INFLUENCE OF RESIDUES OF HARVESTING OF BLACK WATTLE FOREST (Acacia mearnsii De Wild) ON SOIL AND WATER LOSSES

ABSTRACT

This work was carried out at Federal University of Santa Maria campus, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, with the objective to evaluate the influence of residues management system of an black wattle reforestation on water and soil losses from natural rainfall. The treatments were: T1 - shallow clear cutting burned; T2 - cut and deposition of the residues and T3 - reforestation of black wattle. The treatment T1 had significantly greater water losses than T2, which also had significantly greater water losses than T3. The precipitation during the studied period was 1,384 mm, with an erosivity index (EI₃₀) of 7,474 MJ mm ha^-1 h^-1. The soil losses evidenced significantly differences between T1 and the other two treatments T2 and T3, which reduced the soil losses in 99,6% and 99,9%, respectively, in relation to T1.

Key words:
Acacia mearnsii; erosion; vegetable residues