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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Redistribution process of precipitation in ecological restoration activity of Pinus sylvestris var.mongolica in Mu Us Sandy Land,China

Precipitation is the most important water resource in semi-arid regions of China.The redistribution of precipitation among atmospheric water,soil water and groundwater are related to the land surface afforested ecological system.The study took widely replanted Pinus sylvestris var.Mongolica(PSM)in Mu Us Sandy Land(MUSL)as a research object and monitored precipitation,soil moisture,sap flow,and deep soil recharge(DSR)to find out moisture distribution in shallow soil layers.Results showed that the restoration process of PSM in MUSL changed the distribution of precipitation,with part of it infltrating downward as DsR and part of it being stored in the shallow soil.Consequently,evapotranspiration increased and DsR significantly decreased,resulting in up to 466.9 mm of precipitation returning to the atmosphere through evapotranspiration in 2016.Vegetation increased soil water storage(SwS)capacity,with maximum SWS in PSM plot and bare sandy land(BSL)being 260 mm and 197 mm per unit horizontal area,respectively in 2016.DSR decreased from 54%of precipitation in the BSL plot to 0.2%of precipitation in the PSM plot in 2016.A great portion of infiltrated water was stored in the PSM ecosystem,resulting in a time lag of infiltration to reach the deep soil layer,and the infiltration rate in the BSL plot was 11 times of that in the PSM plot.SWS decreased 16 mm and 7.6 mm per unit horizontal area over a one-year period(from March to October,non-freezing time)in 2017 and 2019,respectively.The PSM annual sap flow was maintained at a relatively constant level of 154 mm/yr.Through in-situ measurement and comparative analysis of the precipitation redistribution of the BSL plot and the PSM plot,we find that PSM can significantly reduce the shallow soil water storage and DSR.However,substantial reduction of shallow soil water storage and DsR is detrimental for the long-term development of PSM forest.Therefore,it is necessary to reduce PSM density to cut the water consumption by PSM per unit area,thus to augment the shallow SWS and DSR,which will be beneficial for the PSM to survive under extreme drought conditions in the future.This study helps us understand the role of precipitationinduced groundwater recharge in the process of vegetation restoration in semi-arid regions and explains thepossiblecauses of PSM forest degradation.

Effects of natural covers on soil evaporation of the shelterbelt along the Tarim Desert Highway

The control of soil evaporation is one of important approaches to save water. The artificially simulated evaporation experiments have been conducted in the hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert to reveal the effects of the natural covers on the soil evaporation of the Tarim Desert Highway shelterbelt as well as provide some insights in the efficient utilization of water resources and optimization of irrigation systems. The results showed that (1) All the covers, including the sand deposit, the salt crust, the litter, the sand-litter mixed layer and so on, can significantly inhibit the soil water evaporation. Specifically, the daily evaporation, the total evaporation, and the evaporation rate in covered sands were much smaller than that of sands without cover. The cover inhibition effects increased with the cover thickness. Particularly, the soil evaporation of the covered sands was less affected by external and internal factors than that of the bare sands. Moreover, the variation of daily evaporation of covered sands was smaller than that of bare sands. The cumulative evaporation varied linearly with time in the covered sands whereas it varied logarithmically in the bare sands. In addition, the soil evaporation in the bare sands showed significantly different characteristics in the early and late stages of the evaporation. (2) All the covers exhibited the significant inhibiting effect on the soil evaporation, and the inhibition efficiency increased logarithmically with the cover thickness. However, as the cover thickness was above a certain value, the increase in the inhibition efficiency was slow. Particularly, at a cover thickness of 2 cm, there was no obvious difference in the inhibition efficiency among all kinds of covers. The maximum inhibition efficiency as calculated from the daily evaporation on the first day of irrigation was: sand-litter mixed layer (79.92%) > litter layer (78.96%) > salt crust (75.58%) > sand bed (74.11%), whereas the average inhibiting efficiency as calculated from the cumulative soil evaporation at the end of an irrigation cycle (the fourth day) was: salt crust (67.78%) > sand-litter mixed layer (66.72%) > sand deposit (63.28%) > litter layer (61.74%).

The effect of salt stress on the chlorophyll level of the main sand-binding plants in the shelterbelt along the Tarim Desert Highway

Based on the fact that only high saline water irrigated to the shelterbelt along the Tarim Desert Highway, the experiment about three species with six degree of salinity was carried out to analyze the relation between chlorophyll content and salt stress. The results show that: (1) the chlorophyll content of tree species decreases with aggravating the salt stress, which explains that salt stress can affect chlorophyll accumulation of three plants; (2) from chlorophyll content with different salinity, the chlorophyll content of three shrubs also has twice obvious decrease, which indicates that some plants adapt to salt stress. We divided salt resistance of the plant into three grades, namely the slight salt resistance, the heavy salt resistance and the extreme salt resistance; and (3) according to the experimental results, the salt stress of each plant was divided, which can provide theoretical guidance for constructing the shelterbelt along the Tarim Desert Highway.

Plants water status of the shelterbelt along the Tarim Desert Highway

The plant water consumption and irrigation management are the core issue of the sustainable growing of the Tarim Desert Highway shelterbelt in the hyperaride Taklimakan Desert. The stem sap flow, water status and water consumption of shelterbelt plants were studied, then, the issue of the water save in the process of shelterbelt irrigation management was discussed by measuring the sap flow of shelterbelt plants with a stem sap flow gauge. The stem sap flow exhibited a distinct diurnal course with maximum values between 10:00 and 15:00, and minimum values between 00:00 and 03:00. Generally, sap flow was lower at night than during the day. The daily average stem sap flow of Calligonum arborescens, Tamarix ramosissima and Haloxylon ammodendron (diameter 1.9―2.0 cm) was 67.2 g·h-1, 77.05 g·h-1 and 61.54 g·h-1 respectively. The sap flow was influenced by environmental factors, and the solar radiation, wind velocity, temperature and relative humidity were significantly correlative with plant stem sap flow. The annual water consumption of 8-a Calligonum arborescens, Tamarix ramosissima and Haloxylon ammodendron was 1937.80 kg, 1253.39 kg and 1026.96 kg, while daily average water consumption was 9.69 kg, 6.27 kg and 5.13 kg respectively. Under drip irrigation, soil moisture content of the shelterbelt in different months indicated no obvious fluctuation, and soil moisture was adequate. The predawn and midday plant water potential reflected that the plant water status was in good conditions. There is still some water-saving space if optimizing the present water management, integrating water resources conservation and protection performance.

Effect of the shelterbelt along the Tarim Desert Highway on air temperature and humidity

The temperature and humidity of the shelterbelt micro-climate on both horizontal and vertical scales in the extremely drought area were measured with multiple HOBO temperature and humidity automatic observation equipments in the hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert. The results show that the shelterbelt ecosystem of the desert highway plays typical micro-climate adjustment rolesin stabilizing surface air temperature and increasing air humidity, and so on. Solar radiation significantly affects both temperature and humidity of surface layers, and it has a positive correlation with the temperature but a negative correlation with the air humidity. When it is cloudy, the weather has a great impact on keeping temperature and humidity in the shelterbelt. The shelterbelt also significantly influences the environment, and the micro-climate in the belt has an obvious characteristic of cooling and humidification: compared with the original sand area, the temperature in the shelterbelt is always lower and the humidity is always higher. Moreover, the temperature range at the shelterbelt edge is greater than that in the sand area, but the humidity is always higher. Our conclusion is that the vertical-effect range of temperature of the shelterbelts is 4 -10 m, and the humidity range is 6 to 8 m; the horizontal-effect range of temperature is 16 m and the humidity range is about 24 m.

Topographical changes of ground surface affected by the shelterbelt along the Tarim Desert Highway

To study the effects of sand protection project on modern aeolian landform, the types, distribution, and intensity of topographical changes of the ground surface affected by the shelterbelt along the Tarim Desert Highway were determined by measuring the deflation and deposition of sand surface in the Tazhong area located in the hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert. The results showed that (1) the newly-formed landform in sand protection systems is dominated by aeolian deposition including the small-scale Nabkha Dunes, the medium-scale sheet-like sand deposition and the large-scale ridge-like sand deposition. To some degree, aeolian deflation landform can also be formed in the open space in the shelterbelt. Furthermore, it is difficult for aeolian deflation landform to develop in a large scale in the interdunes. However, aeolian deflation landform can be developed in a large-scale on the windward slope of secondary dunes in longitudinal complex sand ridges; (2) on the windward side of the sand protection systems, both the morphology and strike of dwarf mobile dunes in the interdunes are changed by the sand-obstructing forest belts and the ridge-like sand deposition around it. The wind- ward slope of the ridge-like deposition around the sand-obstructing forest belt forms a stable ground surface. After being damaged by forward-moving dunes in a short period, the ground surface is re- covered gradually; (3) on the leeward side of the sand protection systems, aeolian deflations are formed widely. Particularly, the deflation depression is formed in the interdunes. In addition, the dunes in the region with highly topographic relief are cut flat by aeolian deflations; thereafter its relief of to- pography is reduced. The above analysis indicates that shelterbelts have obvious effects on the windward wind-sand flux in terms of dissipating energy and intercepting sand. With the recovery of wind velocity on the leeward side of the sand protection systems, the wind-sand flux gradually tends to be unsaturated; therefore the sand surface deflation is formed.

The vertical distribution of the root system of the desert highway shelterbelt in the hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert

In this work, the vertical distribution of the root system in the Tarim Desert Highway shelterbelt under high salinity water drip irrigation was investigated. The effect of site condition and shelterbelt age was studied. The root sample was collected by plant side soil column excavation. The root distribution was found to be dependent on soil texture, aspect, and plant age. In harden sand, the roots were mostly in the 0–40 cm soil. The root distribution is deep in flat sandy ground and ridge sand. In unit soil volume, the root weight of flat sandy ground was the highest. Compared with the shady slope, the sunny slope had much high total root weight, deeper root distribution, but less hair root. The root weight increased rapidly with the increase of the shelterbelt ages, and the most substantial increase was observed in the early years after forest implantation.