Mohammadreza Gharibreza Soil Conservation and Watershed Management Research Institute, Iran (SCWMRI). Global Symposium on Soil Erosion (GSER19), 15 - 17 May 2019 at FAO HQ.

1. Estimation of Soil Erosion Deforestation-
induced Using Nuclear Techniques (Case
study: Golestan Province, Iran)
Mohammadreza Gharibreza
Soil Conservation and Watershed Management
Research Institute, Iran (SCWMRI)
1

2. Content
• Hyrcanian Forests
• Gorgan Province Deforestation and Afforestation
• Technical Cooperation between IAEA and SCWMRI
• Site Selection
• Sampling and Sample Preparation
• Cs-137 inventory
• Soil Erosion rate
• Conclusion
2

3. Hyrcanian Forests
• A continuous 800+km belt of deciduous forests
• Along the northern slopes of the Alborz mountains,
including 1.85 million hectares in Iran.
• Including an important refugium of temperate broad-leaved
trees, and date back to at least 25 million years BP.
• They stretch across three provinces of Iran (Gilan,
Mazandaran and Golestan)
• Up to 60 mammal species plus 340 bird, 67 fish, 29 reptile
and 9 amphibian species recorded in various habitats of the
region.
3

4. 4

5. 5
Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forests

6. Gorgan Province Deforestation and Afforestation
• Up to 452,000 ha forest coverage, from which 66%
productive, 18 % conserved, and 16 % degraded.
• Golestan National Park with 91,000 ha distribution
• Deforestation has been happened through wood
harvesting with the mean rate of 2.3 million m-3
per year between 1976 and 1991 years. Afterward,
this rate was decreased to 300,000 m-3 per year.
• Up to 75,527 ha Afforestation has been conducted
since 1981.
• Converting of forest to Dry-land farming is most
common land use change by farmers.
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7. 7

8. 8

9. 9
IMPACTS OF DEFORESTATION
The Great Flash Flood and Inundation, March 18, 2019

10. Technical Cooperation between IAEA and SCWMRI
10
Project Number: IRA5013
Project Title:
Investigating the Effects of Deforestation and
Afforestation on Soil Redistribution in the North
of Iran
Country: Iran, Islamic Republic of
Main Counterpart: Mohammadreza GHARIBREZA
Counterpart Institution:
Soil Conservation and Watershed Management
Research Institute (SCWMRI)
Technical Officer: Mohammad ZAMAN
Program Manager Officer
Name:
M. B. MISHAR

11. Site Selection
• Nomel
• Baraftan
• FazelAbad
• Kohmian
• KordAbad
• Khandooz
• Ramian
• MohammadZaman
• Galikesh
• Park Zeitoon
• KazemKhojeh
• KhajeHasan
• Yekeghooz
• Chagharbesh
• Tarajigh
11

12. 12
REFERENCE SITES

13. Sampling
13

14. 14
Sampling
400 m
320 m 260 m

15. 15
Northward Direction, Galikesh areaEastward Direction, Azad Shahr area
Westward Direction, Azad Shahr area

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17. 17
Code Sand % Silt % Clay % Texture
290 3 54 43 Si - C
291 15 55 30 Si - C - L
292 11 55 34 Si - C - L
293 5 61 34 Si - C - L
294 6 57 37 Si - C - L
295 6 56 38 Si - C - L
296 0 60 40 Si - C
297 0 61 39 Si - C - L
298 1 58 41 Si - C
299 9 60 31 Si - C - L
300 9 62 29 Si - C - L
301 13 56 31 Si - C - L
302 2 62 36 Si - C - L
303 2 73 25 Si - L
304 2 60 38 Si - C - L
305 1 61 38 Si - C - L
306 7 60 33 Si - C - L
307 3 60 37 Si - C - L
308 1 68 31 Si - C - L
309 1 58 41 Si - C
310 1 58 41 Si - C
311 1 57 42 Si - C
312 1 60 39 Si - C - L
313 12 59 28 Si - C - L
Code Sand % Silt % Clay % Texture
269 7 60 33 Si - C - L
270 8 60 32 Si - C - L
271 11 60 29 Si - C - L
272 8 59 33 Si - C - L
273 6 63 31 Si - C - L
274 9 57 34 Si - C - L
275 13 54 33 Si - C - L
276 8 62 30 Si - C - L
277 9 57 34 Si - C - L
278 9 57 34 Si - C - L
279 5 60 35 Si - C - L
280 8 56 36 Si - C - L
281 2 65 33 Si - C - L
282 2 63 35 Si - C - L
283 1 62 37 Si - C - L
284 1 64 35 Si - C - L
285 2 68 30 Si - C - L
286 2 60 38 Si - C - L
287 1 63 36 Si - C - L
288 1 62 37 Si - C - L
289 4 62 34 Si - C - L
Code Sand % Silt % Clay % Texture
365 10 63 27 Si - L
366 9 61 30 Si - C - L
367 10 59 31 Si - C - L
368 6 61 33 Si - C - L
369 4 58 38 Si - C - L
370 2 64 34 Si - C - L
371 1 63 36 Si - C - L
372 3 63 34 Si - C - L
373 16 53 31 Si - C - L
374 6 61 33 Si - C - L
375 2 59 39 Si - C - L
376 1 58 41 Si - C
377 2 59 39 Si - C - L
378 0 60 40 Si - C
379 1 59 40 Si - C
380 2 64 34 Si - C - L
381 6 63 31 Si - C - L
382 9 62 29 Si - C - L
383 7 62 31 Si - C - L
384 1 61 38 Si - C - L
Eastward Direction, Azad Shahr Westward Direction, Azad Shahr Northward Direction, Galilesh
RESULTS
Silty clay loam is the dominant soil texture along the studied transects which are
characterized by loess deposits in the North-East of Iran.

18. 18
RESULTS
y = 145.35e-0.451x
R² = 0.8801
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
0-2
2-4
4-6
6-8
8-10
10-12
12-14
14-16
16-18
18-20
20-22
22-26
26-30
Cs-137 Activity (Bq/kg)
Cs-137 Inventory and grain size distribution in Reference site of Azad Shahr area

19. 19
RESULTS
Cs-137 Inventory and grain size distribution in Reference site of Galikesh area

20. 20
RESULTS
Westward Direction, Azad Shahr

21. 21
Eastward Direction, Azad Shahr
RESULTS

22. 22
Sample ID Land Use Bulk Density (Kg m-3) Cs-137 (Bq m-2)
G1-1 Dry-land Farms 1499.18 1124.39
G1-2 Dry-land Farms 1449.77 833.62
G1-3 Dry-land Farms 1416.27 1097.61
G1-4 Dry-land Farms 1495.83 860.10
G1-5 Dry-land Farms 1484.11 1521.21
G1-6 Dry-land Farms 1386.11 935.63
G1-7 Dry-land Farms 1370.20 2260.83
G1-8 Dry-land Farms 1422.13 2133.19
G1-9 Dry-land Farms 1166.68 1545.85
G1-10 Dry-land Farms 1411.24 1587.65
G1-11 Dry-land Farms 1303.20 2019.96
G1-12 Dry-land Farms 1432.18 2040.85
G1-13 Dry-land Farms 1338.38 1840.27
G1-14 Dry-land Farms 1620.62 2228.36
G1-15 Dry-land Farms 1441.39 1297.25
G1-16 Dry-land Farms 1356.80 1831.68
G1-17 Dry-land Farms 1382.76 1970.44
G1-18 Dry-land Farms 1605.55 1806.24
G1-19 Dry-land Farms 1378.58 1481.97
G1-20 Dry-land Farms 1378.58 861.61
G1-21 Dry-land Farms 1671.71 2340.40
Average 1429.11 1600.91
Max 1671.71 2340.40
Min 1166.68 833.62
RESULTS
Northward Direction, Galikesh area

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Sample ID Soil Lost % Mass Balance II
AZ1-1 -90.74 -69.68
AZ1-2 -90.78 -69.54
AZ1-3 -90.27 -65.39
AZ1-4 -89.05 -63.349
AZ1-5 -88.42 -56.648
AZ1-6 -85.70 -53.958
AZ1-7 -84.52 -55.018
AZ1-8 -73.30 -38.349
AZ1-9 -67.48 -30.44
AZ1-10 -71.77 -34.879
AZ1-11 -57.95 -24.76
AZ1-12 -51.93 -21.39
AZ1-13 -41.87 -14.05
AZ1-14 -42.85 -15.15
AZ1-15 -46.23 -17.17
AZ1-16 -28.16 -8.66
AZ1-17 -52.18 -20.52
AZ1-18 -56.48 -23.49
AZ1-19 -50.77 -19.86
AZ1-20 -53.71 -17.14
AZ1-21 -35.62 -12.73
Net Erosion -64.28 -34.87
RESULTS
Westward Direction, Azad Shahr

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Sample ID Soil Lost % Mass Balance II
AZ2-1 -92.95 -81.272
AZ2-2 -91.22 -73.591
AZ2-3 -92.28 -78.072
AZ2-4 -74.05 -38.279
AZ2-5 -25.01 -7.72
AZ2-6 -26.13 -8.13
AZ2-7 -24.91 -7.69
AZ2-8 -24.75 -7.63
AZ2-9 -61.37 -26.4
AZ2-10 -90.53 -70.971
AZ2-11 -88.01 -62.989
AZ2-12 -78.49 -44.078
AZ2-13 -37.63 -12.78
AZ2-14 -37.64 -12.78
AZ2-15 -40.20 -13.95
AZ2-16 -27.57 -8.67
AZ2-17 -77.30 -42.41
AZ2-18 -54.86 -21.89
AZ2-19 -86.17 -58.24
AZ2-20 -78.19 -43.65
AZ2-21 -55.79 -22.49
AZ2-22 -68.57 -32.49
AZ2-23 -77.24 -42.33
AZ2-24 -77.09 -42.12
Net Erosion -60.24 -35.86
Eastward Direction, Azad Shahr
RESULTS

25. Sample ID Soil Lost % Mass Balance II
Gali1-1 -72.32 -38.499
Gali1-2 -79.48 -48.397
Gali1-3 -72.98 -39.278
Gali1-4 -78.83 -47.337
Gali1-5 -62.55 -28.88
Gali1-6 -76.97 -44.528
Gali1-7 -44.34 -16.82
Gali1-8 -47.48 -18.55
Gali1-9 -61.94 -28.38
Gali1-10 -60.91 -27.55
Gali1-11 -50.27 -20.19
Gali1-12 -49.76 -19.88
Gali1-13 -54.70 -23.01
Gali1-14 -45.14 -17.25
Gali1-15 -68.06 -33.899
Gali1-16 -54.91 -23.15
Gali1-17 -51.49 -20.94
Gali1-18 -55.53 -23.58
Gali1-19 -63.52 -29.7
Gali1-20 -78.79 -47.277
Gali1-21 -42.38 -15.8
Net Erosion 60.59 -29.19
25
RESULTSNorthward Direction, Galikesh area

26. 26
 Loss soil based on reduction of Cs-137 inventory along the Azadshahr
transects are 64.24 % and 60.24 %, respectively.
 The mean bulk density of 1400 kg m-2, the tillage depth of 250 kg m-2
the results indicated that ca. 153.1 kg m-2 (or ca. 10.93 cm) and ca.
150.0 kg m-2 (or ca. 10.71 cm) of soil has been eroded from the AZ-
westward and AZ-Eastward transects, respectively.
 Erosion values estimated based on Mass Balance II model and 54
years the elapsed time between dates of deforestation and sampling
operation.
 The annual net erosion of the Dryland Farms (Westward and Eastward)
transects were calculated to be 34.87 tone ha-1 and 35.86 tone ha-1,
respectively.
 Therefore, the soil loss along the representative transects have been
occurred with the rate of 0.20 cm y-1, 0.19 cm y-1 respectively.

27. 27
 Loss soil based on reduction of Cs-137 inventory along the Azadshahr
transect is 60.59 %.
 The mean bulk density of 1430 kg m-2, the tillage depth of 250 kg m-2
the results indicated that ca. 151.47 kg m-2 (or ca. 10.59 cm) of soil
has been eroded from the Galikesh transect.
 Erosion values estimated based on Mass Balance II model and 54
years the elapsed time between dates of deforestation and sampling
operation.
 The annual rate of soil erosion in Galikesh area (Dryland Farm) was
calculated to be 29.19 tone ha-1.
 Therefore, the soil loss across the representative transect has been
happened with the rate of 0.19 cm y-1.

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CONCLUSION
 Clear cutting of forests to develop dryland farming has been the worst
kind of land use change in terms of soil erosion.
 Using the FRNs techniques indicated that rate of soil erosion in farms
with tillage along the slope direction is 1.7 higher than farms with
tillage parallel to contour lines.
 Erosion condition controlled mainly by loess mother material.
 Slope direction does not play important role in rate of soil erosion in the
study area.
 Reduction of ≈ 20 % of precipitation has resulted in declining of 17.5%
rate of soil erosion.
 The annual rate of soil erosion rate (32.27 t ha-1) in Golestan Province
is two times of the national rate of soil erosion (16.7 t ha-1).

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