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Habitat destruction

Draft

Forest hydrology describes the aspects of hydrology that are influenced by forest cover.

History

Begins with Vitruvius (27 - 17 BCE); role of forests in evaporation.^[2]
Pliny the Elder (77 - 79 CE) that where forests were cut, springs appeared; water that was previously used for hte benefits of the trees. Removing wood on high ground that had "served to attract and consume the rains" produced "devastating torrents".
Pliny's observations - major concerns re impacts of forests on water and climate - impacts on stream flow and precip.^[3]
Philip Augustus's 1219 royal ordinance "of the Waters and Forests" and the subsequent designation of forest managers as officers of "Eaux et Forêts" (water and forests) was considered by Joseph Kittredge as foundational in public recognition of an association between forests and water quality (at least in the minds of the public).^[3]
Christopher Columbus - difference in rainfall between the Canary Island and Azores on one hand, and the West Indian islands on the other, was due to the destruction of forest cover in the former.^[3]
Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre - based on observations made in Mauritius, French botanist, in his Études de la nature suggested reforesting the French highlands to restore streamflow.^[3]
Jean-Baptiste Rougier de la Bergerie, writing about the destruction of French forests following the French Revolution, blamed the "disappearance" of water on the loss of forests.^[3]

After the Revolutionary wars - development of two groups, a "foresters" party claiming that forests could attract rainfall and moderate flooding, and an "engineers" party dubious of these claims.

François Antoine Rauch - "one of the most prolific and enthusiastic leaders of the 'foresters' party"; saw trees as drawing atmospheric moisture to them, which ran down their trunks into the ground where it fed springs.

Other 'foresters' included

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck: by destroying to satisfy "his desires of the moment, man swiftly renders sterile the soil that he inhabits, causes the streams to dry up"
Jean-Baptiste Boussingault believed deforestation to be the cause of declining lake levels. He wrote that
- Clear-cutting reduces the quality of surface waters and
- It either reduced rainfall, increased evaporation, or both
- Local deforestation caused the disappearance of springs
- Based on meteorological information, widespread deforestation reduced rainfall
Antoine César Becquerel concluded that forests preserve and regulate running water.

'Engineers' party, on the other hand, sought a more data-driven approach to the question

Alexandre Charles Surell proposed a combination of engineering works (mostly check dams) and watershed rehabilitation as a means of alleviating erosion in the mountains.

References

^ McCulloch, James S. G.; Robinson, Mark (1993-10-01). "History of forest hydrology". Journal of Hydrology. 150 (2): 189–216. doi:10.1016/0022-1694(93)90111-L.
^ McGuire, Kevin J.; Likens, Gene E. (2011). "Historical Roots of Forest Hydrology and Biogeochemistry". In Levia, Delphis F.; Carlyle-Moses, Darryl; Tanaka, Tadashi (eds.). Forest Hydrology and Biogeochemistry. Springer. pp. 3–26. ISBN 978-94-007-1362-8. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |nopp= (help)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Andréassian, Vazken (2004-05-31). "Waters and forests: from historical controversy to scientific debate". Journal of Hydrology. 291 (1–2): 1–27. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2003.12.015.