached 674.8,336.9,358.1 and 161.7 kg,respectively.More than 96%of the soil moisture lost was provided by the upper 120-cm soil layer.Understanding the influence and contribution of soil water and meteorological factors to shelterbelt water consumption is beneficial for shelterbelt management and protection.

The Three-North Shelterbelt Program and Dynamic Changes in Vegetation Cover

The Shelterbelt Forest System Program in northeast, north and northwest China （the Three-North Shelterbelt Program, TNSP） is the largest ecological reforestation program in the world. TNSP vegetation research has important ecological meaning and profound social and economic signiifcance. Here, spatio-temporal variation in vegetation cover under the TNSP was examined using the NDVI average method, major climatic factors such as temperature and precipitation, and linear regression trend analysis from 1982 to 2006. We found that in the past 25 years, NDVI vegetation in the study area has consistently risen at a rate of 0.007 per decade. Vegetation cover, temperature and precipitation are positively correlated. The area of vegetation associated with precipitation is larger than the area related to temperature;precipitation is the key factor affecting vegetation growth across the TNSP. From 1982 to 2006, regions with improved vegetation cover were found in the central and southern part of the Greater Khingan Mountains, central part of the Lesser Khingan Mountains, northeastern part of the Changbai Mountains, Yanshan Mountians, Western Liaoning Hilly Region, Altai Mountains, Tien Shan Mountains, eastern part of the Qilian Mountains, eastern part of the northwest desert as wel as southern part of the Gul y Region of the Loess Plateau. However, vegetation cover declined on both sides of the Greater Khingan Mountains, western part of the Hulun Buir Plateau, northern part of the Sanjiang Plain, southern part of Horqin Sandy Land, southern part of the northwest desert and northern part of the Gul y Region of the Loess Plateau.